I say keep the chargers...both of these dishes look great with them...I'm leaning a little bit more to the white dish, but both of them look great...love the ribbon idea..I might steal it, if you don't mind.

Kathleen, I would definitely keep them. Both plates look nice with them, but my favorite is the black with the plaid napkin. Very elegant!

Thanks, Kathie, and Dream. They were only a dollar forty each, so maybe I will.
Kathie, steal away! That's why we are here, to get ideas from each other.
I was going to spray paint the chargers black. I have white china chargers, gold glass, brass, silver plate, and some pale aqua glass squares, and some white with black design. They really take up a lot of room, so I thought these 12 in a box would be good. I really shouldn't buy anymore!! Of course, Judith is an enabler!!!She shows us so many different kinds!

You got such a good deal, and it's a nice red. I'd keep them. I like the plaid.

I can also envision it with the red, black white and maybe a small red rosebud either in a vase by each setting or a rose laying across it?

The red is just such a good rose red, I can see it balancing nicely.

--Jenn

Jenn, you ARE a romantic, LOL! I am thinking about Christmas, and you are thinking roses! But that would look pretty.
I should stop playing and get something accomplished..too many projects at once!

Hi everyone, I am new here to this forum - I have to say I love the red chargers with the plaid and black - very striking!

kathleen - I love the red, on my monitor it has a metallic look to it? I would love to have a set of them to use with my Lenox Holiday china for Christmas dinner! I have been using gold chargers every year since the plate rim is gold, but I would love to have the red for a change of pace.

I don't know what your dining room decor is. I have the reds and other jewel tones in my living room and dining room (rooms adjoin), so if you want to unload them, I'll take them off of your hands:)).

Red is such a great color, and so there are many possibilities/directions you could go with the chargers. I think you have a great eye, and will make beautiful table settings with them. Use the red as your "inspiration" when you use them. I can see that you are already thinking "out of the box". I also really like the plaid ribbon idea. Kudos on the deal!

OT - I found the recipe for the apple kutchen on the WFD thread. Can't wait to try it. Being an apple person, this is my favorite time of year. So many apple varieties to choose from, and I am using all kinds of apples in different recipes. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Kathleen, those are "keepers" and what a great price! I love your ribbon idea, and think the black plate and plaid napkin would be so elegant especially for an evening dinner. Have I seen your white plates before? I love the shape of those! I like your fancy folded napkin allot with them.

Cattknap, so nice to have you join us over here. I don't post on Home Dec much but love to check out what's going on there. I've always enjoyed reading your posts and seeing your lovely home and yard. Welcome, welcome. Hope you will join us here often.

Labmomma, you are so right, Fall and apples just go together, don't there. Know you will enjoy the kutchen. ;o_

Luvs

Thanks Lab, hope you enjoy it. I made it without the crust for a friend who has celiac and can't have any gluten, she loved it without the crust too.
Lab, unfortunately my dining room is a dusty rose. 5 yrs ago that is what I wanted...now I want it painted. The prob is I can't decide what color. The rug and drapes are staying, I love them, and I have sage green in the halls and up the stairs, so I don't want green, which doesn't leave too many choices, to stay with the colors of the rug and drapes. Maybe I should go ask on the Home Dec forum...

I say keep them also! I like the black with the plaid ribbon too but the white would be nice also after you have all of your accessories in place. Great price!

Thanks, Mary. I just posted on Home Dec to get help with a color for the walls. DS says don't be bland beige, but I never liked the rose color. Hope they don't tell me everything is terrible! Christmas I stick with green and cranberry in there, red clashes!

Kathleen - it looks like there are alot of colors to go with your draperies. We just completed my entire first floor in shades of gold. LR/DR, foyer are all one soft gold - can't remember the name since the process started some time ago. Kitchen and laundry room, a slightly more yellow gold and office and downstairs bath are a lineny (is that a word?) gold. I am so pleased now that the entire thing is done. My house isn't big, and previously had different colors in the office and bath, kitchen was tan, it looked too broken up. Now everything flows.

I must have tried 7-10 quarts of pain before we started the process. I went from a martini green color to colonial blue, and finally settled on the soft gold. I hate picking a color. Too much pressure picking something that won't look dated after a couple of years since DH won't paint because the style has changed:))).

Good luck.

Kathleen keep the red! Love them with the ribbon, and they will look great with your Lennox china. I'm sure you will get some great ideas from the Home Dec forum. Did anyone see Judith's room posted there? Very nice!

Kathleen, have you thought about putting up a chair rail in your dining room with a darker rose color below it for something different? I know you said you didn't want the rose any more but it would be a new look until you decided on a color you really liked. Just a thought.

Mary, I would love to do that, dh wouldn't like to do it, LOL! I think robbyrob has that and it looks great!

Alie, I was afraid to post on Home Dec. Sometimes you ask about paint color and they redo your whole room. LOL They do have good ideas though, and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to try and help!
My furn and carpet..5 yrs old, so it is not being replaced! I thought dh would flip when he saw how much I paid for that Stanton carpet, but I told him it would be the last one we bought! And it will be, we are retired here.
I wanted a less formal look with my furn that what I had in our other house...this is the country! And I purposely picked chairs that matched my breakfast nook, so I have 12 of the same chair when I need them. I had dark furn in my old house, NO more for me.
As for the red, my Lenox are Eternal Christmas, has a burgandy bead and gold, it is discontintued. I use gold chargers with them. The red plastic chargers are for a casual table. I guess I should keep them. My original plan was to spray them black, someone on another forum did that with Krylon fusion paint.

Lab, I am like you, I hate to pick colors! Dh would get a wall done and I would yell, STOP! I have gallons and gallons of green paint that were wrong! As I am 45 min from a big store, I would buy it all. With the den, I bought the little bottles and did squares...but I am timid with paint. And I am not in to the Pottery Barn look, dark furn, stark lines....just not me...
Anyway, thanks for all your thoughts. It always good to have another opinion.

Kathleen, You know several of us on here LOVE your rug, in fact a couple of the gals already have dibs on it when you are through with it! LOL I love the curtains. I'd have flowers everywhere if it were just up to me--but I try to confine them to just the guest room and some in living room. I personally like the rose paint, but 2nd choice would be a pretty gold IF there is a touch of gold in the curtains or carpet. I think a soft gold would look really good with your furniture.

You are braver than I am. I'd really like some suggestions for a window treatment for the box window in my living room, but I KNOW my furniture and style are so NOT in now. I still like it, and will be keeping it until it falls apart or I die--whichever comes first! LOL

Hope you get some good answers on the Home Dec forum. There are many talented ladies on there. Of course you KNOW you may get more advice than you asked for, so just take a deep breath before you read the posts! ;o)

Luvs

These are my Lenox dishes. You can't tell from the pic, but there are little cranberry colored berries, raised. So they wouldn't go with the red chargers.

Luvs, it wasn't too bad. They are helpful...I am not getting rid of anything. just the paint, LOL.

Here is a link that might be useful: Eternal Christmas

And thank you, Luvs, being an artist like yourself, you know your colors.
So look at these plates...stick with the gold chagers??

You know Kathleen, in looking at the plates, gold would probably be my first choice--BUT I do think combinations of red and gold are gorgeous! With that said, I'd like to see those plates on one of the red chargers. Maybe on a gold tablecloth or placemat even, and a gold or crystal bowl of red and gold ornaments for the centerpiece. What do you think? Worth a try? Those plates are so pretty, and it might be sort of fun to "mix it up" a bit just for the fun of it. ;o) Luvs

Kathleen, my fave is the black plate with the red.

Your dining room is very nice, and the drapes are very pretty and romantic, I love the rose print. A green color would be nice on the walls, although you have said you don't want any more green. A pretty gold color might be nice, SW Blonde goes with alot of colors (I have that color in my LR and DR.) I would also agreee with others that a nice cream would work well too, bringing in from the cream as the background in your beautiful rug. Well, at least you have lots of choices! LOL

Thanks, Judith. I do have a lot of sage green, so I wanted something different. It is a big room, and I am afraid of the dark color, plus the light from the den might make some of the walls look funny! I will buy some of the small jars and do the squares to test first.
Luvs, the berries on the plate are not red, but more a cranberry color. The plastic charger is really RED, and I don't think it would look good, plus I think the plate lends itself to a more formal charger. Later I will play and see which charger looks best! Thanks for your thoughts...you know I wasn't here last Christmas, so it is nice to be able to get some other opinions!

Kathleen, I hadn't realized you weren't on here last Christmas. When did you find this forum? Were you on cooking before you came here?

I think I started last Sept. I know it was in the Fall, I found Holidays after finding the painting forum and Garden Junk.

So glad to have found them all! ;o) Luvs

luvs, I started on the Building a Home forum in 99. Then I used to lurk here and there. It was after Christmas last year that I found Holidays...so this will be my first Christmas, all my stuff will be new...HAHA
I am glad I found Holidays too...so much fun seeing everyone's ideas...and in the cold winter days a place to come and chat...Valentines Day, and on through the year!
I always used to read cooking but started posting last March.
I am really looking fwd to being here for Cmas this year. Of course if I spent too much time here, no decorating etc. will get done!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your dining room. And I LOVE those red chargers! I think if you were to paint the pink walls..you might want to go with a beige, or some sort of neutral that would give color to the walls but not fight with your lovely drapes and great carpet...I LOVE them both!

This is a pic of a dining room in a house I owned about two houses ago. As you can see (if the pic posts) I too love pink.

Thanks, Catie. It is a rose color, I know it photog pink. But it was never what I thought it was going to be!!
I would like to get it done before the holidays, so I have to make a decision soon. I HATE picking colors, cause I know I will have to keep it. I finally did the den last Nov. Paid $1000 plus paint for that room to be painted...so I better never change my mind.
DH says he will do dining room, but that means it will take over a week...a little each day!!

Catie, did you forget to post your pic? Would love to see it. Luvs

I love those chargers! Green plates or place mats or whatever right next to the chargers will tone down the red, if that's what you want to do. But I really like those black plates, myself!

Amy