Ragdale Dinner Party

Last night was a dinner party at Jack and Bonney's to raise money for the Ragdale Foundation, a local organization that supports the Arts. Their gorgeous home is a historic 1920's home with an unbelievable dining room that has original pastoral oils in the wall panels. We had recently finished a minor renovation in the room, complete with new upholstery and the new table. Laurell had painted the panels a soft creme and glazed them to give an old world appearance. She treated the ceiling with a mixture of soft metallic luster stone that is beautiful in the candlelight. A stately fireplace creates a warm glow during candlelight dinners.
Candy and I were excited to stage the dinner table for this fun event. We were inspired by a half bushel of the most beautiful eggplants - just picked from Wisconsin fields with their green stems still attached! We decided to use a Jan Barboglio candelabra as the centerpiece and layer it's base with fresh kale, white pumpkins, gnarly gourds, eggplants, and little containers of white roses, purple mums, coleus, and fresh parsley. Six of the largest eggplants were hollowed out and used as the vase for little bouquets that went down the remainder of the long 16 foot table. We cradled them in large curly kale leaves to add stability and the beautiful green color. Bronze placemats studded with French nail heads held the Juliska dinnerware. While the room seems stately and serious, we wanted to introduce some playful elements to the table, such as our favorite leopard print napkins and tortoise wine glasses. Simple glass votives were scattered down the table for the romantic touch to the dining experience. We treated the fireplace mantel with six alabaster goblets, filled with white roses and reindeer moss, and added white votives. Please be sure to visit http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for other beautiful tables on Tablescape Thursday.