Bestie's table

Recently, my bestie and her husband visited us, and we had an amazing time! During their stay, we dined at Roy's at Pebble Beach, watched the San Jose Sharks lose, enjoyed a Boz Scaggs concert, tasted delicious Pinot Noirs at a new winery, and while the husbands played golf, the best friends went shopping, baked, and set a table!

My bestie is also a Fiesta collector, and during her visit, we used all the beautiful fall shades of Fiesta—Marigold, Paprika, Persimmon, Chocolate, and Butterscotch. We had a blast! We also set tables with my Franciscan October leaves pattern. She loves fall as much as I do and has a set too! I love that she shares my enthusiasm for dishes!

Each season (or holiday), I change out my dishes. I switch Fiesta colors and, in another cabinet, swap various other china patterns. As mentioned, we had already used the Franciscan October, but starting in fall, I add the Johnson Brothers Friendly Village, which typically stays in the cabinet from October through March—its pattern is so pretty and versatile that it suits fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and winter.

My hubby bought a beautiful beef tenderloin for dinner, and we prepared a lovely salad, baked potatoes, and mushrooms and onions, which we enjoyed with an outstanding 2019 Caldwell Gold Cabernet Sauvignon. To celebrate the wonderful food and wine, we set a "Bestie" table.

Let's dive into the table details! We knew we wanted to use the Friendly Village, so we selected several tablecloths, both patterned and plain, and settled on a rusty brown one with a leaf design. As I passed by the bench in our foyer, I spotted the plaid blanket, and inspiration struck! We placed it at an angle since it wasn't large enough to cover the table, and I believe it adds visual interest. Then, we moved on to chargers, considering metals and woven options in both dark and light shades. We preferred the lighter rattan with the blanket, as the color contrast was sufficient between it and the linens.

One of the habits I've learned from my husband's family is serving salads in wooden bowls. We've collected various Dansk teak salad bowls over the years, and they are a perfect complement to the table. We varied the napkins with two different plaids, both in fall colors. One of my absolute favorite napkin rings is the rust-colored mum ring we used on the table. The size and shape of the flower remind me of football pom-pom mums from high school. The color of the mum worked perfectly with the plaid of the blanket and the napkins! Highlighting the beautiful sage green in the plates, we used Noritake Breeze glassware in green. My everyday silverware is Mikasa Harmony.

The centerpiece was a mix of Farmer's Market and Trader Joe's flowers in a Persimmon Fiesta crock. I love that fall flowers last and last; I change the water and swap in and out flowers as they die off.

An amazing and tasty dinner, a beautiful table, set with love and deep friendship, what more could I ask for?