Southern Vintage Table Archives - Southern Vintage Table

Southern Vintage Table Events – Vintage Color Stories: Part Two of the Garden Club Celebration

In our first post, we shared several of the stunning tablescapes designed for the Hillsborough Garden Club’s 100th Anniversary Celebration at the Union Grove Barn — each one uniquely vintage, each one a celebration of creativity.

Today, we’re thrilled to feature the next four color themes, each offering its own personality and charm. From soft pastels to bold jewel tones, these tables showcase how vintage china, glassware, and flatware come together to tell a story of elegance, community, and timeless style.

Midcentury Blue – A charming mix of midcentury blue china patterns paired with dusky and light blue goblets created a serene, sophisticated table. The soft gradient of blues evoked calm waters and timeless style — a perfect nod to the elegance of vintage design.

Retro Charm – Next is a funky mix of midcentury plates featuring pops of orange and playful patterns brought a lively, cheerful energy to the table. Paired with orange and yellow goblets, this setting glowed with warm, vintage sunshine.

Spring Revival – A joyful mix of yellow and green china patterns bloomed with floral designs and bold midcentury motifs. The combination of soft blossoms and vibrant colors created a fresh, garden-inspired table full of vintage charm.

Easygoing Greens – A relaxed blend of Currier and Ives classics with midcentury green patterns set a welcoming, nostalgic tone. Paired with sunny yellow goblets, this tablescape felt effortlessly cheerful — a nod to simple gatherings and timeless charm.

Autumn Romance – A wonderful mix of brown floral china patterns paired with pink and brown goblets created a warm, vintage elegance. The soft pink tones added a touch of sweetness to the rich autumn hues — perfectly cozy and timelessly romantic.

Every setting was thoughtfully curated by club members using our collection of vintage dinnerware, colored goblets, and gold and silver flatware. The result? A feast for the eyes — and a perfect reflection of this remarkable milestone celebration.

As we wrap up this second look at the Hillsborough Garden Club’s 100th Anniversary Dinner, we encourage you to visit the Hillsborough Garden Club’s website to learn more about the club’s rich history, mission, and the meaningful community work they continue to do. You’ll also find information about upcoming events and ways to get involved with their ongoing efforts to beautify and preserve the town they so dearly love.

Before leaving Union Grove Barn, we took a quiet moment in the garden near the flowing waterfall — a peaceful spot where the sounds of water and the glow of evening light offered the perfect ending to a celebration filled with friendship, flowers, and vintage charm.

Southern Vintage Table Events – In Full Bloom: Hillsborough Garden Club Celebrates 100 Years

🌸 The Hillsborough Garden Club’s 100th anniversary celebration was truly in full bloom! 🌿 Members and guests gathered to honor a century of gardening joy, friendship, and flowers. And with so many gorgeous photos from the evening, we’re having the most delightful dilemma — deciding which ones to share first! 📸✨

We were delighted to set the tables in the most colorful way — each one inspired by a garden’s palette: pink and green, orange and yellow, purples, blues and greens, and soft pinks. The sweetest touch? Every guest enjoyed their own unique vintage place setting — a reflection of nature’s delightful variety – on one of eight colored themed tablescapes.

Flowers shared by members were artfully arranged by Rachel of TreBella Florals into charming white pumpkin centerpieces — a perfect nod to the season. The anniversary’s tiered carrot cake, lovingly baked by member Liz and adorned with sunny sunflowers, was the sweetest grand finale. 🌻

Cannon Catering provided a wonderful meal, special guest Bryce Lane inspired the crowd, and each guest was invited to take home a beautifully wrapped donated book — a token of gratitude for celebrating this blooming milestone. 💐📚

We have many more lovely images to share and these will be posted on next week’s blog. Look forward to enjoying the remaining four tablescapes!

Vintage Orange and Yellow Garden Club Tablescape

News – A Vintage Toast to 100 Years of Gardening and Growing with the Hillsborough Garden Club

A year ago, we met with Liz from the Hillsborough Garden Club to begin planning the tablescapes for their centennial celebration — and this Tuesday night, the big event finally arrives!

In preparation, we’ve been busy washing and packing an array of vintage treasures — dinner and dessert plates, gold flatware, clear water goblets, sparkling champagne coupes, and a colorful assortment of glass goblets to match each table’s theme.

While the overall look has been slightly refined from last year’s design meeting, the color palette remains as joyful and garden-inspired as ever — elegant purples, rustic greens, bold yellows, earthy browns, bright oranges, delicate greens, and those dreamy midcentury shades of soft blue, teal, and green.

And in true Southern Vintage Table style, every member will enjoy their meal on a different vintage plate — each one with its own story, pattern, and personality.

For this talented group of flower growers, these tables are going to be bursting with color, charm, and vintage character — the perfect way to celebrate a century of beauty and blooms!

Scenes from SVT – Vintage-Inspired Fall Decor with Thrifted Charm

The changing of the seasons is always a perfect time to refresh and celebrate, and our studio loves to embrace autumn’s warm colors and textures. This year, we styled our front window and outdoor space with an assortment of cozy, vintage-inspired treasures—each piece carrying its own story.

Our fall décor begins with an array of faux pumpkins in all shapes, sizes, and shades. Nestled among them are pinecones—both large and small—that bring in a natural woodland touch. To frame the display, we added strands of tiny pumpkins strung across the window, a playful nod to the season.

Three birdcages, each suspended with care, became charming showcases filled with autumn accents. A trio of fall-themed plates rests on a vintage plate rack, tying in our love for china with the harvest theme. To complete the look, a fall-inspired wreath welcomes guests right at the door, bursting with warm hues and textures that speak to the season.

Just outside, our white metal bench has been given a seasonal touch with two vintage handstitched embroidery pillows. Their rich colors and intricate patterns offer a cozy, homespun welcome to anyone stopping by.

Perhaps the best part of this display is how it came together. Every item was discovered at thrift stores, consignment shops, or lovingly gifted to us—proof that beauty doesn’t have to be new to be special. With a little imagination, found treasures can create magic and celebrate the season in a way that feels both personal and timeless.

We hope our window and outdoor decorations inspire you to look at your own collection of seasonal finds in a fresh way. After all, fall is about warmth, gratitude, and creating spaces that invite people in.

Many thanks to Sarah for her creativity in putting these things together!

Southern Vintage Table Events – Tea Guests at the Mitford Museum

As promised, here are some photos taken at the third annual Spring Tea at the Mitford Museum held in Hudson, NC in honor of the book series written by native Jan Karon, seen in the photo above with her niece. Avid fans from far and wide attended this 140 seat event.

Guests, young and old, men and women, thoroughly enjoyed that May 18, 2024 afternoon sipping their tea with Jan and kindred fans. Along with hot tea, tasty tea treats were provided by Bluebird Custom Bakes in Hudson and Katz Catering in Lenoir. These lovely photographs were taken by Sminton Photography.

Take a peak at the party guests. You’ll enjoy see the smiling faces and the many designs of hats and fascinators!

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to bring our vintage tea dishes to your annual tea! Be sure to check out our previous post, Features-A Tea For the Mitford Museum.

What a fun event! How many vintage items did they need for the 140 guests?

Teacups/saucers, luncheon plates, goblets (pink and clear), silver-plate forks and spoons-140 each
Teapots-46
Sugar/creamers, platters-23

Scenes from SVT – Whoo Hoo! Celebrating Our First Anniversary at Boone Square

One year ago, April 2022, we began our transition into Suite 14 at Boone Square. With a lot of help and support, this move was an incredible accomplishment for our vintage rental business.

It sure wasn’t easy. We worked long hours unpacking and shelving for days and months, had a trumpet fall on my head, tripped over a rug and hit my head, made so many trips to get free crates from a grocery store and boxes from the ABC store, and then pleaded for folks to take the crates, and recycled all the liquor boxes. A few more things happened in there, too, but it all seems like it was so long ago!

To our dismay, we didn’t figure out how to create a super amazing slide show with some awesome befores and afters. Dang. We will persist and it will happen. Maybe next week or maybe next year, but we’ll figure it out. In the meantime, here are just a few side by sides from April 2022 to April 2023.

We love how our studio works for us and our clients! It’s an awesome space and we look forward to meeting even more clients who appreciate vintage as much as we do!

Vintage Feature – Retro Royal China

These two vintage patterns, Old Curiosity Shop and Currier and Ives, may be the most recognizable patterns in America. They were produced by Royal China, based out of Sebring, Ohio. Once a powerhouse in the china business, this American company produced over 1700 patterns from 1934-1980s.

From our own collection, we have these two patterns, but we also have patterns that feature florals, gold rims, and ornate designs. On the other end of the spectrum, we have bold, funky patterns that the company produced in the 1950s-1980s. Like many successful companies, Royal China adapted their look based on the times.

While researching this company, we also uncovered that in 1934 Beatrice Miller applied for the bank loan to start this company with her two male partners. She was turned away because sponsoring a woman-owned business was preposterous. Soon after, one of her partners visited the same bank and their loan was approved.

Beatrice was a pioneer in the pottery business and for all women entrepreneurs. Under her leadership and her two male partners, Royal China thrived for the next 50 years. One other side note, their mission was to make affordable china for the general public that were sold in grocery markets, five-and-dime stores, and other small businesses. They were also promotional giveaways for many companies.

Fast forward from the depression era to the 1950s. Royal China launched a new look for their customers. As a sign of the times, the patterns became more whimsical, bold, and colorful. With names like Blue Heaven, Tell Me Yes, Flower Dance, and Leaf Spirit, these patterns spoke to the hip public who wanted more than pretty flowers with gold inlays. Don’t you love the ad with the title, “Meet the Swingers from Royal?”

Although we have patterns from many companies that followed this trend, Royal China leads the pack for us. We are presenting these by their color family – yellows, browns, oranges, blues, blue-greens, and greens. All of these, as you will note, kept to a simple color palette with their bold pattern. Now, let us introduce you to some of our favorite retro patterns!

Hello Yellows!
Casablanca, Jubilee, Damsel, RYL398, Queen’s Rose, Vendome

Buenos Dias BROWNS!
Monterey, Overture, Casa Del Sol, Barcelona, RYL4, Nutmeg, Can Can

Oh la la – ORANGE is next!
Mozambique and Sahara

Bonjour Blues!
Patio, Aurora,Baghdad, Blue Heaven

G’day Greens and Blues!
RYL360, Camelot, RYL86, RYL3, Flower Dance, RYL16

Greetings to the Greens!
RYL 137, RYL325, RYL403

Imagine setting your tables with these super cool, groovy patterns. Along with more retro patterns from other potters in our collection, they will be a natural conversation starter for any event!

Vintage Retro Place Settings with Colored Goblets

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Feature – Sprinkle a Little Passion With Vintage Red Decor

Passion, energy, positivity, strength – adding even just a little red to a tablescape promotes all of these sentiments. And, did you know that both your appetite and table conversation can be enhanced with this dynamic color? Knowing this, we went on the hunt to find red among our vintage decor collection. Perhaps these examples will spark a few ideas on how you can invigorate your tablescape and event!

– Florals and Bouquets –

Vintage Metal Pitcher on Vintage Red Scale

– Candleholders and Lighting –

– Vintage Tins and Trays –

– Vintage Books –

– Vintage Suitcases Plus More –

What red decor ideas are you ready to try?

Southern Vintage Table Events – Hollywood Golden Age Wedding

Let’s go back to the 1930s, to the time when “talkies” replaced silent film and Hollywood produced classic movies such as King Kong, The Wizard of Oz, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Glamorous stars like Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Vivien Leigh, and Bette Davis, along with James Stewart, Cary Grant, and Clark Gable were household names.

This grand, glitzy time is known as the Golden Era of Hollywood and a fitting theme for Heather and Preston’s wedding. We are beyond thrilled to share photos of this beautiful bash by the amazingly talented Kasey Powell .

*We had to look carefully, but here’s the couple in three different roles. What a terrific way to greet their guests!*

As a part of this industry in LA, this couple naturally chose something dear to them as they begin to make their mark in film and comedy. Despite the long distance between us, we worked together on the design of the tables and use of our special decor, such as the vintage video camera, microscope, easels, and blackboard frames.

The final result was a spectacularly eclectic and voguish wedding and reception. Our contributions to this glamorous affair included the vintage place settings, vases and bottles, framed table numbers, and candleholders. One of our favorite inclusions was our classic vintage champagne coupe. So chic!

Oh-la-la – those vintage champagne coupes!

*These two are “over the moon” in love and we adore their specially designed backdrop crafted by Preston himself!*

Goodness gracious! What an extraordinary wedding and we are grateful to have been included in your production. Best wishes you two! We’ll be watching for your talent to shine!

“The moonlight illuminates the path ahead, guiding us towards our dreams and aspirations.”

Venue- Speight House in Edenton
Photographer – Kasey Powell
Wedding Coordinator – Nordstrom Events
Catering – Old Colony Smokehouse
Vintage Tableware and Decor – Southern Vintage Table
Tent & Table Rentals – Down East Tent Rentals, LLC
Hair Stylist – Citrine Bride
Officiant – Matt Gold
Transportation – Shannon Evingham
Band – The Adrian Duke Project -Sam Hill Entertainment
Bathrooms – Elegant Johns

Shelly was an absolute dream to work with. So flexible, she has such a large inventory, and her prices are incredibly fair! We were able to do everything remotely as we live out of state and even with last-minute changes she was very accommodating. I can’t recommend her enough! We drove from 3 hours away just to use her gorgeous vintage glassware and it really made our tables sparkle and shine. Thank you!!! – Heather

Southern Vintage Table Events – A Festive December Wedding

With all the holiday trimmings, Meleah and Devan’s vintage boho wedding was totally glam – big boho centerpieces, hanging wreaths, pine colored runners, and lots and lots of candles. And, the first kiss under the mistletoe? What a memorable moment captured by Assorted Poppies Photography!

The wedding reception tables included place settings with our vintage stoneware plates, colored goblets, and stainless flatware. The table decor, provided by the clients, brilliantly merged the boho and holiday themes.

We join these two cuties in wishing you a beautiful life together! Wendy and Michael, thank you for your kind words! Working with your family was totally delightful!

Vintage Table is very professional, and very friendly to work with. I was very impressed with how they pack their dishes, glass plates and goblets. We chose to pick up and drop off from the store, and everything was packed securely in crates with wheels, so convenient. We were given detailed instructions on how to care for the items we rented. Everything we rented was absolutely beautiful! Thank you Vintage Table for being a part of our daughters special day and for making it possible for her to have the wedding of her dreams! Your tableware is stunning to say the least and your services are over the top! I plan to recommend Vintage Table to everyone I know doing an event!
Wendi, mother