Welcome to the 899th Tablescape Thursday! It was a long, long drive back from Georgia to the Dollhouse yesterday, and I had two rambunctious kittens who kept me awake half the night, so I’m running late this morning. Last night was the first night that I’ve seriously attempted to let them sleep in my bed; before, they just wanted to play the entire time and always got booted out.
It went very well for the first 4 hours as they snuggled up and slept soundly, but around 4 a.m., they decided it was time to wake up and play. They woke me up every 30 minutes until I finally couldn’t take it anymore and put them in my study. lol Since I couldn’t function on just four hours’ sleep, I had to go back to bed for a bit. I’m looking forward to the night that they sleep all through the night, or at least don’t wake me up a million times during the night, although I don’t want to wish their kittenhood away.
Older photo, they are much bigger now
This Monday, for Tablescape Thursday, we’re heading back inside the beautiful marble palace in Tate, Georgia, known as the Tate House.
A few days ago, I shared this incredible Christmas tree that’s covered in 1,000 Christopher Radko ornaments. The tour starts with a bang as you enter the dining room and lay eyes on this amazing tree! Let’s turn around and check out the rest of the dining room.
Every room in the Tate House is decorated to the max for Christmas, including the dining room.
I’m sure if people were dining here, there would be fewer candles on the table, but how fun it was to see this fantasy table in real life! It reminded me of the amazing table settings I used to see in magazines in years past, so it was surreal seeing it in person!
There were so many beautiful chandeliers throughout Tate House, including here in the dining room!
A few close-ups of this over-the-top fantasy table…
Do you recognize the china pattern?
Here’s a closer view…
What a beautiful antique china cabinet!
The fireplace in the dining room…
I can’t imagine how many hours it took to create these opulent holiday decorations!
As we left the dining room, we stepped into the home’s incredible Butler’s pantry. It was so much fun seeing Mrs. Mann’s teapot collection, but the thing that wowed me the most was the beautiful old wood from when this home was built. I’m guessing it was restored at some point, and whoever did the restoration did a beautiful job. The wood glowed with a gorgeous antique patina!
A close-up of a few of the whimsical teapots in Mrs. Mann’s collection…
The old ice boxes in the Butler’s pantry were incredible! Look at that gorgeous wood!
There were more of these in another area nearby. There must have been some serious entertaining going on back when this home was built, to need so many ice boxes.
See what I mean about how gorgeous the wood was in this room! This old sink was fascinating; I’ve never seen one like it. Have you? Construction on the Tate House began in 1921 and was completed in 1926, so I guess this was how sinks looked in larger homes back then. This would be a great sink for washing flatware since it’s quite shallow. Maybe this was where the silver flatware was polished and then washed. Or perhaps floral arrangements were created here. How do you think this sink was used back in the day?
I hope you enjoyed a tour of the Tate House dining room at Christmastime. If you ever find yourself in the metro Atlanta area during the holiday season, it’s worth the drive to see this beautiful home. Looking forward to sharing the stunning arboretum that was recently added to this very special historic home.
Looking forward to the beautiful tables linked for this week’s Tablescape Thursday!
If you are participating in Tablescape Thursday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then copy and paste the address showing in the address bar, into the “url” box when you link up. You’ll need to include a link in your post back to the party to link up and participate. That’s so visitors to your blog will be able to find the party and the other Tablescape Thursday participants. Requiring a link back also prevents businesses and scammers from linking up to sell their products. Please, don’t add your post name/blog name ALL IN CAPS…it tends to create big spaces between the rows of links. Please do not link up table settings that were just recently shared in the last few weeks for Tablescape Thursday.
Usually I love full, lush floral decor on a table. But this is too much. The flowers and picks are literally overhanging the plates and flatwear. It’s beautiful but needs to be scaled back. The place settings just look and feel crowded. Imo
It’s definitely a fantasy table, meant to take you away from this world into a land of luxury.
Oh wow – that TABLE!! I’m totally inspired to go over the top too this year! (Good thing I waited so long to decorate, huh?) Thanks so much for the tour, a well as hosting, and I hope you feel more rested after your extra kitten-free nap. Take care and see you next time!
Thanks, Barbara! I feel great after getting those extra hours of rest…so much to catch up on since I’ve been gone. Hope all is well in your home this holiday season! Merry Christmas!
the eye candy!
Talk about the wow factor. I think the pictures don’t do it justice as in that’s a lot of red. I think they want to showcase the finery they used back then. Imagine the parties. Fascinating sink and amazing wood.
I laughed about the kittens. Mine will be ten years old in February. All but one is a smalll breed. It’s the lick fest in my bed during the night that keeps me awake. Peanut gets cold and wants under the cover. Then Cruella de Ville walks on top of her to get really close and try to take my pillow.
One of my friends with dogs said “Everyday you come home and it’s a party. They don’t have a bad day and so happy to see you”
Loved those last two sentences!!!
When I first started to read this it made me think back to several years ago when you shared the home of your friend who went all out decorating for the Holidays. I had not thought of her in so very long. I think her name was Marie?? I always marveled at all the lovely things she had. And I also loved how she put an emphasis on creating fun and festive decorations for her grandchildren to enjoy. She certainly created great memories for one and all.
Wishing you lots of fun times this year making precious memories with your family, Susan. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I was thinking the same thing. Susan, what happened to Marie and her seasonal home?
Wow, that teapot collection is amazing. I wonder how long that took to collect and where they are from.
What an amazing tour! Thank you Susan for sharing with us. I wonder if that sink is made of zinc? I’ll bet so many wonderful parties happened there.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Was it last year or the year before I think you recommended Christmas wrapping paper. You had wrapped your grandson’s presents in cars paper. It was heavy paper and I ordered two rolls, one of the cars and another paper. Did you get it from Amazon? I need some more wrapping paper and I can’t remember where I ordered it from. Thanks!
Connie, I think this may be the paper that you’re talking about: https://amzn.to/4jboVy0
I’m using it again this year. 🙂
Cats are nocturnal animals, and most active at dawn and dusk. Good luck with the kitties! My Basil used to jump on me when she thought it was time for me to get up and feed her. But eventually she learned I wasn’t that anxious to get up and now lays by my head.
The china pattern on the Tate House table is Royal Worcester Holly Ribbons. I have this pattern as my Christmas china and have never grown tired of it and as a dishaholic, I just love that it has an almost infinite number of pieces. It’s been so much fun to collect over the years!
I can’t imagine stepping into this dining room – it would take one’s breath away! In addition to the table – which is absolutely stunning and inspiring! – can we take a moment to gaze at that mantle? WOW!! Thank you so much for hosting this fabulous link party each and every week, Susan – you are coming up on another milestone next week and I can’t wait!
That’s a lot of decorations. I’d like to know if she herself did all that decor…
I’m pretty sure she has help each year since it’s a huge job to decorate the whole house.
O, Susan, THANK YOU SO MUCH for these photos & your descriptions!! Just….”soaked in” all the details…yes, the AMOUNT OF TIME” & ASSEMBLING SCHMETATICS…mind boggling!! Just Beautiful!! Those kitties!!! ❤️ ❤️
franki
Hi Susan, Wow, that’s some dining room table and tree!! I can’t imagine how long it took to put together. It takes me forever just to set up my modest arrangement. 😀 I am in love with your precious kittens; it makes me laugh to see their cute antics. I’m glad you’re sharing pictures with us. 😀
Thank you for hosting “Tablescape Thursdays” and have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs,
Denise
We would love an update on Marie
I haven’t talked to her in a while. She calls every once in a while just to chat. Last time we talked, she was doing great.
Oh goodness. That decor is the definition of abundance. Thanks for that tour. I too loved that wood and particularly those ice boxes!! I’m so glad they were not removed. Such a great and beautiful detail. When I was a teenager I worked in a deli that had the old iceboxes like that (no, I’m not THAT old, lol. They had been moved into place by the owner. Even then they were antiques.)
Susan, that first picture says it all. They can wake you up at all hours because they will take a nap whenever they need one, preferably in a comfy, sunny spot.
I love this post! That tree! The teapot collection! The over the top decorations. Truly my cup of tea! We have a mansion here in CA called https://filoli.org/
and the Tate House reminds me of it. Kittenhood! That made me laugh out loud! I woke up with my older cat in my face and I didn’t even know she was there. lol It was cold and she moved closer in. Nothing better than a cat companion to cuddle with.