Banishing Winter with Pink & Yellow

Will this winter ever end? I haven't seen the sun since Saturday, and I'm wrapped in wool and flannel. These endless gray days are difficult. I'm constantly looking for ways to lighten up. I daydream, pondering unreasonable "solutions," like redecorating in all-white or moving to a different zip code (into a cottage named "No Phone" that's drenched in coastal light--white slipcovers, shells, seagrass, painted furniture).
Something tells me I'm not alone in wanting to banish winter.

But what if you are like me--stuck in the gloom? What if you can't move? Or you can't paint one room, much less a whole house? What if it's too cold to dash outside and check on your daffodils? (You already know the garden is a wasteland except for the boxwoods).

Only one thing will work: a pink and yellow tablescape.

A Recipe for Indoor Sunlight:

1 bracing cup of Yorkshire tea

1 dash of green

1 jolt of yellow

A dozen sweet, pink kisses

1 new attitude with a pinch of realism

In a way, this is colorscaping rather than tablescaping. The prettiness of pink makes us feel young and carefree. Yellow possesses warmth and good cheer. These colors are natural pick-me-ups.

I pulled out the vintage glassware, which is so clear and pink it resembles candy.

Next, I added pink and white vintage napkins.

A room with a view is a nice touch, but a vivid imagination works, too.

I rounded up linen and basket-shaped napkin rings...

... I layered the "Desert Rose" pottery with transferware.




No need for flowers when there's boxwood in the garden.


Add whimsy, if possible.

In a deep drawer, I found faux cabbage leaves and used them as placemats.

I'm feeling cheerful already. How about you?

While I was taking photos, the ducks waddled to the pond.

Nature teaches us use what we've got and to carry on as usual, whether the sun shines or stays hidden.

Over 100 tabletop ideas can be found at Tablescape Thursday, courtesy of our talented hostess, Susan, author of Between Naps on the Porch. Tablescape Thursday is like a Design and Garden Show, only with dishes. Take a notebook with you as you blog-hop from one table to the next and prepare to be enchanted and inspired.

Tablescape Notes

Pink/red transferware

"Desert Rose" pottery by Franciscan

Vintage glassware, napkins, napkin rings

April Cornell tablecloth