Table settings

Husmoderns 235 mönster or "The housewife's 235 designs" is a 1931 Swedish book that seems to be intended for (upper-class) housewifes who had plenty of time to spend on hand painting menus, place cards, candle shades and candles for their dinner parties... There are also designs for embroidered table cloths, bed sheet, underwear, childrens' clothes, handkerchiefs, and cross stitched upholstery for furniture.

One thing that fascinates me in particular, is the section on table decorating. The authoress provides detailed suggestions for 27 different table settings. When a Swedish miniaturist group decided to work on table setting projects in spring 2006, I knew at once that I'd like to do some table setting from this book. Sometime in the future I'd like to do more of them.

Dinner table for businessmen

Here's my translation of the description in the book, or click to read the original Swedish text.

1. White tablecloth.
2. White napkins.
3. Napkins folded as the "Boat", or the "Fleur de Lys".
4. White and blue porcelain.
5. Swedish blue runner of silk fabric (japon or similar), edged with wide gold ribbon.
6. Candlesticks of blue faiance.
7. Yellow candles without shades.
8. Dirigold flatware.
9. Glasses in gold color.
10. Flower bowls or vases in blue.
11. Flowers in different colors.
12. Place cards in blue and gold.
13. Sprinkled here and there on the tablecloth, coins covered in gold or silver tinfoil, to give the impression of silver or gold coins, that allude to the businessmen's interests.
14. If foreign guests are present, their countries' representatives should be honored with small flags standing on the table, t.ex. a Danish such, an American, a French, and so on, depending on which countries the different gentlemen represent.

A little on how I made it

Table: based on a dining room design by Atelier Martine, depicted in Authentic Art Deco interiors and furniture by Dover Publications.

Plates: made from Fimo, using Lyn Latimer's instructions in LEN volume 2, issue 2.

Flower bowls: painted bead cap type metal findings. I painted them dark blue and then drybrushed with a lighter shade.