Pink Monogram Plates

French chest with gilt mirror

It's been crazy since we got back from New York a couple of weeks ago. I have jury duty for the entire month of August, which has stalled the kitchen project.

Visual Vamp Greige Dining Room
Read more about Greige at Cote de Texas HERE

I've had a change of heart about retro fitting the "Wisteria" French chest as a base kitchen cabinet. After I painted the existing kitchen furniture HERE, another painted piece of furniture is just too much. So it ended up in the dining room, and I guess it's staying since I raised the mirror and styled the top of the chest with a lamp, a globe, and a drinks tray.

I seem to have amassed a collection of various curiosities: charts, specimens, bugs, birds, botanicals, a vintage globe, shells, and other nature inspired stuff. I plan another post about this later.

Pink Melamine plate with my name on it

This week I am showing you a set of plates I got for my birthday from Caroline the owner of perch. in New Orleans, the shop I work in. I also got the darling owl salt and pepper shakers from my do-worker Jack that he purchased from our friends Bryan and Tom's shop Hazelnut.

Melamine plates from perch.
Owl salt and pepper shaker from Hazelnut

perch. sells these wonderful plates. They are Melamine, and you can get them in dozens of colors, patterns, and monogram choices. You have to come into the shop to choose and order them, and it takes about a week to get them to you.

Pink Melamine plate with a monogram

Caroline got me four plates with my first name on them, and four plates with my first initial and Alberto' s first initial. I joked that at my age it's good to have a plate with my name on it in front of me to remind me of who I am.

Silver owl salt and pepper shakers
Glassware from the Williamsburg catalog

The table is set with a white cowhide for a table cloth, and white metal antlers as the centerpiece.

Mariposa napkin ring

Vintage Edwardian silverware is used, with linen napkins in a pale paisley pattern gathered up with a silver butterfly napkin ring. My tango nickname is La Mariposa (the butterfly), and I have gotten alot of butterfly gifts over the years (I love you all, but you can all stop now).

Metal antler centerpiece

A white ceramic charger made in Italy is the under plate, and the glassware is reproduction from the Williamsburg catalog.




You might think pink plates with an orange monogram are an odd choice, but I think they add whimsy, fun, and energy to the table setting.

Curiosities seem to be the accessory of choice

Even though my hair and my dining room and kitchen have gone greige, I still love color, and in fact consider greige very much a color.



Color creeps in with the addition of everyday objects like bottles and paper umbrellas for the cocktails.

Bowl of paper umbrellas

Checkl out Tablescape Thursday, so hop on over to Susan at Between Naps On The Porch to see some beautiful table settings done by hundreds of you guys!



PS This is my thank you note to Caroline and Jack! You made my birthday so special!