If you’re looking for an easy to way to decorate for the holidays, look no further than the tablescape, a table setting that adorns your dining room table. Recently, we hosted a social media contest that encouraged residents to decide their favorite tablescape styles. The results showed that 44 percent of residents chose a farmhouse style, 33 percent chose a traditional style, and 23 percent chose a modern style. We asked the Invitation Homes Design Expert Meghan Giddens to share her advice on designing tablescapes.
“Tablescapes are an easy way to add seasonal décor to your home without changing your home decor,” Meghan said. “It’s also easy to grow it each year. You can even add more items when they’re on sale after the season. Take a photo of your tablescape before you store it so you can add to it next year.”
Meghan helped design three tablescapes: one farmhouse, one modern, and one traditional style. She described farmhouse style as “lived-in style.”
A Lived-In Style
“We used a reclaimed wood candle piece as the foundation,” Meghan explained. “On the table runner, we wanted to use the stripes to create a clean line across the table. That added a contrast against our bold napkins. The pitcher with flowers is inspired by the natural look of a garden.”
Meghan encourages residents to use different levels while decorating a tablescape. The highest point can be tall candles or vases.
“You don’t want the center of your table to be too high because that distracts from conversations at the table,” Meghan said. “For fall, you can add candles in hurricanes or pumpkins on stacks of wood.”
A Familiar Table
For the traditional style, Meghan chose neutral placemats and lots of greenery. She describes traditional style as familiar but more formal.
“We layered the neutral placemat with a pop of orange to add dimension to the traditional style,” Meghan said. “We used branchy garland because it looks outdoorsy. You could use that for other holiday tablescapes too.”
An Elegant, Minimal Tablescape
For the modern tablescape, Meghan combined glam with minimalism. She used clear pumpkins with led lights and neutral colors.
“We had gold textured placemats to add an element of interest,” Meghan said. “We didn’t use a tablecloth because we wanted to keep it minimal. We had neutral colors that didn’t contrast too much.”
To create a welcoming dining room table, Meghan says to add name cards or hand-written dinner menus. Also, you can make your tablescape lease-friendly by adding battery-operated candles.
“If you use battery-operated candles, you can let them run all night,” Meghan said. “That’s a lease-friendly and safe way to decorate a tablescape.”
Most of all, Meghan says to make your tablescape reflect your personality. It serves as a conversational starter at the table.
“The table is where you gather and have conversation with your friends and family,” Meghan said. “Use your tablescape to be creative and reflect your favorite parts of the season.”