Happy New Year! For our first holiday table of 2020, I gathered together a variety of gold and black items with an Asian theme. Amazingly, when it was done, I realized that almost everything came from thrift stores and estate sales. Only the flowers were new. The napkins were purchased new some time ago, and have been used before. All the dishes, chargers and accessories came from secondhand sources. I found these things at four different estate sales and three different thrift stores. What makes this successful is that I look for items with a commonality, in this case Japanese inspired table items with black or gold as the main color.
These lovely flowers in my favorite white were a surprise gift from My Sweet Babboo for our anniversary last Sunday. He is such a keeper!!
Gorgeous, and they have such a lovely fragrance. I placed the arrangement on a black wooden Japanese serving dish.
Place settings begin with square gold chargers holding two small plates and an Asian spoon. I didn’t use my soup bowls because they are red inside, but these black soup spoons are often used in Western cooking for an ‘amuse-bouche’, a single bite of something delicious as an appetizer. Perhaps a bacon wrapped shrimp, or a potsticker would be nice.
The main plate is a lovely salad size black ceramic with a gold pattern and rim.
The rice dish is an elegant lacquer dish with pretty gold butterflies.
White napkins are held with clear rings. I’m thinking the black lacquer dish on the left could be the first course, perhaps a salad.
Black chopsticks are placed horizontally as is proper for Japanese table settings. I have them on top of the soy sauce dish, sitting on a gold lacquer tray to catch drips and provide a resting spot for the chopsticks. A sake or green tea cup completes the setting.
I like all the small dishes that make up an Asian setting. No, I don’t mind hand washing all of them, I can do that in just a few minutes.
Those of you with sharp eyes will have noticed the individual salt and pepper shakers. I realized that they wouldn’t be needed with soy sauce, so I removed them.
So, there we are, a lovely Asian inspired tablescape to ring in a new year.
We’ll have our black eye peas in Jumpin’ John for our good luck lunch. Dinner might be my Shumai with snow peas, egg rolls and Jasmine rice….
or perhaps my version of Zhenzhu Qiu -Asian Pearl Balls, with potstickers…
and my Asian Inspired Salad…
or my Asian Cabbage and Broccoli Salad.
And just for the newer readers, I did a Japanese inspired quilt last year, you can read about how to make one on my post Sakura Tsuki Art Quilt. I hung it back up in the sewing room just yesterday. I change the quilt hanging for the seasons.
Happy New Year!!! What will you have for your New Year dinner? Do you have any foods to bring you luck for the New Year?
From My Carolina Home 
Very impressive.
Oh my lands! I thought the table was wonderful, and then you showed the quilt hanging! I really like Asian decor, and those just sing to me. Happy New Year, Carole.
Very beautiful Carole, and I don’t remember the pretty quilt. Lovely flowers-perfect for your table setting. Thanks for the recipes too
Happy New Year!!
Hugs Kathy
This table setting elegant. The quilt is gorgeous.
Beautiful table and quilt. A table setting doesn’t have to have a round dinner plate, does it?
Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Happy new year, Carole! A beautiful way to usher in the new year!
That’s a gorgeous tablescape, Carole! You really have an eye for that! I’ll have to try your Asian Broccoli and Cabbage Salad – it sounds delicious.
Pizza.
I adore these dishes. They are spectacular.
I remember when you made this quilt.
Beautiful flowers. “we can’t have flowers here…. kitties nibble them”
Happy New Year Carole.
Very fun to see, Carole. We did not grow up with a tradition of black-eyed peas on New Years, though I have some friends who did. I think my mom served oyster stew or something like that. We had leftover split pea soup last night for dinner…do you think that counts? Ha! I think I am roasting a chicken for dinner.
Beautiful tablescape and gorgeous quilt.
Happy New Year.
A most impressive AND inviting tablescape. You have quite an eye for picking up treasures at sales and thrift shops. This one is just gorgeous and the “food” photos always make me hungry. Your “sweet Babboo” is a blessed man! Happy belated anniversary; my birthday was Monday the 3oth. I try to remember to sing “Happy Anniversary” to you in years to come! As for New Year’s Day cuisine my hubby just wants his favorites. He thinks whatever we do, eat or how we act on New Year’s Day bodes well for the rest of the year! I hope he’s right. Happy New Year!
It really is amazing what comes through thrift for formal dining. I have found amazing tablecloths, china sets, flatware and all kinds of kitchen utensils. Never have to buy retail.
Absolutely favorite table scape. Like the tv show Monk, I don’t like to have my food touch. I love salads and stews and messy food – but they need to be respected. One? pot sticker? Maybe 6? Shumai is my favorite – we tuck all kinds of stuff in there, mostly veggies. All those lovely dishes play so well together. And the quilt made me stutter it is so lovely.
Our wedding anniversary is Friday – all these winter brides. The flowers are so pretty I can almost smell them.
Thanks for taking time to write. How do you find the time!
Happy New Year, Carole! May it bring you much happiness, health and prosperity. (I really don’t celebrate the New Year and don’t have especial foods).
I always enjoy reading about your beautiful table setting ideas, so elegant. Happy New Year to you and yours, and may 2020 be a good one to us all.
A lovely setting. Great way to start off the new year.
Lovely.
Beautiful table setting, Carole. All in the best in the New Year to you and yours.
Very pretty.. I think the colors make it look clean and simple, but the gilded plates are fancy!
So beautiful Carole, and a great choice for the starting the New Year! Happy Anniversary too, and your food looks fantastic! Happy New Year,
Jenna