My love for creating perfectly set tables is deeply rooted and most likely heavily influenced by my moms enthusiasm for creating wonderful holiday tables over the years. This is in part what led me to work in the wedding industry, and of course my favourite part was designing tablescapes for my clients. This passion still runs deep now, even with that chapter closed in my life. A tablescape doesn’t have to be complicated or daunting to undertake. It also doesn’t have to be expensive, or require new items each holiday or season.
I always suggest that having a few key items in your cupboard for setting the table can make a huge difference. These key items can be switched out and used for each holiday and season. Then, all that is left is to add a few little holiday or season specific items.
Here’s my breakdown of the key items I suggest everyone have in their home to make setting the table a simple and easy process.
- Clear glass vases: can be used as a vase for flowers, or for a large pillar candle
- Neutral placemats or table cloth: keeping these neutral allows for them to be used for any holidays or season
- Candlesticks or candle holders: again neutral candle holders or sticks can be used anytime, you can simply switch out the colour of the candlesticks to make it more holiday appropriate
- Napkin rings: not a necessity, but having neutral napkin rings again allows them to be used for any and all holidays and seasons. I personally love having a few coloured or patterned linen napkins in my cupboards that can suit each season and I really find they complete the table.
These items give you a great foundation for your table. Then you can simply add in some holiday specific items to finish the look off.
For a fall table or for thanksgiving I would add the following to my table to make it perfect for the season:
- Orange, yellow or red taper candles
- Orange, yellow or red linen napkins placed on top of the plates
- Branches or natural live elements to add to your glass vase
- A few wood elements to add warmth – a wood serving bowl would be great