All dressed up
Holiday tables go rustic, sparkly and plaid this season
One holiday may be behind us; but with Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s not far away, there are still plenty of opportunities to host parties. ❚ They can be small, intimate gatherings with elegant appetizers and fancy cocktails, but they also can be big splashy events with a wide variety of foods and a plethora of beverages. ❚ Either way, if you want your event to be memorable, you have to have great food, of course. But serving it on a beautiful table is just as important. ❚ And this holiday season, experts say there are a wide variety of beautiful looks to choose from.
Rustic, gold, silver, sparkles
Theresa Frinzi, co-owner of Twins Flowers, Gifts and Home Décor (twinsflowers.com) in New Berlin, said she’s seeing a trend toward more natural-looking tables to which “minimal touches of glitz and glamour are added.”
“There are a lot of muted beiges or grays in tablecloths, and burlap is even being used in tablecloths or runners,” she said.
She added that for a really rustic look, natural birch logs are being cut into circles and used in place of chargers.
She said tones of aqua are also big as accent colors and that black, white, red, gold and silver are all in.
“Here some options are black or gold candlesticks, white dishes with black chargers and white napkins with gold threads in them that are held together with black napkin rings.
“Galvanized silver containers (which are more of a gray tone than a silver tone) are also big,” she said, adding that they are being used as containers for fresh arrangements as well as accent pieces.
“You can also add pieces in silver and gold or you could add accent pieces like gilded pine cones … they are also adding pops of mercury glass to add that glitz and chargers that match their silverware,” she said.
Carrie Lenz, owner of Shop to Carrie on Gift & Clothing Boutique and Flowers to Carrie On (shoptocarrieon.com) in West Allis, said she’s seeing lots of sparkle this Christmas.
“Gold is becoming more popular than silver,” she said. “Showrooms at markets are just bursting with it, but people are also mixing gold and silver. It’s a nice combination.”
Lenz said that sparkle can be incorporated in the form of an accent piece or filler.
“You can add baby’s breath with sparkle or ice on a berry in an arrangement,” she said. “Sparkle is what gives the enchantment of Christmas.”
So with all these options, how do you pick a look?
Be consistent, and think color
Here, Lenz said it’s important that your table matches the rest of your holiday decorations as well as your house, as this will provide a cohesive look.
In some cases, it’s easiest to come up with a look by starting with your tablecloth, she said.
“It could be the focal point of the table, then you could downplay everything else. You could have a tablecloth or runner with ribbon and embroidery on it.” Each Christmas she uses a runner that has a Christmas tree on it that is made from embroidered ribbon and beads.
“A homeowner could also take the reverse approach by using a plain tablecloth and then “really enhancing your arrangement and plates,” she said.
Using pieces in this year’s trendy colors of aqua, black, white and red is another good
option.
“You could have a white tablecloth, red could be in the flowers and ornaments and in the plates. You could have black in the arrangement and on the plates, and aqua could be in the arrangement. The aqua would be one of the predominant colors.”
She said another way to make a table shine is by mixing different patterns of china.
“You can use three different place settings,” she said. “They could all be Christmas plates, but you also could use regular plates as long as they match.”
Plaids are in
Linda McFadden, owner of Past Basket Milwaukee (pastbasketmilwaukee.com), said that at her store the look for this Christmas is very casual. There is an abundance of plaids, some sparkle and stars.
“The plaids are casual, the sparkle is something we see every holiday. The sparkle can enhance the plaids,” she said.
She said she is seeing plaid prints on tablecloths, plates, ornaments and ribbons and that stars can be found in tin but also made of wood to use as place cards.
“We are focusing on natural looks. I’m very inspired by nature, and I’m also inspired by vintage items,” she said.
McFadden, whose firm specializes in dining and bedding decor, said one vintage look she likes for a Christmas table is a centerpiece that is partially made from a pillar from an old home.
“We put big, rustic looking candles on it,” she said. This year, she’s also using a plaid vintage throw with fringe for a tablecloth.
In addition to the items you set on your table, Lenz said, consumers shouldn’t forget about decorating their chandeliers or light fixtures.
“You can hang a wreath from a chandelier,” she said. “It can be accented by draping beading on it or by hanging ornaments on it that would match your table. You can use ornaments in all different sizes and shapes for interest.”
Hanukkah tips
Annette Dowd, owner of Xenia, ( xeniagallery.com) a Mequon store that deals in high-end table tops and décor, said those who want to set a beautiful table for Hanukkah should start with the colors that are traditional for the holiday.
“Blue and silver are always important — those are the traditional Hanukkah colors, and Hanukkah is all about tradition,” she said.
“You can use blue napkins, silver chargers and plates in blue, white or a combination of the two. You could also have white dishes with silver accents.
“I like to go without a tablecloth and layer place mats, chargers and plates, and I like to mix different
patterns of dishes. … I like to mix glasses, too, and I always use a really gorgeous napkin ring.”
Dowd added that for a Hanukkah table, serving pieces should be plentiful and elegant because a good number of traditional foods are served.
“Because it’s a large gathering, you also want to put out a beautiful centerpiece and a menorah. On some tables, people put out more than one menorah,” she said.
If you’re setting a table for a New Year’s party, Lenz suggests avoiding color.
“I think of clear glass, white, silver, sparkle and stars and the more opalescent colors.”