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Saturday, November 7, 2020

Hunkered Down at Home for Thanksgiving

Welcome to Panoply. 2020 has certainly been full of the unexpected, and the holidays will, no doubt, be much the same. The term "hunker down" took on new meaning this year, especially through the eyes of this actor's Instagram account. 

Ours will definitely be a hunkered down kind of Thanksgiving, but a celebration of the season nonetheless. Please, come in, and join me for a virtual visit in our city loft. I've added a few late fall touches for this season of thanks. There's hand sanitizer at the door for you just to the left of the fall leaves doormat. 

Today I'm joining Amber from Follow the Yellow Brick Home for a gathering of some blogging friends for each one's take on "A Season of Thanks". You'll find their links at the end of this post. If you're coming from Chloe's blog, Celebrate and Decorate, you'll see she's got such a flair for seasonal touches with a high-end finish. Her tutorial for the pumpkin centerpiece is so clear, too.

One of the main things I've done throughout these past several months is cook more and keep a table set as part of my decor. We typically eat informally at our kitchen bar, but tablescapes have become my happy activity. Right now the table is set for Thanksgiving, and we may be having my brother join us. You can see all the details of it in this post.
With leftover flowers from a bouquet purchased for the table above, I had another smaller bouquet of thistle and mums on a table beside the leather sofa in the great room.
Just prior to the tablescape above, I had the arrangement below on the table, transitioning from my Halloween themed table. Little lights will remain a staple throughout our home until at least spring 2021 as a way of warding off darkness doldrums. More lights will be added throughout the holidays.
I love setting tables, and with the dishes and textiles I've collected over the years, both old and new, it's fun to come up with new combinations. Another table for two I recently put together on our balcony this fall is shown below. 
I combined Ralph Lauren Carolyn appetizers on Royal Stafford Hayride for this look. I used a vintage MacKenzie-Childs tartan wool throw for the tablecloth. Sitting outside is delightful this time of year, and this could be how we end up how having our Thanksgiving meal, weather dependent.
A little plant display and pumpkins on the balcony stoop complemented the tablescape.
Back inside, small item vignettes rotated throughout the condo as the fall season progressed from September to November. Items which were previously parts of various tablescapes have found their place in other areas now. On a side table curio, items from my French faience table and my balcony skyline table....
On the sofa table in the great room, my MacKenzie-Childs Keukenhof cake pedestal stands with pumpkins from both of the fall tables mentioned earlier.
The fireplace is transformed for late fall as well, with a mix of vintage and new items. For better perspective on how this space is configured, you can see our great room in early fall in this post.  
A closer look at the items on the fireplace ledge shows it's decked out with feathers, pumpkins and faux pears, using vintage wood Indian clubs, a metal and wood pitcher, and primitive dough bowl as seasonal accents. 
Above the fireplace, I love my new framed artwork prints from my blogger friend's Society6 shop, Paintedapron. I bought a few more prints I'll hang for the Christmas holidays and late winter, too! Check out Jenna's shop - there's so much variety in what you can purchase, and always great savings via email signup!
In my office, I have a sweet spot for reading. For fall, there's an incredibly soft sheepskin rug draped on the chaise to cozy up my legs and feet (with a throw underneath), and a vintage footstool beside that's covered in vicuna fur that I move around as needed (as a side table in this case). 
Here's a closeup of my little Art Deco lamp on the side table curio (I have three of those side table curios, which are very convenient throughout the condo). I bought this lamp from a private estate last year. It's no accident that this entire room has a sort of Art Deco vibe to it. It's my favorite era (roughly 1908-1935) for fashion and home decor style. It works well with our loft's architecture - a mix of modernism with a throwback feel.
On the opposite side of the room is where I work, handling personal family matters and my blog. Light streams into this room from sunrise until sundown with three windows as large as the one pictured below. Our window coverings are a combination of electronically-operated, light-filtering shades (shown) with an additional room-darkening shade. 
The two sconces behind my desk are tricked out with a couple of MacKenzie-Childs tassels, which I love for their texture and fullness!
The credenza behind my desk has just a couple items displayed on each side. On the left, a framed stone impression of Sir Thomas Lawrence's 1823 "The Calmady Children" is a timeless nod to having two girls of my own. The wooden candlesticks on the right rest on a primitive felt pad with seasonal pumpkins. Each of these items was a vintage find from various places.
If you look closely on the bass speaker on the floor in front of my desk, there's a wooden form. She came from an artist's estate sale several years ago, and I love her stance, just thinking. 
Over the years, I've had the opportunity to collect many unique items. Having the retail space which I share with two of my sisters in our local antique mall allows me the luxury of being able to foster items and then sell them once I'm ready to let go of their clutch. 

Last year Mr. P. and I downsized into this loft we're currently living in, and many items were purged, either by selling in my antique booth spaces or by giving to family members. I even gave my readers opportunities through sending some purged items specifically chosen for them. What you're reading today on my blog is a sampling of my subjects - my home, my vintage finds, and my tablescapes. I invite you to come back and visit, or do a search on my sidebar for any of these key words to read more. I'd love to have conversation with you!

I want to thank Amber for organizing this roundup of bloggers, all of whose blog links you'll find below. I think you'll really enjoy all the different styles you'll see as each one invites you into their home for this season of thanks. Next up after my visit, you'll find the blog Lora Bloomquist (Lora B. Create and Ponder). Lora has a vintage style in everything she does and it speaks to my heart!
Thank you for your visit today. I'm grateful for each of you who stops, reads or even scans through my posts. Saying hello with a comment is like the whipped cream on the pumpkin pie. Stay safe, everyone, and enjoy this season of thanks. Here are the links to all the bloggers' posts. Enjoy!
Rita C. at Panoply
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Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Thistle and Pheasant Run Thanksgiving Tablescape

Hello, and welcome to Panoply. Today I am sharing a tablescape I've styled and calling Thistle and Pheasant Run Thanksgiving. Although our 2020 Thanksgiving holiday will be one of the most low-key ever, it will still be celebrated with intention and style above the ordinary meal. Historically, we have spent this holiday with Mr. P.'s family, but there were also years where I either hosted a small gathering or we traveled on this holiday and celebrated as a couple.

This tablescape is part of a Thanksgiving celebration of a group of bloggers whose creations you'll find at the end of my post with direct links to each. Our host is Chloe Crabtree of the blog Celebrate and Decorate. 

The china I'm using for this tablescape is from MacKenzie-Childs' 2020 barn sale. My desire was to focus on the design of my bread and butter plates (used here as a salad plate). My complete source list is provided near the end of my post, merely for information, no sponsorships.

I had purchased a set of vintage brass pheasants during an early Spring local estate sale (online), shared as part of my Pandemic Vintage, Antique Shopping Finds, fully intending to foster this find for awhile.
I knew I wanted to find a cabbage floral for the centerpiece, but nothing too large. Efforts for finding a long-lasting, silk version were aborted once I located a small one among a larger bouquet at our wholesale club. Additionally, a filler bouquet of Alpine thistle (eryngium, commonly known as sea holly) provided the vision I was seeking. A few snips and a simple plastic bowl for a vessel filled with water became the basis of my table centerpiece.
A balance between masculine and feminine is a tendency I gravitate toward in much of my design style, and I think using the thistle, cabbage and pheasant feathers work for that appeal as well as visual interest. The long and low profile assures conversation without interference.
The brass pheasants are subtly tucked alongside the flowers, with greenery mixed among cotton bolls, pheasant feathers, lighted twigs and pine cone surrounds. A linen runner runs the length of the table.
Pheasant placemats and purple crackle glassware were used to complement the theme and colors. Gold flatware matches the gold rim on the plates. Linen napkins were used and simply tucked between the two plates.
While still planning how I'll interpret the menu for Thanksgiving this year, I like the idea of keeping it both festive and relatively simple, and my tablescape is consistent with that. 
I'll be working on a menu that serves 2-4 this Thanksgiving, and probably serving up some combination of semi-homemade and homemade recipes. We may invite a brother of mine for dinner, but I don't expect more than the three of us.
I hope you're inspired today with how simple it is to make a little fuss over a table to elevate its status to something more than just everyday drudgery. Thanksgiving is a very special occasion to reflect on family and the harvest our great land provides. Even as we hunker down with a smaller scale version, our bounty is much to be thankful for. 
THISTLE AND PHEASANT RUN TABLESCAPE SOURCE LIST
Dinner Plates - MacKenzie-Childs Thistle and Bee
Bread and butter plates - MacKenzie-Childs Pheasant Run
Pheasant placemats, purple crackle glassware, napkins - Pier 1
Gold flatware - Target
Runner, brass pheasants - vintage finds
Flowers, greenery - Sam's Club
Pheasant feathers - Pottery Barn
Pine cones - foraged
Cotton bolls - Decor Steals
Lighted twigs - years old, source unknown
I encourage you to take some time to visit all the other bloggers participating in this Thanksgiving tablescaping event. Listed below are the links that will take you directly to their posts. A special thanks to Chloe for her organization in assembling all of us together. 
Panoply (you are here!)
I appreciate your visit today, and hope you'll leave a comment to let me know you were here. Tell me if your plans are being significantly altered this year as a result of the pandemic. Are you cooking, or ordering your dinner catered? Are you hosting anyone, or going to another's home? However you celebrate, please be safe. 

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