A Feast at the Last Homely House
Tablescapes of Middle-earth
Frodo woke and found himself lying in bed. At first he thought that he had slept late, after a long unpleasant dream that still hovered on the edge of memory. Or perhaps he had been ill? But the ceiling looked strange; it was flat, and it had dark beams richly carved.
[...]
Frodo was now in the Last Homely House east of the Sea. That house was, as Bilbo had long ago reported, ‘a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or storytelling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.’ Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear, and sadness.
The Fellowship of the Ring, “Many Meetings”
Getting Rivendell right has always been important to me, and something I’m not sure I quite fully achieved until this Hobbit Day. It certainly took some doing, and this is an example of a time where I had to source some specific vintage items online to really bring the look together. The base from which I started, however, was a vintage dishware pattern that my great-grandmother owned, with green leaves and a platinum rim.
Rivendell should feel welcoming, but still refined. It must, above all, celebrate beauty and honor history.
In all the days of the Third Age, after the fall of Gil-galad, Master Elrond abode in Imladris, and he gathered there many Elves, and other folk of wisdom and power from among all the kindreds of Middle-earth, and he preserved through many lives of Men the memory of all that had been fair; and the house of Elrond was a refuge for the weary and oppressed, and a treasury of good counsel and wise lore.
The Silmarillion, “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”
Thus, the dishware that was my great-grandmother’s has double importance in this instance. It is not only a thing of beauty, because it is admirable beyond just its aesthetic value. It is a preservation of the past; and not simply a museum piece to view from a distance, encased in glass, but a living history to be enjoyed and appreciated by others. Rivendell housed books of lore so that they might be read and history remembered by living people still participating in its making.
I feel that the simple botanical elegance is befitting of a house peopled mostly by Elves, who love the living earth. The tablescape was built out from a simple leaf motif, with an emphasis on shapes and colors of the natural world, manifest in a variety of textiles and materials, from brocades, to tapestry, and even cut glass. I leaned into the greens, but also brought in blues to call back to the fact that Elrond was the keeper of Vilya, the Ring of Air, set with a sapphire.
Of the Three Rings that the Elves had preserved unsullied no open word was ever spoken among the Wise, and few even of the Eldar knew where they were bestowed. Yet after the fall of Sauron their power was ever at work, and where they abode there mirth also dwelt and all things were unstained by the griefs of time. Therefore ere the Third Age was ended the Elves perceived that the Ring of Sapphire was with Elrond, in the fair valley of Rivendell, upon whose house the stars of heaven most brightly shone […]
The Silmarillion, “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”
In addition to blending some blues into the color palette, I thought it vitally important to incorporate stars into my Rivendell aesthetic. Not only is Elrond the bearer of the Ring of Air, but his father, Eärendil the Mariner, bearing one of the Silmarils to Valinor to plead for deliverance for the peoples of Middle-earth from Morgoth, was then lifted into the heavens with said Silmaril to become a star (well, Venus, but you get the point).
I was able to procure some pressed glass starburst candle-holders, and, with some patience, an old cork, at least 10 different sizes of drill bits, and a round file, I rigged a vintage starburst wine stopper to fit a contemporary wine decanter.
The pièce de résistance, however, I stumbled upon quite by accident while searching for something else entirely. I happened to find a most perfect piece of art glass that is essentially the centerpiece of Eärendil’s heraldic device: undeniably meant to hang above the center of the table for all to appreciate its beauty, just as the Silmaril was lifted into the sky as a sign of hope amid darkness.
Finally, I emphatically believe that Rivendell must embrace the groundedness of Elrond as a character, being one of the Half-elven himself, while touching on something that is intangible, yet less lofty and otherworldly than, say, Lothlórien. I found a tablecloth at the thrift store with the most lovely silver and gold threads; a callback to the Two Trees of Valinor, if you will. It looks rather unremarkable from a distance, but upon approach, the shimmering metallics come to life and draw you in, exalting the motifs of the natural world with something… ethereal and positively “Elvish”.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my inspiration and thought process for creating this tablescape as much as I have loved seeing it come together.
For Rivendell, I’ll be serving:
Borgougne Savigny Le Beaune 1st Cru (A very fancy and rich French red)
Slow-braised venison with redcurrant sauce
Grilled delicata squash with nigella seeds and applewood smoked salt
Savory wine-poached plums with crème fraîche and a sorrel chiffonade
Fiddlehead and arugula salad with nasturtiums