Posts Tagged ‘table setting’

February 19th, 2013 No Comments

tabletop: have fun with your setting by using a bright spring palette

I love minimal tables and design (as you can see from my shop), but now that I have children I’m finding that bright pops of color and whimsy is fun and can be just as pretty when setting a table, especially for the holidays. Adding little touches like small bowls of lollipops, candy sticks and cupcakes are inexpensive but effective to make your table look festive.  A table like this is very easy to pull together, so let’s break it down to make it easy for you. If you’d like to work from this specific palette then make sure to … Read more

November 27th, 2012 No Comments

tabletop: incorporate felt for a wintery feel

This table setting starts with basic elements that most everyone has- a white tablecloth, silverware, clear glass tumblers, white plates… but add in blue felt placemats and white felt favor wrappers with blue ribbon and they make it feel more like a welcoming winter table setting. Combine with our Feathered Dessert Plate from Jars and this is a perfect holiday setting in our blue, silver and white color palette. All tabletop products are available from our shop and for the holidays are 20% off with free shipping! Use code Holiday12 and the percentage … Read more

November 13th, 2012 No Comments

simple thanksgiving decor -burlap & votives

A lot of people stress out about setting a table for Thanksgiving and I get a lot of questions about how to set a unique table without breaking the bank. BURLAP. I love taking burlap from the local garden supply store (about $1 per yard) and using it as a textural and inexpensive tablecloth. It’s simple and unexpected, but it will be welcomed by friends and family as a refreshing change from the usual cloth. My ‘stylist’ secret to making a burlap cloth work is to mix in high and low tableware. Here I’ve mixed in simple wood salt … Read more

October 23rd, 2012 No Comments

add layers of texture to your table setting

By layering different textures when setting a table you can add visual interest. Here I set a deep gray wood table with charcoal gray felt placemats. Then I added horn handled flatware and glazed china with a fine gauge gray linen napkin. A little whimsy never hurts either. I love to use these faux birds (see photos below) which you can find at most any craft store. I placed a bird in a cup of peanuts leaning over a glass tumbler like he’s going to take a drink. Individual little cups at each placesetting are a nice detail- whether you … Read more

September 19th, 2012 No Comments

weddings: a tiffany inspired table setting

Event designer and florist, Michael George and I worked on this story for InStyle. Inspired by Tiffany Blue, we used the color in small details and accents throughout vs. draping everything in blue. We selected white flowers, cloths, chairs, china etc. as our backdrop for the blue to pop. Using different sized vases in blues and whites from Middle Kingdom we placed them running down the center of long rectangular tables keeping them low so guests can see each other.  Notice to add interest to the centerpieces we used all different types of white flowers- but did not mix … Read more

August 21st, 2012 No Comments

tuesday’s tabletop: using eggplants, plums, black olives, wine & garlic as your centerpiece

These items all have a beautiful color palette….eggplants, deep plums, black olives, red wine and garlic with a bit of purple striations. Using food as your centerpiece is always pretty and very easy to pick up at the grocery store while you are selecting your food for your menu. By putting these items in black bowls and grounding them with black linens, dishes and glasses, it makes a sophisticated, yet approachable table setting. Black linens and plates might seem a bit dark to some people, but coming from my stylist point of view- it makes food look fantastic! … Read more

August 7th, 2012 No Comments

tuesday’s tabletop: tomato placecard holder & corn grit votive holder

Personalizing a lunch or dinner for friends can be very easy and not so overwhelming. Here using the colors in our tomato color palette this week, all I did was take a toothpick, a piece of paper cut into a flag shape with my friends’ names and poked it into a cherry tomato as a place card holder. This could be an easy lunch or dinner for friends and family. I used fresh vegetables along a cutting board as the centerpiece and served corn soup with cherry tomatoes and crackers as the starter. I took dry corn grits and filled … Read more

July 31st, 2012 No Comments

tuesday’s tabletop: gail brill calligraphs a classic black and white place card

I love calligraphy. I use calligraphed cards for dinners and parties whenever I can. I usually call on one of the best in the country to do my calligraphy… Gail Brill of Gail Brill Design. Gail has beautiful scripts and handwriting and most importantly Gail is very consistent with her lettering. I would always use Gail if I needed calligraphy on a photo shoot because I knew it would be perfect and all her letters would be consistent. Consistency is so important when you are lining calligraphed seating cards together in alphabetical order for a wedding or a party. … Read more

June 5th, 2012 No Comments

tabletop: whites, creams & metallics

Since summer is upon us, using coral and starfish for a centerpiece seems appropriate and so pretty in a white, cream and metallic color palette. I love using natural objects like the coral vs. flowers sometimes because I can set the table in advance and not have to worry about the centerpiece wilting or dying too early before my guests arrive. This coral piece and starfish I had as accents around my home and I just moved them to the table for a quick and easy centerpiece. Calligraphed place cards and a menu card, always make a table setting elegant … Read more

April 24th, 2012 No Comments

bright paper flowers for a casual gathering

I found these fun paper flowers from Pearl River Mart– a great store at 477 Broadway in New York City (but they also have a website). They have amazing little finds for bowls, plates, serving utensils, paper lanterns, paper umbrellas etc.. If you haven’t been to Pearl River make sure to stop by if you are in Soho. These crepe paper flowers are just $4.95 per kit and the package says it makes 3 flowers (about 7 inches in diameter) but really I could make about 4-5 from the kit-very simple directions and the kit comes with green pipe … Read more