Holiday Tablescapes

The holidays are fast approaching, and for many of us, the best part of this time of year is gathering around the table to share a festive meal with our family and friends. So much of this season revolves around mealtime, and setting a beautiful table promotes warmth and hospitality at our annual gatherings, conveying a message to our guests about how much we value them. Whether it’s a casual family dinner or a formal event, the holidays are a prime opportunity to cultivate your personal style. This month we explore some fun and creative ideas for arranging your holiday table with maximum style and minimal stress.

MIX AND MATCH: The simplicity of an all-white tablescape can be both effective and breathtaking. But consider the eclectic feel of a mix-and-match approach. Varying your dinner plates, salad bowls, and goblets with an assortment of patterns and colors creates an eye-catching view. Use a paisley tablecloth with striped napkins, or allow polka dots and florals to play off of each other, always making sure your colors are complementary. It’s best to utilize one dominant color with secondary colors used as accents, whether in your linens or plating, in order to keep a coherent flow.

GO NATURAL: Visit the produce section of your grocery store for inexpensive and colorful ways to decorate your table. A bag of cranberries poured into a glass bowl of water makes a great setting for floating tea lights or star-shaped candles. Stud oranges or apples with cloves to create a colorful and fragrant centerpiece. A wooden trencher filled with fruit and nuts, which can be eaten later, is appropriate for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Lemons, artichokes, and pomegranates can also be mixed with greens for a beautiful focal point.

KEEP IT CENTERED: Candles add a soft ambiance to your centerpiece, whether tapers in matching candlesticks or large pillars placed in glass containers. Lean on nature for inspiration, using leaves, pumpkins, pinecones, or greenery arranged directly on the table or in beautiful containers found in your cupboards. A touch of white or gold spray paint can easily be applied to natural items or to bottles and vases to help solidify your color scheme. With minimal expense or effort, you can create centerpieces that evolve from season to season.

MAKE IT PERSONAL: Nametags let people know you were anticipating their individual attendance. And if you are mixing friends in with family members, nametags help you arrange the seating in a way that promotes conversation and prevents anyone from feeling isolated or uncomfortable. A small pumpkin or large pinecone centered on each plate makes a great nametag base. An individualized Christmas cookie serves dual purposes for both identification and eating, or consider a small ornament monogrammed with each guest’s initials.

DO THE UNEXPECTED: There are no rules when it comes to setting a beautiful table, so consider how you can get creative with unexpected touches. Mix pieces of your grandma’s old china with your own modern place settings. Arrange the silverware in a cluster on top of each plate and tie it with a ribbon. Use pieces of antique sheet music as individual placemats. Foregoing a tablecloth can expose the beauty of the natural wood of your table.

THINK AHEAD: It’s never too early to start planning for next year. Scour those after-the-holidays clearance racks for themed napkins, plates, or linens. Keep your eyes open at Goodwill and other thrift shops for Christmas plates or red goblets. Using your mom’s snowflake glasses only on Christmas Eve gives your family something to anticipate and sets holiday meals apart from your everyday dining experiences. Collect gold candlesticks, glass jars, or pewter plates, all of which can all be used for centerpieces.

The folks around your table will undoubtedly be your greatest gifts this holiday season. Taking time to create a beautiful environment is one way to show them how much they matter. Enjoy the holiday season with those you love!

Bringing the Outdoors Inside

As autumn approaches, we can find ourselves simultaneously anticipating wearing cozy sweaters and snuggling in front of the fire while also grieving the loss of warm summer nights and the sensation of grass under our bare feet.  Finding creative ways to bring nature inside can help with this transition while adding a comfortable feeling to your home.  Decorating with the great outdoors is often inexpensive or free, so bringing it indoors makes sense on many levels.  Let’s explore some practical ways to make this happen

1. Bring natural fibers, textures, and patterns into the mix.

Use materials that are all inspired by nature. Consider adding wicker or rattan furniture as accent pieces.  Layer a jute rug in your dining or living room areas. Use hemp baskets to store blankets, magazines, or toys.  These items soften the edges of a room and create a warm environment.

2. Use colors inspired by the outdoors.

Soft greens are reminiscent of the earth, grass, and plants.  Gentle blues evoke memories of the water and sky and lazy days on the beach.  Yellow infuses the freshness of flowers and the sun.  If you prefer neutral walls, use these colors for furniture, blankets, or pillows.

3. Add houseplants as focal points or accents.

Hanging houseplants in the window remains a standard.  Consider a display of small potted herbs or succulents on your kitchen window sill.  Think outside the box and use plants as centerpieces or on shelves where they will receive light.  Large plants like the light and leafy Norfolk Island pine or the unique cut foliage of a monstera fit nicely in a corner and make a bold statement.  Don’t have a green thumb?  Opt for botanical prints on your walls or pillows.

4. Display elements from nature.

Whether you have collections from vacation or items you’ve gathered from your own backyard, fill bowls or vases with pebbles, seashells, sand, or other found treasures.  Antlers continue to be a popular form of wall art.  An interesting twist of branches can display nicely on a shelf or a wall, or you can anchor it in a glass container of sand.  If you don’t own such items, consider hanging images of beautiful scenery from your travels.

5. Invite the natural light through your windows.

Swap out those heavy draperies for a lighter material or sheers.  Use natural bamboo shades that can be rolled up to coax in the sunshine. If privacy is not an issue, consider letting your windows bare in order to fully enjoy the view outdoors.

6. Use natural materials instead of man-made ones.

Wood, cork, or bamboo floors are soft and inviting underfoot.  Oak beams draw the eye upward and can balance out larger spaces.  A stone fireplace with an aged wooden mantel beam can be decorated seasonally to draw all the outdoor elements together.

7. Keep a daily dose of fruits and veggies on hand.

Decorating with citrus is increasingly popular, whether it is displayed in bowls, woven into wreaths, or grown on topiaries.  Vegetables you intend to use, such as tomatoes or zucchini, might as well serve as decorations in the meantime and add a nice dash of color to your kitchen.

With minimal effort or expense, the outdoors can quickly be incorporated inside.  Until spring rolls around again, and it always does, these ideas will help chase away the winter blues and remind us of the promise of summer.

Window Treatment Tips

During the 1800s, having a small, singular window in a log home or thatched hut was considered a bit of a luxury. Fast forward several hundred years and windows are now recognized as a necessity. Homebuilders plan entire houses with window layout in mind, and window treatments have become a form of decorating all their own. It’s helpful to know your options as you consider what might work best in a particular space. Whether you are creating a frame for the beautiful scenery outside or inviting the natural light into a room, your windows play a crucial role in creating the atmosphere you desire.

Begin by determining your ultimate goal for window treatments. Are you wishing to add privacy to a bathroom that faces the road, block light in a bedroom for better sleeping conditions, or add softness to a room with hard edges? Whatever you are hoping to achieve will automatically steer you in the right direction when it comes time to shop.

Next, decide if your room calls for hard or soft window treatments. Hard window treatments include blinds, both horizontal and vertical, and shutters. Soft window treatments include draperies, curtains, valances, sheers, and roman or roller shades. Each has its place, and only you can determine which works best. Hard window treatments are typically easier to clean as they can usually be wiped down without removing them. They are ideal for high traffic areas such as playrooms or entry ways. Soft window treatments lighten the look of rooms that include hardwood floors or wood cabinetry. You will find a wider selection of colors and patterns to choose from in this category, and they help to absorb sound in a large room.

There are other factors that come into play as you narrow down your options.

• If anyone in your house suffers from dust or dander allergies, hard window treatments will be a safer bet as they collect less dust and cleanliness is easier to maintain.
• Ponder the ease of installation and whether or not you will be drilling any holes for the hardware to hang the curtains or blinds. Do you have the knowledge and tools for the task?
• Consider how long you hope to keep and use your purchase. If your home is a short-term rental, you will likely spend much less than someone who is hoping to make a long-term investment.

It is also vital to decide if the curtains will be “the main event” in the room or simply a backdrop for other furniture and décor. This will help you determine if you want a bold floral or geometric pattern rather than a simple gray or off-white. Occasionally you might want the best of both worlds, using a shade for privacy or light control, but including a valance or drape for warmth and color. In this case, a neutral blind works best with a patterned curtain.

Whatever the goal, window treatments make as much of a statement as a beautifully painted wall or a stylish tufted sofa. Choosing wisely will make a significant impact on both the function and the aesthetic of your room.