Tiffany blue is iconic. There are few things which thrill on a birthday or anniversary like a little box in that signature color. For me only one other color, Hermes orange, provokes the same jumping up and down reaction when it appears next to a birthday cake or under a Christmas tree. A coincidence that both companies were founded the same year? I think not. Let’s face it, 1837 had it going on.
The problem with using Tiffany blue in table settings is that it can easily look very wedding (which is a fantastic thing when actually at a wedding but not so much at a Saturday evening al fresco dinner). This is especially true if the table has no contrast and is all in one color, as in an all Tiffany blue table. It is a color which works much better, in my humble opinion, when paired with something higher contrast. Enter deep purple and an intense (almost vibrating) melon orange and voila! Magic! Al fresco done right.
I love unexpected color combinations when entertaining and this Tiffany blue, purple and melon table is my favorite so far. I used it a few years ago at an al fresco “surf and turf” party. Each group decorated their table in a different way which certainly made for a fun and festive evening. I draped our table in an iridescent deep purple tablecloth to start. I loved the pop of color the melon colored nectarines and roses added. My only regrets that evening were not taking more photos of the other tables, and not taking photos of our table when the sun went down and the candles were lit. The candlelight was especially luminous as it played off the iridescent tablecloth.
Each place setting had a little gift box wrapped in Tiffany blue tissue paper. The boxes were tied with a ombre purple/Tiffany blue ribbon and had a gift tag with the guest’s monogram. The gift was a package of “crumble” mix and a recipe for nectarine crumble. I didn’t want those gorgeous nectarines to go to waste and I knew we couldn’t eat that huge bowl ourselves. When the party was winding down the guests selected some nectarines from the centerpiece and with their crumble mix in hand they could whip up a quick nectarine crumble at home the following day.
I will remember that night for a long time…great friends, a pretty table and delicious food. That is what dining al fresco is all about.
Leave a Reply