“To the artist there is never anything ugly in nature.” August Rodin

I was once again reminded of how much the topic of design is percolating in my brain at all times while on a hike with my husband. We were visiting the Oregon coast and stopped in the coastal town of Cannon Beach, most notably famous for being the setting of the movie, Goonies. There was a 3 mile hike that was through a densely filled forest with lots vegetation and honestly everywhere I looked, all I could think about was wallpaper…

Where do designers get their inspiration? If you ask, a very common answer is “nature”. And it couldn’t be more true. If you open your eyes to the colors of the nature around you, there can be tremendous inspiration for color palettes, textures and shapes. I saw a bundle of white birches with low lying green plantings and pinecones and thought; there is a color palatte, shades of grey, white, browns and pops of green! A lot of product design can thank nature too and that is where the wallpaper comes in..

My first sighting was of ferns. They were the ground cover for most of the 3 miles, obviously loving their lush partially sunny environment.

This gorgeous Farrow and Ball wallpaper immediately came to mind! Available in a myriad of colors, this is a fern shape stylized. I have yet to use it in an interior but a dying too.

Another low lying lover..

Interior designer, Katie Ridder, has a lovely line of wallcoverings that is reminiscent.

On our way back down the mountain, we came into a forest that might as well have been the inspiration for this wallcovering below..

There was a whole bed of these pretty flowering species.

The yellow background of this wallcovering gives the flowery imagery a different feel.

My advice?

If you have a vacant room with white empty walls staring back at you, you might easily raise the question, where do I start!!? Take a walk! Keep your eyes open to the colors and textures and I bet you will come back with design engines firing..

all wallcoverings shown available for purchase through Lovejoy Designs.

“Looking for antiques is what we love. Most anytime that we’re traveling, the car seems to find where there’s an antique shop.

A perfect Saturday afternoon for me consists of rummaging through antique stores and flea markets. I can get lost for hours in all the items that were once a cherished piece for someone else. Items with a history have always intrigued me. I was recently up in Peterborough NH visiting my in-laws where I visited the antique store filled with collectibles of every sort. They had a vast inventory of french linens, gorgeous iron and zinc garden ornaments and vintage crystal doorknobs to name a few.

I wandered into a corner of the store where I found an old apothecary cabinet filled with, for lack of a better word, Tchotchke. There were old postcards, coins,train ticket stubs, Danish bicycle tags, even old eyeglass lenses! This was a treasure trove of history that needed to have it’s place in the sun! So, I picked up a couple and decided to frame them in shadowboxes for some 3 dimensional art installations that you all can replicate at home.

Don’t we all have that box or closet of stuff that we have collected on vacations, dinner’s out, school and beyond that we save for, well just to save? Why not turn that stuff into something? Anything can be turned into 3 dimensional art. How about board game pieces or matchbooks or keys? What about airplane wing pins kids used to get when flying? Or how about a napkin from a favorite bar or restuarant? I bought a couple eye glass lenses, some old domino pieces and some really cool Danish bike tags.

Follow these steps to make your shadowbox art.

1. Buy a cool shadowbox frame.

I bought mine at Target for the cool price of $9.99!

2. Assemble your supplies

1 shadowbox frame

Note on Shadowbox: I brought my frame to a glass supplier and had him cut a piece of glass to fit as the back panel. I liked the transparency of seeing through the glass to the wall that the piece can be hung on. But you can easily use the backing that comes with the frame.

Glue Dots

Ruler

Pencil

Stickers (to mark center points)

Pliers

3. Measuring for placement.

Find the center point on the back panel the items will be adhered too. My glass was a 10″ square, so 5″ was the center point. I had 3 items to place on the glass so I placed the other 2 equal distance apart on either side of the center item.

4. Adhering the items to the glass.

Before placing the items, apply some sticky dots to the item. I used a adhesive called Glue Dots. You can purchase them at most craft stores or online at website

5. Placing other items.

Once all your items have glue dots on them, simply place them equal distance from the center point.

6. Putting your frame back together

Now that your items are placed, turn the back panel over and place it in wooden frame. On all frames, there are metal pieces on the back that are needed to keep the back from falling out. Because I used glass as my back panel, I didn’t want to see the metal pieces from the front so I took some jeweler’s pliers and bent each one back and curled the end in.

Head out to an antique store or your closet of collectables and see what tchotchke you might find and turn it into art!

“I’m the oldest antique in town.” Norman Rockwell

Though there are moments when plain white walls might seem a relief, those moments are rare, and should be discouraged!
Roger Banks-Pye, Colefax and Fowler Interior Inspirations

There is a restaurant in New York City that I absolutely adore. Behind the glamorous doors of Bergdorf Goodman is a space that remains timeless in it’s design and sophistication. Interior designer Kelly Wearstler, has created a drawing room like atmosphere that is bright and airy.

She has laid the entire room in hand painted robin’s egg blue silk wall coverings. They are skillfully painted with birds and vines and wonderful garden trees. The furnishings are painted white and upholstered in apple green and mustard yellow. Amongst the white tableclothed tables are antiqued mirrored chests mixed with brass lighting fixtures. The result is a relaxing blend of textures and color.

So, how can you achieve this look in your own house? Read on..

The “wow” of the restaurant are the walls. But, while doing an entire room in hand painted silk wallcoverings is beyond gorgeous, it can also be beyond budget friendly. One way to achieve the same look is to buy a couple wallpaper panels, frame them and hang them on the wall next to each other. I bought a couple that are 8′ tall by 36″ wide and have placed them on the walls in my office. They have such a dramatic effect and make the space feel taller and more dramatic.

Take a look at these stunners. These ready framed Chinnoserie images are hand painted on canvas and look wonderful on any wall and are available for purchase through Lovejoy Designs.

Here is how some others have used this fun design idea for their homes.

When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. ~Chinese Proverb

I love the Garden Department at Home Depot. I have made many a trip to this superstore in search of a houseplant to bring an element of nature into our house. I have also regretfully had to toss many plants in the trash can when my “black Thumb’ gets the better of me…

That’s why I have always been interested in Terrariums, these glassed-in environments that literally thrive on very little babysitting and do well indoors because of their need for high humidity.

Once the plants are placed in a glass container, a mini climate is born. The plants emit moisture that condenses on the glass sides and makes it’s way back down into the soil. This self-watering mechanism allows the terrarium to go for extended periods with little watering.

So the next time, you are considering buying a plant and then reconsider because of you have deemed yourself “plant challenged” (you are not alone!), make a Terrarium!

Here is a 3 things to do before you being to assemble your Terrarium…

1. Choose a container.

Terrariums can be made from anything but most are made in glass containers. Have an old fishbowl? A mayonnaise jar can even work. I saw a terrarium made from a Rum bottle! I picked mine up at Crate and Barrel. You can purchase it here ,

2. Choose your Plants.

Plants that love Terrarium living are ones that are compact and slow growing. When choosing plants, consider one’s that will not crowd each other because ideally you do not want your plants to touch the sides of the glass. I chose a plant called “Baby’s Tears” which I bought at Mahoney’s Garden Center in Brighton MA.

Don’t make something unless it is necessary
and useful; but if it is necessary and useful,
don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.”

-Design House Stockholm

Behind the high rises of the Boston cityscape lies a wonderful array of old mill buildings, piano factories and warehouses where many talented artists, designers and the like flourish and create.

One such person is Seema Krish, a textile designer who spent her childhood around the bright colors, elaborate patterns and textures of her homeland of India. A little over 15 years ago, she came to the United States to study her passion at The Fashion Institute of Technology.

She went on to work at numerous top textile companies such as Robert Allen, Nuno and Aid to Artisans. She continued to hone her craft by founding Azure, a design and weave studio in Bangalore, India. Seema sold her beautiful textiles to the likes of Calvin Klein, famed textile designer Jack Lenor Larson and Donghia.

In 2009, she founded Seema Krish Collection, a fabric line dedicated to representing her unique Indian heritage by using traditional textile production techniques to create fabrics that have a modern aesthetic. She works with a small group of artisans who create her goods in Bangalore, India.
I visited her studio in Boston’s South End.

PLR: Your line of bedding and pillows is so gorgeous. They have such a wonderful hand crafted quality, can you share the process of how they are made?

SK: To make a yard of fabric or a standard sham pillow cover, that piece of fabric is touched by up to 8 artisans all performing different techniques. First, the fabric gets hand woven on looms. A block maker then builds the wood blocks from the designs. Then the designs get block printed onto the fabric followed by 2-3 people embroidering. There is the trim maker and finally the fabrics last stop is at the sewing machine where it is made into a pillow sham, duvet or other form of bedding!

PLR: Tell us about your color palette. Your combinations of colors are unexpected and fresh.

SK: I find an endless source of inspiration in Nature. The balance of color is also important. Mixing strong bold colors like magenta pink with an equally strong counterpart like orange makes for a complementary pairing. I am also exploring metallic tones like gold, pewter and silver to blend with the color palette

PLR: Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

One of the main resources I draw on to come up with design is from my childhood. Growing up in Bombay, I was immersed in various cultural landscapes that have provided endless inspiration for the shapes and textures you see in my fabrics. My first collection is named’ Bombay Bliss’ and the patterns are named after streets in Bombay.

PLR: There has been a great emphasis on making products that are less harmful to the environment by using sustainable products such as Bamboo. How do you practice this in textile design?

SK: The collection is produced with low impact dyes and recycled water that is filtered through Canna plant root systems.

PLR: What is next for Seema Krish Collections? How can we all get our hands on your gorgeous designs?

SK: Seema Krish Collection will be featured in Barney’s NY, Chicago and LA this spring in their home department, Chelsea Passage. All of the gorgeous pillows and shams will be available to purchase. Koo de Kir and Lekker in Boston and to the trade.

PLR: Other than checking out the collection at Barney’s, how may people get in contact with you to purchase?

For purchasing and pricing information, please visit, www.seemakrish.com

“Here’s to love – the only fire for which there is no insurance.”

Unknown

By the middle of February, we have all had just about enough of the cold dreary days of winter. We fantasize about jumping on the next plane to the tropics where the most “layering” consists of wrapping a sarong around ourselves to make the trek to the beach. I’ll confess- I’ve surfed many travel sites looking for the best rate to anywhere tropical once or twice in the past month!

But even if you can’t escape to the surf and sand, the winter doldrums do not have to win! Something good does happen in the lovely month of February: Valentine’s Day! During one of the greyest months, there is this one day that is filled with red roses, decadent chocolate treats and the opportunity to treat your loved one to a celebration.

What better way to celebrate than with a handmade dessert from scratch?! Lovejoy Designs teamed up with Heather Tirrell, pastry chef at The Hungry Mother in Cambridge to come up with a dessert that any of us can whip up. Heather makes the most amazing desserts that she features both at the restaurant and on her blog: www.heathertirrell.com

Heather believes that food should be accessible. Creating a meal should not be a daunting task; it should be a catalyst for creating memories. Whether it is a dish made with someone in mind or a treat for a special occasion like Valentine’s Day, food should evoke feelings of comfort and good times. Peter and I can attest to her talent and remember fondly the night we tried her Bourbon flavored Vanilla Ice Cream. What a crowd pleaser that was.

The rules for this Valentine’s treat were simple. First, every ingredient must be found at your local grocery store. Second, it could be made in under a half hour. Heather came up with this most pleasing Pudding Au Chocolat. It is rich in flavor, and truly easy to assemble. Try it for yourself:

Pudding Aux Chocolat

Adapted from the Joy of Cooking, and simplified from the current offering on Hungry Mother menu.

3/4 cup half and half
1 cup chocolate milk (whole fat)
3-3.5 oz bittersweet chocolate broken into pieces (most chocolate bars are about 5 oz. try to find a good quality extra dark chocolate, one that is labeled 50%)
Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup chocolate milk

½ teaspoon of vanilla
Your Choice –
1 teaspoon grand marnier
2 teaspoons rum, bourbon, kailua or amaretto

Have a container ready, preferably a bowl (larger then a cereal bowl).
Mix cornstarch with ¼ cup chocolate milk in a cup or small bowl till smooth.
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a pot and put on the stove over medium heat.
While this warms, stir gently. Chocolate will begin to melt and mixture will look speckled. Continue heating till all melted.

While stirring, pour in the cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring and when the mixture starts to thicken slightly turn heat down to med – low. Continue stirring continuously till mixture thickens, about 5-8 minutes. When lifted on the spoon and drizzled it will leave droplets. It will look thinner then cold pudding, don’t worry it will set up in the fridge. Remove from heat and stir in flavoring. Pour into container, place plastic wrap over the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for an hour and a half before serving.

To serve, spoon into glass, martini, stem less wine, glass tumbler or coffee mug all work well. Top with whipped cream.

And don’t forget a touch of décor my aesthetic-admiring readers! Here are some simple design ideas that will complete the Valentine’s celebration.

While at the grocery store, pick up two-dozen red roses, Hot Tamales Candy and Red Sprinkles. We will get to the candy and sprinkles later. The roses going to be used in two different ways. Take a couple of the stems and pull the petals off the stems. Scatter the petals around all the plates, bowls and dishes of food.

With the remainder of the roses, you can make a simple arrangement. Find a round glass container and place the roses in it. If possible, bring your container to the grocery store with you to ensure that you buy enough roses to completely fill the vessel. Arrangements that are comprised of all the same flower look wonderful when the bunch is grouped tightly together. Having too few roses can make the arrangement look sparse. But no worries, if you get home and don’t have enough roses, just find a smaller container. Don’t have a small vase? Try a tall rocks or juice glass. Once you place the roses in the container, take a couple boxes of Hot Tamales and fill the container to surround the rose stems. Put enough Hot Tamales in to really pack those roses tightly!

With the sprinkles, place them in a small votive or juice glass and place a tea light candle in it. When you are ready to serve, light the candle to create a nice cozy ambiance.

So Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! Pull out that mixing bowl and buy those red roses and make a night of it! We’ve all heard the naysayer’s vilification of Valentine’s Day: It’s a made-up holiday making Hallmark rich. Well, I say forget all that! Enjoy it. During these cold winter months, we all could use a little love and pampering.

A young woman was taking an afternoon nap. After she woke up, she told her husband, “I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine’s Day. What do you think it means?”

“You’ll know tonight,” he said.

That evening, the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it–only to find a book entitled “The meaning of dreams”

“.. our objects, bibelots, whatnots, and knickknacks-
say the most about who we are.
They are as honest as a diary.


Charlotte Moss, A Passion for Details

Libraries and the bookshelves that organize them are like windows into people’s souls. Have you ever wandered into someone’s personal library and taken a look? The collections people own often speak volumes about their interests, desires and tastes. Take this snapshot for instance, my father adores his library. If you wander into his wood paneled reading room, you would find medical textbooks from his residency days to historical biographies written about his medical mentors he has grown to admire. You would find yearbooks from his high school and college days and you would find book after book on various historical moments in American history. Interspersed amongst his treasured volumes, he has scattered small mementos like a silver trophy from his division winning Squash team during his sophomore year in college and framed pictures of the family.

I often hear from clients that they love their books but don’t know how to arrange them. They often comment on how disorganized their bookshelves look. Visual chaos! So here are a couple tricks that I like to do to make my and my client’s bookshelves look visually calming and appealing.

First, take off the book covers! Have you ever looked under that cover? Usually the bindings are a nice color that when grouped together with like colors, create a nice rainbow of tones. If you have a lot of paperbacks, arrange them according to color as well. Let’s call it “color blocking.”

Second, consider the weight of color. Black or dark grey or brown are “heavier” weighted colors. Think about arranging your bookshelves from darkest to lightest going from bottom of the bookshelf to the top.

Finally, accessorize! Shelf after shelf of books can look monotonous. Break up that monotony with a framed picture or a sculpture you picked up in your travels. I added a small Buddha figurine on a shelf below from a trip my husband Peter took to Thailand to add a personal memento.

Like my father, I have the beginnings of an ever-expanding library of books. Most of mine are Interior Design books that I have gathered over the years. I have an early edition reference book on American Textiles to a more current title written by the design great Bunny Williams. I have a lovely Distressed Black Storage Unit that houses these beautifully.

How did I arrange my bookshelves to illustrate these pointers? Here is a step-by-step guide:

Shed those book covers! I started by taking off all the book covers and putting them into piles by color. Once the “color blocking” was complete, I placed the darkest books on the bottom shelf arranging them also by size, widest book at the bottom of each pile.

Colorblock!

On the next shelf, I continued color blocking. I put the darkest color at the far left hand side of the shelf, the lighter ones to the right. Think about placement of the books; place some vertically and some horizontally. For example, I lay two books flat across the shelf that act like bookends on one side. On them, I placed a decoupage round plate to add visual interest.

Accessorize!

On the third shelf, I used another decoupage plate and another pile of books. Keep in mind the balance of each shelf to one another. If you have one shelf that is filled with books and then the next shelf with just one accessory, the bookshelves will look like awkward. The decoupage plate on the third shelf is not the shape of any book, but has a weight to it that balances with the second shelf.

You can store more than just books!

On the top shelf, I placed two green rattan boxes. These are great storage pieces (for my endless collection of scarves) and a nice strong block of color. I placed two sterling candlesticks flanking the boxes to add symmetry and replicate the two stacks of books on the first shelf.

And don’t forget the top of the cabinet! I used a stone Buddha head that sits majestically to add height and whimsy to the bookcase. You may have a treasure from your travels or maybe a tall vase or bowl that would be better out of reach from little (or big) hands and would look lovely from a distance.

For many of us, our library consists of many types of books. History. Non-Fiction. English Literature. The list goes on. This organizational tool can be applied to all your categories of books. Before organizing your books by color, put them into categories by subject and determine where you would like to place these books. A bookshelf in your study? A cabinet in your den? From there, apply the steps above.

Your books say a lot about you and your interests. They reveal to your friends and family not only what you like to read, but also what you like to learn about, your travels and hobbies. With some thought of placement and use of accessories, your bookshelves will look less like a hodge-podge and more like a well-organized and visually interesting design component of your home.

To add a library to a house is to
give that house a soul.
-Cicero

“We’re all collectors by nature”

Albert Hadley

Does your mantle need a makeover?!

Mantles are so often the focal point of a room. They are a great place to showcase some of your favorite things. Like Albert Hadley says, we are all collectors of something. You don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of items to put on the mantel, most goods can be found in your own home. In fact, anything can turn into “art” when it is spotlighted in the right way.

If that long piece of wood, marble or granite is begging for good company, here are three easy ways to give you some direction

Mantle Design Idea #1:

BALANCE, BALANCE, BALANCE

In this holiday design, balance and variety work together. No two items are alike, yet the mantle doesn’t feel like a mish mash of random pieces. This is because the items are balanced through the use of color, placement and texture.

Color! Using similar colors or a monochromatic palette is one way to connect a variety of items to one another. I wanted to experiment with a holiday color scheme that was not red and green. The colors here, silver, bronze, and light brown blend well together. They do not compete for attention; rather sit together harmoniously.

And placement! Think of placing your items as if they were sitting on a pendulum. You want each side to “weigh” the same. If one side has more items on it, it might feel unbalanced. I distributed roughly the same number of items on either side of the mantle all different shapes and sizes keeping in mind that the heights were similar on both sides.

And finally texture! When using a monochromatic color palette, texture gives these like colors life. Here I used glass, pearl, mineral rock, Mercury glass and silver Hershey kisses foil. One texture I love here are the Selenite crystals. These minerals exude a pearly luster that almost appears to glow.

Mantle Design Idea #2:

SYMMETRY

Great things come in pairs! Do you have a pair of candlesticks or flowerpots? By simply placing them on either end of the mantle, you have the beginnings of a really quick mantle design. One of the easiest ways to achieve a beautiful mantle is through the use of symmetry.

Below, I had some old iron urns that I put on either end of the mantle. I wanted to continue the theme of pairs so I found some brilliant red lacquer candlesticks that were the perfect height to place next. I wanted to have the heights of each item go from tallest to shortest leading into the center of the mantle. Two bright yellow ginger jars from the kitchen were a great complement for my height requirements. Finally, I had 2 small decoupage plates that I put on either side. This brought in some pattern and a different shape to the vignette.

Symmetry has a calming effect on the eye. Mirroring the same small groupings on either side of your mantle will achieve a pleasing and uniform result.

Mantle Design Idea #3:

FOCAL POINT

One of the most common ways people start in the decoration of their mantles is with a painting. Having a piece of art centered above the mantle gives the room a focal point. But Wall décor does not have to just be comprised of 1 dimensional paintings, illustrations or drawings.

A focal point can be accomplished with many creative items. Perhaps you have an antique textile or quilt that deserves a proper place, I was given this lovely feather headdress from Camaroon that was just begging to be front and center. Its multi-dimensional quality gives the wall a punch of color and attitude. I placed some decoupage plates, yellow jugs and plantings on the mantle to introduce color and repeat the shape. A focal point is important in any room. Take an inventory of your home, you never know what you might find that can become a lovely centerpiece for your mantle.

So have a go at it! Take a walk around your house and have a look at items you already own that could dress up you mantle. If you feel there are holes in your inventory, there are some great home accessories stores like Home Goods and Ikea that offer great design at reasonable prices.

Your mantle is valuable real estate in the design of your home because of its usually very prominent presence. Take into account what you want the mantle to say about you. Display items that mean something or evoke a memory. If you allow your taste and desires to lead the way and follow one of these concepts, balance, symmetry or focal point, you will really add a wonderful visual punch to your home.

“Be faithful to your own taste
because nothing you really like is ever out of style.”

Billy Baldwin

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
~Author Unknown

My mother loves the holidays. She especially loves that fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving is her time to shine in the kitchen. One month before the big day, she begins to compile the “feast”. With cookbooks strewn across the kitchen counter, the race begins to find a recipe for creamed onions that is better than last year’s.

A fond memory of Thanksgiving is after the menu has been designed; off to the grocery store we go. Up and down the aisles with our list in hand, we would search for the ripest squash and the most plump turkey. The produce aisles were always a favorite. All those vegetables and herbs would make the house smell like Thanksgiving.

With our grocery cart full, we would head back home and make our wonderfully delectable treats. Belt buckles would loosen and we would forget about that no carb, low-fat, gluten free diet and consume wonderfully made turkey, candied sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie!

With the holidays fast approaching, many of us will welcome family and friends into our homes. For the first installment of the Design Lab, I wanted to create some festive design ideas for our homes. I realized my grocery shopping memories were a great mecca for design and decoration! So, here is a quick, easy and affordable idea for dressing up a dining table…with food!

When approaching this table design concept, my biggest concern was that the elements used in the decoration were easy to find and adapt to your tables, but were not your run of the mill pumpkins and gourds. I also wanted to make sure that you did not have to spend last week’s salary on something that would be appreciated for all of a couple hours or ‘till the last creamed onion was consumed.

With many wonderful fruits and vegetables in season right now, I thought a farmer’s market was a great place to start. Most of the items I found are likely available at the supermarket down the road. I visited Wilson Farms in Lexington MA for my supplies. This wonderful family-run emporium of products has been around since 1884 and is a two-time Best of Boston winner. Most of the products are locally grown and represent the finest quality foods at prices that won’t break the bank.

Here is a list of the items bought and used:

Ingredients for your table-

• Mustard Greens
• Persimmon
• Collard Greens
• Chestnuts
• Tuscan Kale
• Crab Apples
• Kale
• Asian Eggplant
• Fava Beans
• Manzanita Branches

I chose these items for their color and their complimentary shapes to one another. I loved how the red mustard green leaves were large and floppy which made them hang well over the lip of a vase. I loved the pure red color of the crab apples against a silver colored pewter dish. I also loved that to purchase all these items, it cost under $30.00! A bargain when you consider what a flower arrangement can cost from a local flower shop.

After collecting you autumn bounty, the next step is to choose how to arrange and display the wonderful colors and textures of these items. Also pull out your plates, glasses, flatware and linens and begin to piece together what will be used.

Start with your vessels. Pull out a variety of glasses all varying heights and scatter them along the table. I used a smattering of water goblets, white wine glasses, vases and pewter trays and boxes. Mixing different heights and sizes of the pieces will create visual interest, so place a short goblet next to a taller vase, or a small tray next to a taller glass. Once you have a nice arrangement (leaving room for the platters of food!) play with the vegetables and see what looks best in the various vessels. I liked the way the Red Mustard greens draped over a stemmed goblet and found that the chestnuts fit perfectly stacked in a pewter box.

Many of these containers and accessories I used were selected from the ever inspiring home accessories shop in Weston MA called Trove which is a wonderful place for unique and signature items. And I mixed it up with my own pieces. Do you have old china or interesting pieces passed down from generations past that are gathering dust in the closet? I used my basic white basket weave edged everyday dishware and paired them with bone handled flatware

One important consideration is to keep the colors of your table similar. This keeps it visually consistent to the eye. Look at your plates and dishes and stay with that color for your linens. Here we used shades of brown and green. We threw in some bursts of red vegetables as accent color.

Lighting is a great way to set the ambiance. We used 4” votives here and scattered 5 of them intermittently throughout the table. The light gave the vegetables a nice glow and enhanced the color of the persimmon and chestnuts. A tall glass cylinder has millions of uses. We lined this one with Mustard greens to camouflage the bottom of the Manzanita branches. The branches were bought at a local craft store but there are plenty of branches probably outside your home that can be clipped off and used instead.

Finally, a dining room usually has more than 1 surface to decorate. This dining room had a beautiful buffet table situated at one wall of the room. We placed some italian eggplants in a gorgeous silver compote and lined it with red mustard greens to add another focal point.

Thanksgiving is a great time to showcase your table and home to family and friends. A time to dine and get festive. So put the “party shoes” on that table and treat your guests to a festive and creative table that will get them in the spirit!