A TABLESCAPE ROUNDUP

If you read my recent post, My Blogging Journey, then you know I’ve been blogging more seriously in the past year, trying to ‘find my way’ as I learn and grow in this blogging world. If you read along with me regularly, you also know how much I love to create spaces that tell a story. Tablescapes are no exception. I approach both my decorating and my tables in a very similar way – layers of texture, color, curated objects, all of which I love, and that ‘speak to me’. I believe in creating things in your home that you truly love and that you are drawn to – not creating things you’re told you should create because most people like it. I definitely love trends and I am absolutely infulenced by them, just like everyone else. The key to it is, how do you use it in your own way, expressing your unique vision? What I love may not be what you love. However, I want you to think about how you approach something creatively – and that can be a shelf display, a room layout, a tablescape…anything in your home.

Although you can find all of my tables under the Tablescapes menu above, I’ve decided to create a tablescape ’roundup’ of all of my tables, so you can have a one stop resource for ideas when creating your next table. I’ve linked back to each blog post so you can read them in more detail.

Looking back at the past year or so (some are from my first blog posts and I still love them), I think my style is pretty evident in most of them. I plan to try and post more tables more often. I love to collect dishware, glassware and flatware, but I can’t always run out and buy something new each time. Instead, I like to get creative with what I have, and reuse things, grab decorative items from around the house, as well as mix and match. I’ve rounded them up chronologically for you, starting with the most recent, working backwards.

The design of our dining room is very specific and it can be limiting when creating tabescpaes sometimes. Not having a space that’s light, airy and neutral is a big challenge and can be very tricky – so I have to find ways to be creative while still keeping in mind the look and feel of our space, and our home. I’ve even debated painting a light color to change it completely, but I love the black walls so much and so does my husband. So for now, it stays.

Please keep in mind many of these photos are shot with my phone camera, so they’re not the greatest quality! You can see there’s big difference in the newer ones. But I am still learning! Here we go!

BLUE AND GOLD

Layers of blues and golds, pattern, texture, and mixing metals. I was asked to create a table for The Fashionable Hostess for the Dinner Spotlight Series. I knew right away that I wanted to incorporate this color palette, since I love it so much – I have blue all around our home, in my wardrobe, and the same goes for gold.  I LOVE GOLD. I have it everywhere and there was a time when it was completely out of style and everything was either chrome or stainless – I even went and had my yellow gold engagement ring dipped in platinum – yes, I did. That’s ok, because I LOVED all the cool metals of the time. When gold, brass and warm metals started to make a comeback about 8-10 years ago – I fell hard and fast. Since then, I’ve pulled out some oldies from my basement storage and I’ve been building on my collection ever since. Now, I love it all and love to mix…there I go again, talking about the mix. Do you love it? Go for it. Hate it? Keep away! Follow those instincts and what your gut tells you, it’s usually right.I even have some wooden candle holders mixed in for an earthy element and to pick up the other wood tones around our home. I wanted a global vibe happening – and do you notice the gold orb on the stool in the background? That’s intentional, to echo my centrepiece.

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AN INTIMATE AND CASUAL SUMMER SPREAD

Here on the patio, I wanted to create an intimate and casual retreat for two. This was so easy to pull together and the idea is really to create a presentation that is worthy of a vacation resort. Why not make snack time elegant and special? Even if it’s just for yourselves, take a few extra minutes and treat yourself. I literally threw a striped piece of fabric down that I like to use as a table cloth, and as usual, layered different textiles and dishes. I laid out some snacks and quick tomato salad. So simple. Read more about this tablescaoe here.

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BRINGING THE BEACH 

Back in our dining room, this table is more about the theme and centrepiece. I wanted this to be all about the beach and it was important that the vibe was easy and elegant, with a global theme.Pulling together coastal accessories from all around the house that I already had, made this simple and quick to create. That’s a big part of how I design my tables – using things I already own. I love to challenge myself and find ways to utilize something I may not normally use. I have scarves from my closet layered here, and a footed bowl as the base of the centerpiece, used to elevate this pottery barn lantern. Read on for more here.

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EASY AND ELEGANT

For my Summer Home Showcase tour, I wanted to dress the table (we use our island as our table) with a very simple look. Since I was pulling my blues out everywhere in the house, I wanted the kitchen to have the same. There’s nothing like fresh peonies, especially displayed in a ginger jar. Ikat placemats and tortoise flatware always make an elegant statement. Check it out here for more details and to see my summer tour.

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A RUSTIC, FRENCH COUNTRY TABLE

For a Mother’s Day blog tour, I created a rustic and chic French bistro inspired table. Can you see some of my repeated textiles? I added striped napkins and french cheese plates for some European flair, and the food was french inspired as well. The idea was a table that my kids could easily achieve, no cooking, just some yummy treats. Even if I had to set the table for Mother’s Day, it would be a no stress brunch, giving loads of time to enjoy the day. This is a great way to entertain for last minute guests as well. I always try to keep it easy! Click through here for more details.

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SPRING HAS SPRUNG

For my Spring dining room tour, I wanted flowers everywhere. I didn’t want to have to spend a ton of money on fresh cut flowers, so I went the economical route and bought a bunch of faux stems. I LOVE faux flowers. They have a bad rap sometimes and they really shouldn’t. Today the options are beautiful, and you can splurge or save. I have a combination of high and low end in this mix of blooms. This theme was all about Spring blossoms so it was key to bring in that idea with the dishes and textiles. Because my ginger jars are the focus of the table, I wanted the Chinoiserie concept layered in througout. Hence the foo dogs and regency inspired dishes – how gorgeous is the shape of these? Read more about this table and our dining room here.

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MIXING METALS FOR WINTER

For a sparkling winter-wooded theme, I happened to have some christmas tree picks still laying around that I hadn’t yet put away. They served as the inspiration for this table. I love mixing metals as you know, and these glittery stems are just so pretty. I wanted a little tension, so I threw in the zebra print napkins for fun. I love themed tables, but not everything has to be a perfect match. I think it’s perfectly fine to try something fun and unexpected – let your personality shine through!I used an old mirror as a base for the centrepiece and this one dates back about 20 years, or more! I wanted reflective as well as metallic accessories to give the table magical quality. I used my wood and brass candle holders again here, as a way to tie in the owl salt and pepper shakers with my winter-wooded theme. This table was quite beautiful at night too. See more of this table here.

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FRESH GREENERY ELEGANCE

For my Christmas home tour, I used fresh greenery everywhere throughout our home. We lIve in a wooded area, with huge pine trees, and I wanted to bring a little of that into our home, for a rustic yet elegant look for our holiday decor. I loved it so much, I may do the same again this year! You can get this look with faux greenery as well, it may not always be easy to find the fresh stuff, depending on where you live.Again, I wanted a magical feeling on this table, and it was important to me to keep it sophisticated for a gathering for my mother and sisters. Using a mirror again as the base, I layered it with reflective candle holders and votives, and filled it with metallic and acrylic ornaments for an icy-cool effect.
All of the silver and gold accents really are beautiful against the silver piece of fabric on the table. This is my wedding china and crystal – which by the way, I often pull out. Why keep it hidden? You don’t need a special occasion to use it – you’ll see in many of my tables I pull it in for an added layer. It mixes beautiful with so many of my dishes. See more of this table and my Christmas home tour here.

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FALL BLUES

You know how I am about blue and white! Here, I wanted a Fall table layered with a little bit of everything and I challenged myself to create something unexpected and fun – so I used my signature elements to build this theme. Taking my fall decor a step further, I mixed it up with chinoiserie and lots of pattern and texture. I wish I’d had better photos because this is probably one of my favorite tables of all time. I may have to recreate it just to reshoot! Read on about this table here.

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ADDING GLAM TO A FALL TABLE

Here is my fall table from last year, and I actually have two versions shown – the only difference is the addition of my green pears and it really does create a completely different look. More old phone pics here, so bare with me, please! It’s all metallics again, and here’s my wedding china, used the same way as it was on my Christmas table. Even the napkins are the same. Here I simply topped each place setting with a silver pumpkin and folded the napkins rather than use a napkin ring. Here’s a little tip too : I used a curtain as my table cloth – I wanted something specific and didn’t have it, so instead of running out to buy something, I had some curtain panels stored away. They dress a table beautifully! Read more about these tables from last fall here.

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A FEW DIFFERENT IDEAS…

In this blog post, I’m showing three completely different looks. Metallics, garden and beach. Pretty straight forward stuff but the idea was to show different ways to pull together a table setting in a few minutes even for yourself. Read more here. AN OUTDOOR ESCAPE

Last but certainly not least, a table using all layers and blues and whites, paired with some punchy yellow and green. This was the first tablescape I ever blogged about way back when I started. This is a combination of outdoor dishes as well as everyday. Multiple textures and patterns make this a visual feast – there’s so much tension happening but I love it! Have a look at the rest of this post here for more details.  

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 Here are a few more tips to try to remember :

1 – Have fun creating your tables and make them unique by adding things you love! The experience shouldn’t be stressful – don’t overthink it, just experiment and let your ideas flow.

2 – Pick up different linens or dishes when you see something you love, even if they don’t go with what you currently have. You don’t even need full sets – I have lots of dishes that are not full sets and only one size (a set dessert plates for example).  I even have mismatched vintage pieces. Chances are, you can find something to pair them with.

3 – Use different fabrics, and objects from around the house to get those creative juices flowing! It always adds interest to your table when something decorative adorns it. It’s a great conversation piece too.

4 – For fun, grab your different dishes and create combinations you wouldn’t normally think of. Take pictures of them so you remember – you’ll have a library of go-to ideas instead of stressing the next time you’re entertaining.

5 – Build tables just for your own family to test them out! It’s the perfect way to try something new.

So there you have my roundup and I hope you found this post useful… the idea is to have a one stop resource if you’re looking for inspiration. Let me know what you think and which ones you like the best! Have a fabulous weekend! xo

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