I recently got a new lamp, and I love it, both because it goes in the one corner of my dining room with a plug (so I don’t need the rechargeable bulbs a la this previous post on visible cords), and, even better, because it works well with my other new lamp (ha).

And as we know from a previous post on room flow and keyhole views, I like things to make sense together room to room. Anyway, the problem becomes: how do we deal with the new tablescape? I mean, this table now needs a new look. I had something else there, but it doesn’t work anymore. Too big.

I like to start with gathering everything that would work with the colors, everything in a pair, everything that might have belonged somewhere else before but now I need it here, and then start deleting and shuffling. Here’s a closeup of the lamp so we can take a look at those colors. The orange is taken care of by the wallpaper. So we are going to pull out the greens and turquoise. I think the pink is too close to the orange maybe? And white for balance.

So we are left with these guys. Is the cloisonne too much Chinoiserie? (Never mind the picture hanging hardware.) Definitly not three bowls, and not just because there is a tendency for things to end up in them, like the picture hardware. And definitely not a pair of candlesticks, too tall. While there isn’t a shade on the lamp now, there would be competition there.

Same with this vase. Too tall. The flowers are nice, but a maintenance problem. Would be be restricted to white roses in perpetuity? Nope, bring back the white bowl.

Is white the right neutral? Do we want silver or brass? Can you tell I have a thing for geranium leaves?

I like that pop of acid green, but the plant would die over in this corner. So let’s choose between the cloisonne and the cabbages. I did have the cabbages over on this tray

…and maybe it would be nice if my fruit bowl could go back to the kitchen, but my moss balls are very happy on the dining room table and I don’t have any more. So for now, the cabbages will sit in the bowl.

And I really like the turquoise, so let’s keep those foo dogs instead of putting them on my Chairish page. In the end, I like the brass with the warmth of the other items—brown, orange, turquoise, lime—so the brass comes back.

So then we take a step back with the rest of the area. Do we like it? I think so!

So here’s the final! I am a world-class fiddler, and very prone to hopping up during cocktail hour and pushing something to the left, or switching out the whole thing. I mean, those cabbages might look better as a plant or….

But for now, we will rest, and the moss will stay on the dining room table, and I’ll just have to figure out another use for the umpteen candlesticks.