"While I believe that presentation sets the tone for everything, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for your guests shouldn't be overwhelming or stressful."
It may be the holiday season, but I consider hosting a year round activity. While I believe that presentation sets the tone for everything, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for your guests shouldn't be overwhelming or stressful. When hosting a dinner, there's an unspoken social pressure to overly curate and meticulously design the “perfect” table. However, there are many ways to set a thoughtfully elevated table where your family and friends can create and share memorable moments.
For me, setting the table is an expression of love and I don’t limit table settings to special occasions. In addition to our Sunday family dinners, we often host friends resulting in spontaneous casual dinners after a few glasses of wine, so, many times the table settings are improvised. For special occasions like holidays and planned dinners, my tablescapes are more carefully designed. However, no matter what the occasion, there are three essential elements that I rely on to create and elevate, any table:
Lay the foundation with textiles. A table serves as a blank canvas and nothing instantly elevates a setting with style like a linen tablecloth, linen napkins or fabric placemats. I believe that everything looks great with a tablecloth. No matter what type of table you are setting, textiles will soften the appearance and add an elegance that will effortlessly transform any dinner setting.
Anchor the table. One can never go wrong with a well chosen floral as the centerpiece of the table. I also love incorporating fruit and vegetables for a more striking visual. I have a few approaches to anchoring: I might layer the table with different varieties of flowers or I might create a stunning focal point by fruit or vegetables that I have on hand to captivate the eye. Alternatively, I’ll do both - combining flowers and seasonal produce to design a table that captures the essence of the moment I'm trying to create. A few considerations - firstly, none of this has to be costly. If you’re using flowers, choose your color palette for the setting and select flowers with different shapes and textures that will complement or enhance your palette. If you’re incorporating the natural appeal of fruit and or vegetables, mix and match what you have on hand to create the heart of your table.
"Flowers are a cost effective way to add personality to a table."
Play with height. After you've softened the lines of your table with linens and you have created the main focal point of your setting, introducing different levels of height will create various points of visual interest for your guests. You want the eye to move to different areas of the table throughout the evening as your guests dine and socialize. I often incorporate candles in my tablescapes. Tapers are my favorite, but pillars and tea lights are always a good choice. One thing to remember when playing with height is to avoid adding anything too tall that might obstruct your guests' view or interaction. I strategically position candles in a way that won’t force my guests to lean left or right to connect with one another across the table.
Creating ambience and elevating your table doesn't need to be complicated. Ultimately, regardless of how your table is designed, your guests will know that you care deeply about creating memorable experiences with and for them - and that is the essence of home and hosting!
Details: Dinnerware - Crate & Barrel. Flatware - West Elm. Candleholders - Vintage. Marble. Candlesticks - Crate & Barrel. Pedestal Bowl, Glasses & Napkins - Threshold.
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