Set a pretty holiday table
December 08, 2009
SPECIAL TO YOURHOME.CA
Creating a new and exciting festive winter wonderland in your home year after year can be fun but also challenging. Why not try something different this holiday season? Add a bit of whimsy and romance to your table setting by cleverly combining inexpensive items with a few holiday splurges.
You can transform everyday items into a decorative centerpiece with the addition of a few handpicked ornaments, ribbons and festive fruits.
Try these tips to help strike the perfect ambience for this year’s holiday celebrations:
- Embellish natural accents, such as twigs with red berries, with store bought decorations. Red ornaments, as pictured, complement the twigs and mimics the berries.
- Complement authentic natural elements with organic-inspired decorative pieces, like the white and gold ceramic figs pictured.
- Bits of ribbon left over from your holiday gift-wrapping can be used to embellish the table. Fill bowls with ribbon and wind it around your centerpiece for instant holiday flare.
- Place bright red apples, beads, ornaments and cranberries in bowls, on serving platters and simply on the table to complete your festive look.
-Decorative white lanterns for tealights can be used as centerpieces and provide that perfect ambient glow – while ensuring nothing accidentally catches fire.
- Choose a fun colour and pattern for your table linens. This is the time of year when eye-catching gold and silver beading and shimmery, shiny materials are ideal.
- Your centerpiece should be the largest and tallest piece on the table in order to be the focal point.
- Twigs can be an easy, low-maintenance way to keep something natural on your table. They are also sturdy enough to hang decorations on, making them an excellent base to showcase some of your favourite ornaments.
Finally, remember to choose a theme and stick with it. The theme for your tree and mantel should carry on to your table. For example, I’ve decided on a palette of red, white and gold with hints of green and natural elements throughout my decor this holiday season. Sticking with a theme will help you achieve an elegant and cohesive table setting for your holiday celebrations.
Tara Dalla-Nora has a B.A. in interior design and is the owner and principal designer of Inner Luxe in Toronto's Bloor West Village.
Read more from Tara:
Create a warm holiday look for the holidays
Stylish, hardworking kitchen a hub of family life
10 ways to modernize a small city home
Back to basics: Natural touches