A Guide to Table Settings
Fear not, diners. Navigating through a formal table setting is easier than you think.
Holiday Foraging
New ideas for decorating a holiday table are as close as your backyard when you look at the landscape with a forager’s eye. Use seasonal offerings of fruits, vegetables, flowers and foliage to create custom centerpieces, napkin rings and wreaths. Foraging is a fun challenge and a great way to get the entire family involved while also incorporating organic and sustainable elements in the decor. In the process you may also start new traditions for your holiday gatherings.
Take a walk around the neighborhood, a hike through the woods, even a stroll through your own yard or garden to collect supplies for your decorations. Once you begin to explore, you start to notice the beautiful bounty in nature. In Northeast Florida, we have a wide range of textures and colors that can be gathered to create your holiday centerpiece. Look for flowers and greenery with different shapes, sizes and textures to add interest. The variety also allows your eye to move throughout the centerpiece seeing something new with each view.
We have an abundance of evergreen trees and foliage which can be used as a base for the holiday centerpiece. A great way to add texture and a pop of color is to add berries from Holly, Nandina and Beauty Berry bushes. Cold hardy herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme and mint will add wonderful fragrance to your table scape or a holiday wreath.
Branches laden with persimmons and kumquats make wonderful additions as well. I like to use these branches for the centerpiece while also using the fruit itself to style the remainder of the table. Get creative with root vegetables and turn them into place cards or candle holders. Camellias provide beautiful blooms in red, pink and white. Fresh herbs in napkin rings add fragrant greenery to plates. Don’t be afraid to include items such dried seed pods or flower heads, or other vegetation that catches your eye. The possibilities are limitless. There are no rules, just lots of fun to be had.
Hand forged copper spoons and artisan wares by Mandy Dexheimer of Amanda Blair Dexheimer Studio. Styling by Becky Cardenas of The Wilding Collective. Shoot Location at Linwood House at The Glen Venue.
Holiday ENTERTAINING
A Guide to Table Settings
Fear not, diners. Navigating through a formal table setting is easier than you think.
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