Using Blue and White China in a Beautiful Holiday Table Setting
In this post: Set a beautiful table with blue and white china and with just a few tweaks it can be used for the perfect Hanukkah or Christmas table setting.⇒
If there’s one thing I didn’t need more of, it was dishes.
But then again, when you have a passion and it makes you happy, why not?
Why not make your tables lovely? Creating a beautiful atmosphere to spend your time in makes life more joyous. It makes celebrations all the more pleasant.
And it’s one of those small things that can make a huge difference in the quality of your days. At least for me.
I learned long ago that upgrading the rituals of daily life is a worthwhile endeavor. This is all the more evident when you spend a great deal of time at home.
Blue and White China Table Setting
And so, as I contemplated my next holiday table, my thoughts turned to one of the loveliest color combinations of all.
Blue and white.
As it turns out, as a person who celebrates Hanukkah, blue and white is a natural choice for my holiday table.
But it’s also a wonderful option for a Christmas table, as well. Read on to see how I tweaked just a few elements to adapt this tablescape to each of these holidays.
Today I’m participating in a blog hop that’s meant to bring you inspiration for your holiday get-togethers. Be sure to visit all the other posts linked at the bottom of this one for some major motivation!
But first, let’s explore what compelled me to go blue and white.
It all started with the plate stack.
That’s often where I begin.
While at times I’ve been driven by a particular centerpiece, most often the relationship between two disparate china patterns is where the magic lies.
I typically select patterns that relate in some way, although not always, and the music is in the mingling of the prints.
In this case, I’d seen these two vintage blue and white china patterns on a magazine cover, that became lodged in my memory.
For whatever reason I got fixated on the image early this season and it seemed now was the time to finally search for them online.
I had to hunt a bit and piece together the purchases to have enough to mix and match throughout my table setting. I alternated salad plates and dinner plates, and switched the order at the end seats.
The complexity of the chinoiserie toile is balanced by the simpler border print, creating a delicate harmony. Gilded edging ties them nicely together.
(See the resource list below.)
Lightweight cotton voile napkins sit gracefully next to the plate stack, their gentle printed frames blending with the blues on the table.
In the past I’ve accented blue and white most often with silver, but here the gilt-edged plates opened the door to trim in gold. As such, I used twisted wire napkin rings in a charming golden hue and topped it off with flatware in brushed gold, as well.
I also incorporated my favorite gold-trimmed stemware, including petite wine goblets and matching champagne flutes.
One of the curious aspects of decorating with blue and white is that it’s one of the few design concepts where more is better.
In that spirit I chose porcelain chinoiserie vases to line the center of the table, with fresh white hydrangeas spilling over the hexagonal centerpiece and faux lavender stalks in the flanking trumpet vases.
The silver candelabra illustrate my penchant for mixing metals, even though a broad view of the table reveals a surprisingly cohesive mélange.
All of this plays off the classic backdrop of a white linen tablecloth.
For Hanukkah one can add a silver menorah with its gentle candlelight, along with decorative dreidels in the form of salt and pepper shakers, below.
Yet blue and white works equally well for Christmas with a scattering of chinoiserie ornaments dancing joyfully across the table. Try adding greenery, too, for even more seasonal flavor.
If you pull out the holiday elements, step back from the table and take a fresh look, this could easily be a table set for a charming spring or summer soirée.
And it’s precisely the classicism that blue and white imparts, that makes the investment of yet more dishes ever more palatable!
Resource Guide
To get the look, click on the items below for direct links to the products. Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided similar options. If an item is out of stock but may be restocked, I left it on the list.
(This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.)
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Beautiful and elegant yet accessible to all. Thank you for including those of us who celebrate Hanukkah in this blog hop!
Thank you so much! (and I SO get it! It’s an issue for me every year… ;-))
I love that gorgeous blue and white china (with hints of gold!).
Thanks so much Rachel!
Guess what I’m doing….setting my table with my blue/white china, Edelstein, Bavaria, Made in Germany. Beautiful china and I’ve had it forever. Time to use it.
That’s awesome! So glad to hear it… 🙂
Gorgeous as always Lory! I love the idea of ornaments in the center of the table – going to try that one! Hope you’re having a lovely holiday so far!
Thanks, Barbara! I bet you’ll do a great job on your table… 🙂
So gorgeous! Loving the blue, white and gold here!
Thank you so much!
Your china is absolutely stunning! What a gorgeous table!
Thanks for the kind words!!
Just so beautiful! I love blue and white! Your dishes are so pretty and your menorah is one of the nicest I have even seen!
We bought a beautiful menorah from a antique shop in Texas. It had quite a high price tag and the owner of the shop came over to us and wanted to know if we were interested. My hubby said “Yes, we are but we don’t like the price!” So, he said he was going to phone the family and find out if they would lower the price because it had been in the shop for quite awhile. He phoned and they lowered the price so much that we had to give it a new home! The story was that the menorah belonged to the family’s great great grandparents who brought it over to the U.S. from Israel. The family was moving and had decided not to take the menorah. So, now we enjoy it in our home! It’s so pretty and friends always comment on how fortunate we were to have found it!
Always enjoy your posts, Lory! Have a great week!
What a wonderful story… how lucky! And thanks for the kind words!!
Hi Lory,
Sophisticated, stylish and wonderful as always! Thank you for taking my suggestion and creating a lovely Hanukkah table. I love it! It’s so nice to get that reinsurance that I am not the only one that has enough dishes but still buys more. Besides the fact that I am also arguing with myself whether I should use silver or gold. The Menorah I guess is a family heirloom and can’t be purchased? Stunning!
Blessings, Andrea
Thanks for the kind words, Andrea! Yes, one can never have too many dishes!! I love to mix gold and silver together because it adds interest. The menorah is not old, but it’s from a Judaica store in my neighborhood that doesn’t have an online shop. I just searched for it and found it at Saks, so I’ve added it to the post. You can also find it here: https://rstyle.me/+bdvYte5TIdpIKM9dRi2d6w Btw, I also have a Hanukkah shop that I haven’t posted yet, but it’s coming soon… 🙂
I love the blue and white but always have read that forks always belong on the left side of the plate, with the exception of an oyster fork. It just looks odd.
I’ve had this comment many times over the years. My tables are a bit more modern than traditional, and I’m very comfortable breaking the rules. (In fact I have a post on here somewhere about just that… ;-)). I personally prefer the way the setting looks with the napkin on the left and the flatware on the right. But as long as the general design inspires you, you can certainly go as traditional as you like, while using a similar theme… 🙂
I too loved the Hanukkah table. Everything was so pretty. It’s easy for me to think of blue and white as a basic, having Blue Willow and a calico blue and white as my Texas country go to, but you’ve brought it to a new level. I love the formality and never considered using it in that manner. Thank you for always elevating my thoughts. Your designs are beautiful!
Thank you so much for your very kind words! I so appreciate having you as a reader all this time… 🙂