LOLO'S GUIDE TO HOLIDAY TABLESCAPES

'Tis the season… to deck the halls, the walls, and the tables! Whether you’re celebrating all that’s merry and bright with an intimate group of friends or hosting a large family gathering on Christmas Eve, why not take the time to make your table shine! After all — every festive dish you make, should be placed on an equally beautiful plate.

When it came to setting my holiday table, I turned to a few of my favorite friends for some holiday inspiration. Together, we designed three very different holiday tablescapes gathering a combination of antique, vintage, and modern sparkly treasures. When you plan la fête de Nöel, think of including some fun elves to help, and then put on your sleigh bells, pour yourself some bubbly, and fa la Lolo long…

LOLO'S GUIDE TO HOLIDAY TABLESCAPES
BECOME THE HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST IN 5 EASY STEPS

Decide On A Color Scheme Or Theme — Think outside the box with new color combos to create a fresh tablescape. Consider color combinations other than the traditional red and green. Dishes and glassware, as well as florals, are great ways to bring color to your table.

Get Creative — Use things in unexpected ways. We’ve been trained to set forks on the right and knives on the left, but holiday tablescapes give us the freedom to step away from tradition. Play with the napkins. Move them around until you find the perfect spot. And never feel like you have to cover a wooden table! The texture of the wood just creates another layer.

Make It Personal — Work with what you have. Don’t think you have to go out and buy everything new. You can’t go wrong with a mix of modern and antique tableware, or high-end and low-end. If you have a fabulous collection of sterling napkin rings or colored coupes, use them! Mix Limoges with Pyrex like we did! We played around with my china and crystal and swapped plates and glasses and candlesticks in and out many times before we settled on what we used.

Keep It Fresh — Go big on fresh flowers, garlands, and greenery. Natural elements are key to making a holiday tablescape memorable. Tuck sprigs of greenery into the tablescape or use them to adorn plates or candlesticks.

Add Some Sparkle — Metallic finishes just draw people in. Whether its metallic threads in linens or glitter ornaments, everyone loves a little sparkle!

TABLESCAPE #1 WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME LADIES BRUNCH

A pink and green color scheme. The green plates used as chargers make the mix and match place settings, in various shades of pink and green, pop when placed directly on my bleached walnut table. The vintage Tulu rug and the bright colors and bold pattern on the antique Louis XVI style chairs also stand out against the wood.

The table is set à la française — French style, with the tines pointing down. We chose to use heirloom silver passed down to me from a great aunt, Pyrex chargers, a gift from my mother, beautifully detailed antique Limoges dishes, and Raynaud Festivite salad plates. As you can see, my love of antiques and vintage is not limited to furniture!

TABLESCAPE #2 DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS S'MORES BAR

A walk on the wild(er) side. The luxurious look and feel of the natural undyed, mid-century Turkish Angora woven blanket from Paige Albright Orientals that we chose to cover the homeowner’s custom made chunky white coffee table was just what we needed to spice up our picnic, along with a spiced rum cocktail, of course. I know most of you probably don’t have a tiger striped mohair rug laying around — but if you do… If you don’t, you definitely want to add it to your list! IT’S. THAT. DAMN. FABULOUS!

S’mores are the quintessential dessert — they require no baking! You’re free to choose as few or as many ingredients as you like. For this setting we mixed and matched modern tableware, using a white charger to stand out against the fabulous mohair rug and anchor the black La Chamba pottery. The salad plate was adorned with fresh cut greenery, while the marshmallow filled bowl had a simple place card attached, and a sparkly napkin ring added for an extra pop of shimmer and shine! Because more is more, and we love shiny finishes, gold flatware was used.