A blue & white Christmas table with Jack Kinsey
Hot air balloons, iconic blue & white design and statement stripes...it must be a Jack Kinsey Spode tablescape!
Jack Kinsey, interior designer and lover of all things blue & white, has joined us once again to put his special touch on a Spode Blue Italian table, this time for Christmas. Read on to discover the most magical blue and white festive table set-up, the inspiration behind the setting and how to re-create it yourself.
The inspiration
Jack’s vision for a magical winter wonderland tablescape took inspiration from our Blue Italian Baubles, which feature the floral design details from the iconic Imari oriental border of the heritage blue & white pattern. Playing on the bauble design, Jack wanted to create a larger focal point on his tablescape in the form of Blue Italian-inspired hot air balloons – placed hovering over a blue and white festive ‘town’ made up of the Spode Decorative Cones (Christmas trees) and light-up houses.
The blue and white theme would continue through to the six place settings for Jack's guests, layering Blue Italian with the stripes of Steccato using plates, cutlery, teapots and cake stands. His goal for his guests was an immersive Christmas experience, and we think he achieved just that.
How to create a magical blue & white tablescape
For the hot air balloons, you will need:
Beach balls
White spray paint or acrylic white primer
Your chosen design – painted on or applied with a sticker
Super glue
String
Little baskets
Hooks, attached to the ceiling
For the table, you will need:
A white tablecloth
Blue Italian Placemats
Blue Italian Cake Stand
Blue Italian Pastry Forks
Blue Italian Baubles
Blue Italian Cones
Steccato Dinner Plates
Steccato Side Plates
Steccato Teacup & Saucers
Blue Italian Napkin Rings
Blue Italian Napkins
White light-up houses
Cotton wool
How to make Blue Italian hot air balloons:
Step 1: Start by priming each beach ball with either a white spray paint or acrylic white primer – this will allow the paint to flex a little.
Step 2: Once dry, apply a design to the balls by painting on patterns or using stickers.
Step 3: Super glue some string from the top of the ball following the seams, attach and tie off the rope to a little basket.
Step 4: Hang each ball to the ceiling (or decorative branch) with a hook, along with the Blue Italian Baubles dispersed in-between.
Setting the table:
Once you’re ready to set your table, start with a simple white tablecloth to make the blue and white crockery pop when laid out. Along the centre of the table, underneath your Blue Italian hot air balloons, fluff up some cotton wool and place it along the length of the table to create the illusion of clouds. Place white light-up houses in between the cotton wool with the Blue Italian Decorative Cones.
On each place setting, lay down a Blue Italian Placemat, Steccato Dinner Plate and Side Plate and top them with a Blue Italian Napkin and Teapot Napkin Ring. Finally, give each setting a Pastry Fork and Steccato Teacup and Saucer, fill your Blue Italian Cake Stands with treats and your Teapot with tea!
We hope you feel inspired to create your very own Spode blue & white Christmas table this year. If you do, don’t forget to tag us on Instagram @by_spode. For more tablescape inspiration take a look here.
Our blue & white favourites:
