Pull up a chair at the family dining room table with mother and son Dencie and Ashford Thomson, and you’ll soon discover: everything recalls a story.
The 1939 home is itself steeped in family history. Once belonging to Dencie’s parents, it houses childhood nostalgia for Dencie and Ashford alike. After Dencie’s mother passed away and her father decided to move out in 2001, she and husband Cam Thomson purchased the home and moved in. Ashford was a teenager.
For many years, Ashford has enjoyed setting this very table for family holidays and gatherings. (Something he still adores doing to this day.) Realizing he had a knack for prompting memorable dining experiences, Ashford launched a new venture called The Dine by ART last year. Within his carefully curated settings, he often layers bespoke floral arrangements with long-forgotten family heirlooms. A formal table provides the perfect opportunity to bring out your best china, silver and crystal. This Thomson family table setting provides a supreme example.
The silver pieces sparkling on the tabletop have been in the Thomson family for generations. The oriental Wedgwood Kutani Crane china plates date back to Dencie and Cam’s wedding in 1980, as well as the Gorham Cherrywood crystal pieces that were wedding gifts. Dencie found the silver chargers, terribly tarnished, boxed in an old family shed. She shined them up nicely (though not easily) to join this collection.
Ashford often sources floral arrangements for The Dine from A Date With Iris. For this special scene, the experts pulled together snapdragons, white blooming spirea, butterfly ranunculus and peony tulips, all sourced locally from Bear Creek Farms. Jasmine and wax flower are also incorporated in the glorious bunches, providing extra texture.
The Thomsons’ traditional dining room — with its upholstered Cowtan and Tout walls — is reminiscent of the historical homes found in Savannah, the Southern “City of Hospitality” and the family’s go-to getaway. (Read more about the Thomsons’ connection to Savannah on page 25.) The dining room features custom corner cabinets that contain cherished family collections passed down generation after generation. All of the surrounding antique furniture pieces come from past loved ones’ homes.
The console behind the dining table is beautifully appointed; Dencie refashioned a pair of inherited urns into matching lamps. The Date With Iris stems placed between the lamps add height and visual interest to the room, and the tall mirror adds a contemporary element to the traditional setting.
Similar to other table settings curated by Ashford within The Dine, this one brings special memories and history to the table. The room stands ready for a dinner party — the clinking glasses, the shared stories and laughter. It celebrates the slower days of summer, when family memories are just waiting to be made.
