Chinese New Year Tablescape

You don’t need the excuse of Chinese New Year to set a festive and fun Chinese themed table. Whether you’re enjoying a meal of Chinese delivery, or have whipped together something on your own, this fun table will add much to your dining experience.

It’s really not difficult to do. I used fabric remnants for the table covering, made my own napkins to match, and grabbed white and red dishes to use to set the table.

A few Chinese props like these chopsticks and fans add to the fun, fortune cookies make dessert something to look forward to, as well as these fresh lychees. 

Dinner will be quite an experience with a table like this one.

The centerpiece need not be fussy, number two son, Andrew, loaned me his dragon teapot and teacup set to use at center, and a few Chinese carry out containers (that I always keep on hand to share leftovers with friends) add to the fun.

The glassware I made myself for an Asian theme anniversary party I had for my parents years ago. You can read about them here.

My mother is visiting at this table as well; the crystal knife rests are used here as rests for chopsticks. These are vintage, and add sparkle and fun to the table, not to mention a practical place to put chopsticks!

I hope I’ve given you some ideas with this table. It doesn’t have to be an occasion for you to do the same.

Sources
White chargers and red plates - Pier 1
Bamboo flatware - Crate and Barrel
White lotus bowls - Amazon
White soup spoons - Crate and Barrel
Chopsticks - Amazon
Folding Chinese fans - Amazon
Chinese Takeout Boxes - Amazon
Lychees - Melissa’s Produce

  Vintage crystal knife/chopstick rests - my mom

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Fruits of my Labor Table Setting

Sometimes I get into a rut when it comes to table settings.  I like to keep the table set all of the time, ready for anyone who may want to pop in and sit down for a cup of tea and pastry.  (I must confess to having an ulterior motive here.  Keeping the table set also keeps the less organized among us from plunking down piles of his stuff, but I digress…) 

I also like to change it with the seasons, but during times like these when we’re really between seasons (it’s as hot as summer, sure, but it’s still essentially spring), I find myself in a bit of a quandary.  At least until the doorbell rang and the Fed-Ex guy handed me what turned out to be a lovely box of exotic fruit.  As I piled it up in my favorite ceramic piggy bowl, sampling a lychee here and there while I doing so, I thought how lovely the fruit would look as a centerpiece.

I cleared off last week’s arrangement and started fresh, matching mugs and flatware to the various fruits.  Exotic, tropical napkins from Pottery Barn seemed the perfect touch, as did the green leaf plates.  In minutes I had a fresh setting without a lot of trouble.

What do you think?

This post is linked to:

Tabletop Tuesday 

Tablescape Thursday 

Seasonal Sunday

Cozy Home Scenes

If you're looking to expand your knowledge of exotic fruits and come up with a recipe or two, this book is a great resource: