From Window to Table
Some table settings begin with a favorite piece of china.
This one began with a tablecloth.
Well…not exactly.
It actually began as a drapery panel.
More Than a Tablecloth
During Dish Camp at the home of Melissa and Rodney Bishop, we spent hours in what we affectionately called the dish room—opening closets, stacking plates, mixing patterns, and dreaming up new combinations. If you love dishes, you understand that kind of happiness. It’s less about finding matching pieces and more about discovering conversations between them.
Before I left, Melissa handed me a gift that would quickly become one of my favorite decorating treasures: a beautiful drapery panel in soft orange, crisp white, and gentle touches of gray.
Most people would have seen window treatments.
We saw a table waiting to happen.
As soon as I spread it across my small, kitchen table, I knew it would become one of the most versatile linens in my collection. The warm orange feels welcoming through late summer and fall, while the gray and white keep it fresh enough for spring. I can already imagine dozens of dish stacks resting on top of it. Starting this Fall with gray and white dishes with a splash of black. And could this be the foundation of a “War Eagle” table setting during football season? I think, YES!
But I suspect this first setting will always remain my favorite because of the memories stitched into it.
The foundation of the stack is an elegant gold glass charger that adds warmth and richness without competing with the china.
Next comes an Imari dinner plate. Originating in Japan during the 17th century, Imari porcelain became famous for its vibrant palette of iron red, cobalt blue, emerald green, and touches of gold. European collectors prized these designs, and the distinctive style has inspired manufacturers around the world for generations. The geometric border alone feels like artwork.
Layered above is a Fitz and Floyd salad plate with oversized orange blossoms that seem to have borrowed their colors directly from the tablecloth beneath them. These were purchased during Dish Camp at Scott’s Antiques and were the inspiration for the whole tablescape. Another sweet memory.
Fitz and Floyd has long been known for creating artistic dinnerware that blends beauty with everyday entertaining, and this floral design brings a relaxed elegance to the stack.
Topping everything is a delicate Franciscan sherbet. Its octagonal shape and graceful floral design provide just enough softness while allowing the bold patterns below to shine.
Resting on the side is one of my favorite gold-rimmed glasses—one found at TJ Maxx and another discovered while antiquing. They remind me that beautiful tables don’t have to come from one collection or one shopping trip. Sometimes the best pieces arrive one treasure hunt at a time.
Even the accessories tell their own story. The iron-red-colored pottery vases were found at Gardendale Pickers, proving once again that antique stores and vintage markets often hold exactly the finishing touch a table has been waiting for.
That’s one of the things I love most about collecting.
Every piece carries a memory…. including the lamp shades. A dear friend and fellow BTS member, Tammie Lunceford, gifted me a set of paper lamp shades that allows you to change your color scheme with a quick topper of different patterns.
She knows me well and my gifted paper shades are blue and white, but they became my pattern for all colors and patterns of lamp shades. Her shades were the template for these orange and white checkered shades. And they fit perfectly, adding a touch of femininity with the scalloped edges. I traced and cut these from scrapbook paper. They finish this table off beautifully with another layer of pattern.
Some collections remind us of vacations. Others of estate sales, antique malls, or a lucky afternoon at TJ Maxx. And occasionally, the most meaningful item isn’t china at all.
It’s gifts from friends.
Every time I set this “tablecloth” on my table, I’ll remember laughter in the dish room, conversations about favorite patterns, and the joy of shopping with friends, all while creating something beautiful together. And as I set any table in the future, I’ll think of my friend Tammie’s template to use as I design my own lamp shades.
Because sometimes the prettiest thing on the table isn’t the china.
It’s the friendship beneath it.