Homemade Elizabethan Centerpiece Ideas

The Elizabethan era, from the middle to the end of the 16th century, celebrated the hard-fought triumph of monarchy over feudal rule and the resulting elevation of Britain to the status of a world power. The royal court was a place of abundance and material excess, although Elizabeth I attempted to regulate court morality with the same iron hand she applied to foreign and domestic political policies. Elizabeth's court boasted of the treasures acquired by trade -- spices, gold, exotic fruits and flowers. Set the tone of your own Elizabethan feast with a festive centerpiece. Does this Spark an idea?

Setting the Table

Elizabethan banquet table setting followed a system: a heavy dark-colored cloth reaching close to the floor (to keep the feet warm and hide the bones and other food trash tossed to the floor); a light-colored linen cloth (the cover for the meal -- and something to use when napkins got soiled); and a runner or smaller cloth setting the theme of the party (one of Elizabeth's cloths looked like a grassy lawn). Layered cloths are a look often used for modern dinner parties. Make the look more royal by choosing wide ribbon runners or fabric strips in rich, vivid colors with a touch (or more) of gold or silver.

Setting the Mood

The small center cloth or runners set the mood: rich, intense and vivid. Red brocade, purple velvet, anything with gold scroll work would be perfect. It's hard for colors to be too strong, because they will be seen in candlelight. Take whatever path you like -- strings of fairy lights, votives carpeting the table, or a collection of shiny, ornate candlesticks with tall tapers. Add flickering firelight if possible, for a real sense of dinner at the palace. Think glow and glitter for other accessories as well.

The Center of Attention

Just as Elizabethan meals featured what to modern guests is an incomprehensible order -- or disorder -- so did table decorations. (At a banquet, roast swan might be preceded by peaches poached in pomegranate juice and followed by stuffed mushrooms, layer cake and broiled asparagus decorated with violet blossoms.) Consider loading a tiered serving tray with parrot tulips, out-of-season grapes, lots of trailing ivy and little silver bells for guests to seize and ring as they wish. When in doubt, heap, scatter, trail or let flow, whether you are trying to add Jordan almonds, peonies, or artificial rose petals to your table. In general, a large centerpiece (two for a long narrow table) spreads out in small details across the whole table. Further, when in doubt, add it. Elizabethan England revelled in the beauties of exotic excess.

Extra Touches

One of the benefits of Elizabethan excess was a range of exotic odors. On a daily basis, Elizabethan England -- including court -- smelled of damp, sewage, manure and garbage, inside and out. Strewing herbs and native wildflowers covered household floors in an effort to combat those odors. Add little dishes of spices like cinnamon and allspice, bowls of potpourri and even tiny containers of scented lotions or colognes to your table. Make your banquet a symphony of aromas as well as fascinating sights and tastes.