Setting a Dining Table to Reflect Your French Country Style

In this post: This simple but elegant table is set to reflect the French Country style of the dining room, working seamlessly with the decor around it.⇒

For the past year, I had gotten used to styling my table settings in the breakfast room, where the lighting is bright and the room is mostly white. It was easy to set tables with any color feeling or style, from bright and casual to blingy and elegant. But for many occasions I prefer to serve in the dining room and so I’ve spent the last few months refining the dining room decor to embody my style. Now that the room is closer to my vision, I decided to set a table that’s a direct reflection of the room design, working seamlessly with the French Country style decor.

While most of my tables essentially focus on the tableware itself, this table is more about feeling like a natural extension of the decor in the room.

The linens mirror the white of the chair covers and the wood table is exposed. I opted for white linen placemats instead, leaving the table runner in place, as it is when the table is not set. (See resource list below.)

I also kept the dough bowl in it’s usual place, filling it with seasonal blooms.

The idea was to have the setting feel like it was exactly what belonged in the room, by virtue of what was styled around it. This is a big departure for me, as I normally set a table with its own unique concept, often bringing in tones not always seen elsewhere in my home, sometimes brighter and more colorful.

The white embroidered napkins are layered over gold flecked ones, and the crystal bracelet napkin rings echo the crystal in the chandelier.

For stemware I chose two different sets. The glen plaid crystal goblets are kept on a tray on the sideboard, so the ones on the table parallel those pieces. I also used my gold rimmed flutes which play off the gilded French arm chairs.

The flowers in the dough bowl were chosen not just for their beauty and position at the top of my favorites list, but also for the way they bring out the delicate colors in the vintage china plates.

The antique silver candlesticks were also kept in their everyday spot, but they too are replicated in the silver of the flatware and napkin rings.

I love how the centerpiece mimics a garden placed at the center of the table.

The plate stack on this table is understated, whereas it’s generally the launching point for my table styling. Instead I went with gilded chargers and textured white dinner plates, following the neutral colors in the room. Only the floral bread plates bring a hint of color to the table, which as we’ve already seen is reflected in the floral centerpiece.

It will be fun to continue serving in this room and creating new and different tablescapes, but for today I wanted to go seamless in design for a completely cohesive look with the surroundings.

French Country Style Table Source List – Click on the items below for direct links to the products. Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided similar options. (This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.)

• Gold chargers
• Cream textured plates
• Vintage china bread plate
• Glen plaid crystal goblets
• Gold trimmed flutes
• First Love flatware
• White hemstitch placemats
• White embroidered napkins
• Metallic flecked napkins
• White hemstitch table runner
• Vintage silver candlesticks
• Silver glittered candles
• Antique dough bowl

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to see how the dining room evolved in these posts:

Rosy Dining Room Reveal | Refining the Dining Room | Dining Room Accessories

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