Athena’s Entertaining Guide

How to Create Athena’s Saratoga Signature Blue-inspired Dessert Table

By Athena Calderone: Designer, Cook, and Entertaining Expert

I am of the philosophy that everything your gaze touches should inspire, evoke, and enliven the senses. This philosophy is visibly evident when I’m setting a table. From the décor to the food, every element is thoughtfully considered to conjure emotion and above all, connection. So of course when Saratoga Spring Water asked me to design a table inspired by their cobalt blue bottle my creative mind started spinning with ideas. Because if you know me, you know I LOVE a theme. Give me a concept and I’m all in. This bold, regal tone has made the brand unique for the past 15 years and recently, it was officially welcomed into the Pantone color family as Saratoga Signature Blue.

From here the concept for a cobalt blue-inspired dessert table crystalized.

The sky is the limit on how you can take an idea of a singular color and translate it into design. A round table draped in floor-length silk fabric visually expresses the movement and fluidity of water. The foundation of fabric and silver serveware was kept intentionally white and transparent or silver and reflective to guide the eye to the striking cobalt of the Saratoga bottle and delectable blue desserts, artfully arranged to create contrast, verticality, and visual interest. A self-serve sweets table carves out a fun and festive space for guests to graze and connect. You can also prep it ahead of your gathering to free up the host(ess) on the night. There is so much beauty in the ceremony of crafting beauty for ourselves and others we love to enjoy. Every touchpoint of this table evokes that sentiment.

While these images present a perfectly styled table, when you dissect the process, it really is a very simple formula that anyone can recreate at home. After all, beautiful shouldn’t be complicated. Keep reading to learn a few of my tips and tenets to bring this Saratoga Signature Blue dessert station to life at your next gathering.

THE TABLE DECOR

28oz Saratoga Bottles — still and sparkling
Ephemera and Halcyon Glassware
Creative Candles 30" Taper Candles in Navy Blue
Taper Candle Holders
Handwritten Menu with Custom Wax Stamp in Saratoga Blue
Stainless Steel Champagne Coupes
Small Silver Bowls
Silver Salt/Spice Bowls
Silver Pedestal Centerpiece
Silver Antique Sugar Bowl
Mirrored Square Tray
Polished Stainless Steel Serving Tray
Tiered Silver Cake Stand
Silver Cake Stand
Silver Pedestal
Silk-Like Taffeta Fabric for Table Draping, Twisted Candles, and Styling
Risers to Create Varied Levels for Stylish
Glass Vase
White Calla Lilies
Concord Grapes

How to recreate the look at home

CREATE A STYLISH SELF-SERVE DESSERT STATION
Encourage more connection with an abundant self-serve sweets table at your next gathering. Not only does it make for a striking visual statement but it also encourages more connection as guests mingle and nosh while they admire the stylish offering. By letting guests help themselves, you’re giving the host (you!) a chance to enjoy the party too. Besides, we all know we eat with our eyes first and this presentation ensures every sweet treat looks as good as it tastes!

STICK TO A CONTROLLED PALETTE
Setting the scene with a neutral foundation helps to bring much-needed cohesion to your dessert table, acting as a grounding base to layer on color, texture, and pattern as you wish without restrictions. With the Saratoga Signature Blue as my theme, all of the food I prepared for the table is in line with that hue while the foundation was intentionally monolithic. A simple way to add Saratoga blue to your tablescape is to purchase blue taper candles, create a handwritten menu with a custom blue wax seal, and introduce a variety of blue foods to your table (more on that next!). Use that singular concept in color to spark your creative imagination. This iterative process in design is what I love most. Take your time introducing pieces onto the table, build layer by layer until it feels right. My rule of thumb? Keep your staples neutral, then let the food, your linens, or your flowers offer color if you crave vibrancy.

PLAN YOUR MENU TO ALIGN WITH YOUR THEME
I really leaned into the color theme to create a range of delectable sweets within the spectrum of the Saratoga Signature Blue. I incorporated desserts in varied shades of blue to ensure the cobalt bottles stood out on the table. A tower of blue gumdrops. Spirulina blue jelly squares on a reflective platter. Blue cheese wheels and blueberries in coupes. Other creative desserts include blue macaroons, blue marshmallow, blue potato chips, and even blue caviar. I love this nuanced approach to a theme versus a literal interpretation which can feel one note. Consider desserts that can be prepped ahead of time, too. Then all you have to do is whip the cream right before serving (if it’s on the menu, of course!).

BREAK UP THE VISUAL PLANE
Style your dessert table as you would a room. Employ scale and verticality by pairing bowls, pedestals, and platters at various heights to create visual cues that intrigue the eye and break up the monotony. To create the alternating peaks and hollows, I styled risers on the table before draping silk-like fabric over the top that mimicked the look and feel of cascading water. This can be a simple box or an upside down bowl that’s added to the table surface beneath the linens. These vignettes bring a story to your table.

VARY YOUR SERVEWARE
As a visual person, I love to see the food on the dish: the color, the texture, the beauty. When you arrange food in an artful way, you want it to draw the eye and engage the senses so employ a variety of serveware: low shallow bowls, pedestal bowls, reflective silver trays, tiered stands, and coupes in all different shapes and sizes. With a few beautiful, multi-functional pieces, anyone can pull together a stylish dessert table.

FOOD CAN BE DÉCOR, TOO
Fruits and vegetables from the market simply placed on the table can make an elegant impact. Leaning into the Saratoga cobalt theme, I styled an abundance of blue-adjacent produce from Concord grapes to blueberries but deep berry plums with the leaves still clinging to them, currants on the vine spilling over the lip of a pedestal bowl would also be a beautiful addition. Overall, a bountiful yet casual approach to your dessert table is both elegant and timeless.

CREDITS

Creative Director: Athena Calderone
Photographer: Brett Warren
Food Stylist: Zoë Johnston of Spilt Milk Collective
Decor Stylist: Brittany Albert
Videographer: Molly Gillis

Athena’s Entertaining Guide

How to Create Athena’s Saratoga Signature Blue-inspired Dessert Table

The Signature Saratoga Blue-Inspired Dessert Menu:

How to recreate the look at home