Extra, Extra, Read All About It!* This Tablescape Offers Your Guests the Inside Scoop!

What’s Black & White and “read” all over?!

The Art of the Tablescape is telling a story with style and creativity while showcasing a welcoming, inviting place to dine with your guests.

Well, my latest table setting hews particularly close to the storytelling that is so key to art (and me). In fact, this design theme is ~ News!  As in news stories in good ol’ fashioned newsprint and magazines. 

The characteristic newsprint colors of black & white made for an elevated, sophisticated composition, I’m happy to “report!” (Can’t stop the news references 🙂)

The accessories made for a whimsical, rich news story.

Here’s how:

Before I get to the layering elements, let me tell you why I came up with

this concept and how I went about designing the look.

My latest guest for my Ladies Who Lunch Conversations videocast is Lois Whitman, a successful public relations counselor. 

Lois was my first boss in public relations.  Back then, PR required not only good strategy and creativity, but very good writing. In fact, there were more than a few professionals who migrated from journalist to PR.  

Further, most clients wanted to get positive news coverage for their good products, good executives, good employees, or good philanthropy. Or all of that. 

Newswriting and News were essential to daily life in a public relations firm. 

So when I thought of how to honor my guest and at the same time, artfully create an interesting table decor ~ the concept and theme came to me in a (news) flash! 

And after all, News makes the world go round. News is considered the Fourth Estate in America. 

And I was determined that this tablescape was going to be fun and resonant  at the same time. 

Layering the Look

I used one of my favorite starters: the blackboard paper table runner from Hester & Cook. I’ve used it for backyard BBQ’s where I can write the names of the covered dishes that guests bring, on the black runner.  For the tablescape, I was able to write some key phrases common to PR: 

• Pitch

• Deadlines! (PR is a very stressful career, given the double deadlines of the media and the client! Not to mention one's own management…)

• Brand ~ Good, strategic PR builds world-class, enduring, unique products or services. 

I determined I didn’t want a bountiful, colorful centerpiece but rather a foliage-based one ~ kinda’ suggestive of a well-appointed executive desk.  

I hit the jackpot with a newsy/black and white cachepot! 

The place settings are black chargers ~ from the Dollar Store (!).

Topped with our elegant, classic wedding china: Royal Doulton. It’s black and white and silver and a perfect complement for this look. As is our silverware.

I doubled the linen napkins ~ black over white, with the Royal Doulton napkin rings. 

Classic crystal ~ again from our wedding ~ added just the right amount of sparkle.

Artful Accessories

The fun, piece de resistance was adding some of the consumer electronics that I and my teams have been privileged to introduce and launch into the market. 

The products are from the years with Lois, but also from my next, excellent employer: Dorf & Stanton, and at Sony after that.

The cool products you’ll see that grace the table look like museum pieces now!  

I hope you’ll recognize them as the life-enhancing products they were ~ bringing us all entertainment: music, video, and information.

You remember the camcorder? The Sharp Wizard? ~ precursor to the iPhone and much more; a Mura, solar-powered “Walkman,” a portable CD player ~ and more. 

All the products are black ~ and so fitted the table decor so well! 

I added the bookend typewriters ~ you remember typewriters, don't you?! 

Mini composition books are smart tabletop accessories here ~ I’ve used them as place cards, too, for back-to-school table designs.

The place settings with guest names ~ always a thoughtful nod to welcoming guests with the added benefit of giving you, the host, the opportunity to seat your guests for maximum engagement. 

I used my mini glass vases, filled with white impatiens from the garden. 

I added in some fine art reference in order to acknowledge my guest’s predilection, I daresay passion, for fine art and building a collection. 

I hope you’ll agree that this creative, sophisticated, whimsical table design honors my guest, and career memories, while also providing a happy, welcoming, handsome tablescape. 

I love to use items that I have in new and different ways that can make an artful display.  Try it!  Look around your home and see how you can tell a story with things that you can repurpose in 

Here’s a video tour of the “newsy” table decor ~ A YouTube Follower, @annaleeryen3528 commented, “Very unique! Your table is a creative way of showing appreciation. How appropriate for any specialized group of people in their area of expertise to design a “relatable table.”

Thank you so much, Anna. I couldn’t have characterized my efforts better ~ you nailed it with that hash-tag worthy: #relatabletable Indeed, I look to create tablescapes that honor my guests in a creative way to show my sincere appreciation. Hope I can continue to inspire all of you.

* And Yes, newsboys once hailed the morning or evening newspapers, shouting out this exhortation ~ akin to your smart phone pinging you with a news alert.  😆

And please do hop on over to my Shop. You can purchase bespoke cocktail napkins ~ the designs are water colors I painted to honor my Ladies Who Lunch Conversations guests.  

All for their good causes. 

Link on Garden Glamour home page. Thank you.