Late Night Kentucky Derby Dinner

Late-night KENTUCKY DERBY DINNER...a simple, but elegant, study in blue & white. The cobalt is from my collection, and you just can't have enough of that! The square French plates, my favorites, were purchased at Lou Lou's Lost and Found on Newbury St. in Boston in 1986. They are from a hotel in France by the same name. The porcelain napkin rings are a treasured Christmas gift from my children. I love all white anything. Its simple and elegant, and speaks silence and calm. I toyed with the napkin fold and tried a few different ways before landing on this understated, tailored fold so that the "study in blue & white" would take center stage, rather than the napkin. I folded the napkin into a square and rolled it to a size that would fit into the rectangular ring, and accented it with a sprig of lemon leaf. When I'm entertaining fewer than eight guests, I like to place a small vase of flowers at each place setting, rather than a traditional centerpiece. It kind of gives everyone their own little decorated house to relax in for the evening. At least that's what my husband has told me!