Celebrate the season with a dining table adorned with a patterned floral tablecloth, milk glass vases, stacked green Depression-glass and jadeite plates, and colored eggs tucked into terra-cotta pots—some perched on bedsprings—borrowed from the garden. Fill a cake dome or cloche with faux blooms for a simple but lovely centerpiece.
Val adds multiple layers of dishware to her place settings, introducing color and variety with differing textures. Clever napkin folds (this one resembles a bunny!), bright candy and seed-packet place cards sweeten the scene. Val simply removes the extra plates before dining. She says her grandmother used her jadeite regularly, so she was influenced to do the same.
Val’s buffet in her dining area becomes an ode to spring with careful arrangement. Larger-scale items like the leaded-glass window, shutter with layered sign and dough bowl suspended above the grouping are balanced by all the smaller-scale details. A few pieces of her beloved jadeite share their soft green hue with eggs peeking out of a terra-cotta pot and the handles of several rolling pins displayed nearby. Bring an extra pop of color to an often-undecorated space under a stool with a spray of artificial lavender.
Val freshened up her kitchen by painting the cabinets white and replacing the countertops and backsplash. “Boy, did it brighten up the whole house,” she says. Spring-themed accessories— including a floral valance made by her mom—provide color and are easily swapped out with the seasons.
To see more sweet scale displays, turn to “On a Grand Scale” on pages 88–94.
Val welcomes spring and warmer weather with brunch for two. She and Jim eat at their cozy kitchen peninsula every day, no matter the season. Val enjoys creating tablescapes there, showing off her pretty plates, garden-themed accents and even small lamps. “I like to rearrange and change with the seasons,” she says, “but the green stays out in some form year-round.”