Savvy Solutions: How To Create Your Own Tablescape

 

Many people either just can’t visualize how to get creative with a tablescape or are just too intimidated to give it a shot.  I’m here to tell you it can be done, and it can be done quite simply….using things you may already have around your house.

Step 1:

You could go with the traditional and, in my opinion – sort of boring, floral for the center of the table or you can embellish and enhance it by continuing with these simples steps below.

Step 2:

Just adding a square tablecloth like this gives it some dimension (this is actually a beautiful, velvet-lined, beaded throw I purchased from Hobby Lobby half price)…….

Step 3:

Then adding some vases and candles gives it even more dimension (yes, these are vases I’ve turned into candleholders purchased originally at Hobby Lobby and HomeGoods for different purposes altogether.  I just decided to incorporate them here for a bit of drama in my dining room)…..

Step 4:

I found a matching candleholder at Hobby Lobby and added it to the mix.  Combining different pieces like this gives your table interest and dimension.  (Of course, this sort of thing is best displayed on a dining table that’s not frequently used, because it will have to be moved and/or rearranged when actually dining here.  But, for everyday it makes an attractive table display.)

A Look At Another Table:

Step 1:

This arrangement above looks “okay”, but insignificant by itself.

Step 2:

Adding the tray and other pieces gives it more interest, but…..

Step 3:

Adding a tablecloth or in this case another throw….(handmade by my friend, Barbie, for Christmas – thanks, Barbie!), adds still even more interest.  Lay it out flat like you see above and then gently scrunch to create folds.

Can you see the table taking on a new personality as I add pieces?  But, there’s more…..

Step 4:

Adding a trio of candlesticks adds even more interest….

See how adding several pieces that compliment each other creates a table with personality?  Just moving this throw to the table and incorporating these candleholders that I already had gives my table a much “savvier look”.  (What’s especially nice about this throw is that it’s reversible.  I flip it around depending on my mood!) 

And just one more:

I got so many compliments and questions on the “tea table” I decorated for the CCACL High Tea that I thought I’d do a little tutorial on how to create a similar look.  You can use the same basic principles using items from around your own home.

Step 1:

I always like to use a tablecloth underneath a topper.  If you don’t have one a large sheet will work just fine.  White is usually a good choice, but any color can be used depending on your color scheme.

Step 2:

To create different heights use stuff from around your house like this salad bowl.

Turn it upside down to create a surface for lifting.

Add different levels using what you have.  In this case I used plastic storage containers.  I know this looks weird now, but just wait!….

Step 3:

If you don’t have a tablecloth topper – as I said for the main tablecloth – using an inexpensive flat sheet works like a charm.  I’ve mentioned this on a couple of blogs and it really does work for a beautiful table.  Just turn under the decorative edge like the one you see above.

Step 4:

Check around your house to see what you might pull together to create “a look”.  I went around my house collecting things that I thought would work for an interesting, attractive table.  For this picture I grabbed this floral I have out on my patio (I used a different one for the actual tea).

Here I placed it on the upside down salad bowl to give it height and allow it to make more of a statement.

Next I added these teapots – the same ones I used for the tea.

Step 5:

I placed them on these silver cake platters.

I added the birdhouses from my patio.  This one and the one pictured above.

Step 6:

I placed one birdhouse on one of the plastic storage containers and the other one on the table.  I added this silver candelabra to the other plastic container.  See all the different levels here now?  It creates a lot more interest that just having everything the same level.

For a touch of charm and whimsy I grabbed this little nest with eggs that I always have on my patio….

Step 7:

And I tucked it in between the two birdhouse.

Next I grabbed some pearls.  You can use pearl necklaces from your closet!

Step 8:

And, just drape them throughout the display. 

Step 9:

Add the chargers of your choice.  They can be painted to match the theme or color scheme of your event. (I didn’t paint these, but I have painted others.)

Step 10:

Start to layer your place setting with a basic standard size dinner plate.

Step 11:

Then mix and match the dessert plates all around the table if you can or just use a dessert plate from a different place setting.  If you don’t have different dishes you can use them from the same set, of course, and it will still be pretty.  I got these dinner plates from Ross and the floral patterns from Royal Patrician, an English China vendor — mixing the expensive with the inexpensive.

Step 12:

  See the cute little silver tea pitcher and the creamer and sugar holders?  I got those as a set years ago from Big Lots for $5.00 a set!  They came with a silver platter to display them on.  Cheap, but charming!   Look what “elegance” they bring to the table!  I bought several sets to use for luncheons.

Decorating is like fashion….combining expensive pieces with less expensive pieces creates an end result that looks high end and fabulous.

I didn’t finish out the place settings all the way around my table, but you get the idea.

In case you missed it – here’s what the original table actually looked like at the High Tea:

See how simple it is?  Do you feel like it’s something you can do now?  Look around your house for “stuff”, get out some plastic containers for creating levels, maybe a sheet or two or a throw you have tucked somewhere for your tablecloths and see what you look you can come up with!  It doesn’t have to cost a fortune – or anything at all – when you use what you already have. 

Happy Decorating!!!