Christmas Decorating: Tablescapes and Chandeliers

While I'm working on this year's decorating, I started going through pictures from the past couple of years, and I thought you might like to see them, too.  It's always a challenge to reinvent what I have,  but here are a couple of examples of how I've given the same old thing new looks.

 First, my chandelier.  It's a very simple Pottery Barn one from seven years ago.  But its shape lends itself to some serious Christmas decorating...

The above was 2010, and I did a fairly natural thing with greens draping down.  For New Years the following week, I changed it to a snowy white theme, with snowflakes.  It's actually tough to get great images of a chandelier without all the background of the dining room, so I like close ups...

 In 2011, I went monochromatic and more glam to work with my drapes.  I love the gold glitter pine cones, which are finding their way to my tree this year...

 After Christmas that year, I redid my living room wallpaper, so the chandelier last year tied into the new found off whites in the room, and I kept it simple and airy...

 It's a tradition that I change the living room theme every year, and my girls love to see what I come up with.  The one constant, however, is that my snowflakes always hang from the chandelier, no matter what else I do...

 I have no idea what I'm doing in there this year.  I'm hoping inspiration strikes this weekend!  Now onto my table.  I have had my Macy's Christmas china for 20 years (hello, where did that time go), and every year I try to reinvent how I use that, too.  I have done a million tablescapes, but honestly, the images are all on my desktop and on past blogs, and it takes forever to get to them.  Soooo, I'm just going to show you a few shots from the past couple of years.

 The one above is one of my favorites.  I made the white "trees" in the pots by spraying some branches from the yard.  The original dark blue of the pots went gold, but then black in the following tablescape (reinvent, reinvent)!

 If you've been reading me lately, you've seen a few of this year's tablescapes here.  The shot below is one I was working on the other day...

 Well, my friends, I hope you had an amazing and heartfelt Thanksgiving, and I wish you nothing but peace and joy on this first "official" day of the Christmas season.  Happy decorating!!

Linking up to Common Ground.  Come be inspired!

In or Not, I Love Brown Rooms

  This Pinterest image stopped me in my tracks I was wandering through Christmas inspiration...

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Brown and ivory is on my list of favorites, always has been, before the brown trend, and still now after its demise.  It's just so dang warm , with a stay-a-while attitude.  If the room above were mine, I confess the stockings would be brown velvet with black trim and cream monograms.  The chairs, which I adore, would have black pillows instead of gold.  Maybe, just maybe, there would be a small, creamy faux-fur rug between those chairs for bare feet to warm up on by the fire.  And how about that mirror?  Hello, it's warm and gorgeous and natural feeling like all of those browns...

Here's a ceramics pattern by Juliska I have been coveting, I confess, that in my mind would be on the dining table in the adjacent room.  With lots of red berries and pinecones on the table, too.

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 Wouldn't that be spectacular on a worn, warm brown dining table?

So that's my bit of dreaming for this Sunday evening as I plan the week ahead.  I hope your days before Thanksgiving this week are filled with calm and time for grateful reflection.  Stay sane, peeps!

Christmas in the Country

 In my parallel universe life, I am a country girl.  I love open spaces, barns, fences along rolling fields, horses, cows, and on and on.   I got lost in Pinterest last night (and who hasn't done that), and started imagining having Christmas in the country because of the images I was finding.

So, here are the places and scenes I would like to find myself in, as if plopped into that parallel life, seeing these images in person, feeling the cold and the snow and the magic they evoke...

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I imagine leaving my country house, above, and hearing the whoosh and crunch of the snow under the weight of our sleigh, past my fence to my friends in the home below...

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This is the enchanted magic we would see on our ride...

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 And after a fireside visit and a hot cider to sooth the chill, we would see this on our journey back.

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 So there you have the other side of me, the side that leans to the country in another life, or maybe in the retirement of this one ;-)  In the meantime, my spirit is headed into winter here in the countrified burbs. 

Hope you have a dreamy weekend!

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A Black, White and Red Christmas Tablescape and a Great Tip

 

Today, I'm showing you how I changed my black, white and green tablescape to red.  In yesterday's post, the black and white table runner set the tone for a traditional-modern table setting. In this red setting, I took away the bright green and added more tradition while keeping the look fresh.

Here's the table in red...

I took away the white table cloth and changed out the chargers from green to gold.  Then I added red napkins instead of white, layering them between the charger and the dinner plate for drama on the plate.

The square white plates from Home Goods add a touch of modern, I think, and set off the traditional salad plates I've had for 20 years. 

I bought the red berry sprigs at a nursery last year, and kept them for just the right occasion (true confession: I am an anything- Christmas hoarder.)   I added them to the plate for additional color and interest, and tied them with an organza ribbon to bring the black onto the plate as well.  If you go back to the first image above, you'll see I did the same thing with a thicker grosgrain ribbon in the green setting.

So here's the Tip: using a dramatic table runner or tablecloth can help you create a beautiful, interesting table without adding a lot of fancy dishes and decorations.  So, if your budget or is tight or your decorations are scarce, go for impact with linens that you can use on other occasions.   This table runner can be found here.

I hope you feel inspired!  I'm off to figure out my next table to show you, and start planning what I'm bringing to Thanksgiving next week!

Have a great day.

Join me over at French Country Cottage for some great inspiration in Feathered Nest Friday!

For help creating a home or a table you love, contact me at CarolBeckInteriors.com

Black, White and Green Christmas Tablescape

Over at 6 Wilson today...

 

 

 

I hope you'll join me!!

 

Carol

How To Do A Green, Black and White Christmas Tablescape

Green, white and black are big in Christmas decorating this year.  I'm not much of a trend follower, but I do love this one because these colors are long-time favorites of mine.  (I've had various shades of green in my home for years.)

I'll just say up front that none of these images show the true green of this tablescape. Argghhh!  I know that photographing green correctly requires a filter, so, not having one, I'll have to ask you to imagine these greens as lovely and limey, not quite so acidic as they appear here!

Anywho, this tablescape was completely inspired not only by the colors I wanted to use, but this black and white modern-traditional table runner I'm using.  (You can find it here.)  Let's take look, shall we?

I started with napkins and a tablecloth I already had, along with the brass napkin rings I've had since I graduated college. (Quality lasts, I gotta say...)  I added in some polka dot ribbon and layered on the black and white damask runner. 

I ran a thick coordinating satin ribbon down the center of the runner to layer in more color and interest. 

When you use a bold pattern like this damask, the other layers on the table need to play supporting roles, complimenting the pattern but not competing with it. 

While I do love to layer a tablescape along the the center of the table, the modern-traditional feel of these colors and patterns made me feel more inclined to keep it simple, using just candles...

To make sure there was enough Christmas in the mix, I added soft pine branches from the trees in my yard at each place setting.  This added both texture and the slightest scent.

Using things that are meaningful are always a part of entertaining for me.  Take the silverware, for example.  I have a whole mess of unmatched silverplate from my grandmother, who collected pieces as she found them because she never had a full set of silver.  Worn and tired as they are decades later, I still use them to remind me of her.  (See the lovely worn spots below?  I call it "love patina.")

So that wraps it up for this black white and green table.  Tomorrow I will show you how I mixed it up at bit and highlighted red instead. 

And, if you're wondering where the green chargers came from (again, prettier in person, just impossible to photograph), I couldn't find any in the color I wanted, so yes, I spray painted (!) my old gold ones...

What is it they say about necessity?

I hope you are inspired to create a simple, beautiful table of your own, no matter the color or the season.  I think it's one of the best ways to show your love for the people you share your meals with.

Happy table setting...

 

The white plates are from Homegoods this year.

The green ribbon and ornaments are from Michaels.

The table runner is available here in 6 Wilson on Etsy for $40.

My Christmas Living Room Phase I

Hi all!  Christmas decorating is coming early to my house this year, and I'm talking about it over at
6 Wilson.  Come see how things look so far...

Running two businesses and blogging both gets a bit much, so thank you for reading and for clicking over some times.  I appreciate it more than you know!

Carol

6 Wilson's Christmas Living Room Phase 1

  I know it's early, I know.  But I couldn't wait to get started on my living room, and I hope it might inspire you to get going, even if it's just to plan the magic you will create in your own space this holiday season.

A few weeks back, I hung the new drapes I had done this summer, and painted, too.  As soon as it started coming together, I knew I wanted a monochromatic scheme for Christmas this year.  Well, until the family tree goes up, that is.  My teenagers love tradition, so a tree to coordinate completely is out.  Hence, my living room, Phase 1, just for me.  And hopefully, as a bit of inspiration for you.

So, here we go...

The tree will go where the black chest is, and that will take residence in the dining room, but for now, it holds my decorations.

The blue greens are a nod to the color of the drapes in my adjacent dining room, and the blue of my living room ceiling.

The coffee table is pretty simple, to leave space for drinks and nibbles in the coming weeks.

Holiday decoration doesn't need to be complicated.  A few old gold beaded strands from years past, pine cones I've collected over the past few seasons, and candles are really all it takes to set a mood.

I made a point to coordinate the large wreath over the sofa with the room and the pillows below it.  I think this kind of attention to detail makes a difference, don't you?

 

 



The smaller wreaths on the single windows are much more simple, with only the pearl beads and pine cones.  Since the tree will eventually stand between those windows, I didn't want a lot of completion going on. 

 

 

 

See what I mean...

I hope you've enjoyed my little tour.  I will be back to show more as things progress to Phase 2 (the tree) and beyond.  Christmas is my most favorite time of the year for so many reasons.  I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.

 

If you need holiday decorating help, contact me over at Carol Beck Interiors

if you are local to Massachusetts.  I still have one slot open.