An interplay of silver and gold bring warmth and shimmer to Cally and Bob Dixon's table where tradition is blended with a festive spirit.
Story by Cara Clark, Photos by Morgan Duke
Soft, winter light filters through the Palladian window of Cally and Bob Dixon’s Columbus, Georgia, home, settling over a table arranged with silver, gold, heirlooms, and thoughtful finds. In this early-20th-century house, carefully preserved and refreshed for their family of six, Cally has created a festive setting that feels both personal and welcoming. It’s the kind of table that suits any celebration as the year begins anew: an engagement, a wedding, an anniversary, a christening, or any moment that calls for raising a glass with grace.
The tableau truly begins with a late 18th century French enfilade positioned beneath that soaring window.
“That’s one of my first pieces I ever purchased,” Cally says. “I found it at Circa Interiors & Antiques in Birmingham, and the silver pieces on it, like the candleholders, were my great-grandmother’s. The silver tray was a wedding gift, and those champagne glasses were hers, too. I’ve collected the little silver nut dishes over the years.”
Many of her most cherished pieces were discovered through a friend, Beth Walker of Gryphon Estate Silver in North Carolina.
“Beth has been a good friend for a long time,” Cally says. “I’ve gotten so many beautiful pieces from her.” One of those finds — a classic, sculptural swan with softly curved lines — now anchors the centerpiece of the tablescape.
“I found that swan at an antique store. It’s so elegant, and the patina is wonderful.”
The swan motif appears throughout the home in subtle ways.
“When we bought this house, there were swans in the original limestone mantle,” she explains. “That’s how the theme started. There are small touches of swans here and there — not overwhelming, just little nods.”
Near the dining room, swan-shaped faucets accent the bar area, while antique Italian swan planters with fiddle leaf fig trees greet guests at the entrance. These details are intentional but understated — meant to delight upon a second look.
The dining table carries the same sense of quiet intention. Pickard custom china bearing the Dixon crest rests on silver chargers and Vetro plates, a choice that honors family history. Arte Italica Vetro crystal glasses brushed with 24-karat gold pair with Reed & Barton Francis I Sterling flatware for a look that feels celebratory without excess.
Elegant, embroidered napkins from Bobbins Design in Fairhope, Alabama, add a touch of refinement. The Gorham silver water goblets, given to Cally each Christmas by her husband’s parents, hold special meaning and shine among the mix of metals.
Collecting is one of Cally’s true joys — from a Sterling caviar dish and salmon server to ice cream forks and mother-of-pearl butter knives at each place setting.
“I love the hunt — that’s my favorite thing,” she says. “I found the fish set at the antique show in Eufaula. The pretty shell dish came from my mother-in-law. And the Arte Italica Vetro wine glasses and dessert plates — I found those online years ago. Mixing the gold and silver keeps the table interesting without feeling overdone.”
Layering is the quiet magic behind any beautifully set table, especially on a day meant to feel unforgettable. Inspired by the lavender-and-white floral arrangement created by Columbus interior decorator Betsy Illges, Cally began assembling her mix of treasured heirlooms and fresh new finds to build a composition that set the tone for an elegant winter brunch.
Vintage wine glasses, hand-etched and accented in 24-karat gold, add depth and warmth, echoing the glow of gold tapers set in Sterling candlesticks — another antiquing discovery. Platinum-edged Vetro Arte Italica dessert plates complement a silvery-patterned throw from Circa Interiors & Antiques that runs down the center of the table.
“I usually keep it on the back of a chair in the living room,” Cally says. “It’s just beautiful, and it pulled the table together.”
The home itself carries a legacy.
“This was a family house,” she says. “We wanted to preserve it the way the family would — honoring its history while modernizing it for our own. I wanted to add special touches. If you’re not really looking, you might not even notice the swans — and that’s what I like.”
In the end, Cally’s table reflects her philosophy: collected with care, layered with meaning, and designed to make guests feel at home. It invites everyone to settle in, enjoy the moment, and celebrate the start of a new year surrounded by beauty and tradition.