St. Patrick’s Day Table

Even though we are not of Irish decent, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, because it is the birthday of my daughter, Julianna and my mother, Julia. That, in itself, is a good reason to set a St. Patrick’s Day Table. However, who is St. Patrick and why is this holiday celebrated around the world?

A Little History

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish observe this day as a religious holiday and have so for over 1,000 years.

St. Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people. 

Mixing Old and New

For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day table, I am using this fun piece of contemporary fabric from my friend, Anne. I couple it with my antique English china, Fondeville Ambassador Ware 6762. The rich shades of green, gold, pink, blue and yellow make these gold-rim plates one of my favorites.

To me, this is the essence of collected chic~mixing bold patterns with elegant tableware.

Stacking the antique china on the simple brushed gold chargers enhances the gold in the pattern. Adding the crackled gold rim clear salad plate from Leslie Roy does not diminish the platter floral design. Similar chargers can be found here. These chargers are so affordable and I use them frequently.

Of course, I love my Wallace silver/gold bee patterned flatware (see link here) which seems to go with just about any place setting I create.

Made in Waterford, Ireland, the Waterford crystal Marquis water goblets and Lismore wine glasses are in keeping with the Irish theme. Gold trim napkins softly fold and find a home inside the wine glass. See similar napkins here.

Making it Festive

With a fun and festive holiday like St. Patrick’s Day, it is easy for the table decor to become kitschy or juvenile. Trying to keep the table elegant, but fun, I add gold shamrocks to the tablecloth. Since I bought these several years ago, you could use gold coins instead.

Each place settings get a light up shamrock necklace for a little whimsy. See similar necklace here.

The Centerpiece

Brass candlesticks from West Elm brighten up the table. Set up in our family and surrounded by windows, the table changes color as the day progresses.

The centerpiece is a vintage Westmoreland oval footed milk glass bowl with hydrangeas, peonies and green glitter shamrocks. It is the perfect size for this round table.

Will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day? My daughter will be 24 years old and my mother, if alive, would be celebrating her 91st. Time marches on, doesn’t it?

Wishing you all a happy Tuesday. We are having unusually warm weather (in the high 80s), but the temperatures are to drop back down into the low 60s this week. My poor garden is so confused.

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This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday #650