DRESS IT UP!

One of our nation’s most beloved holiday celebrations takes place this month – THANKSGIVING.  Just the thought brings a smile to me – wonderful food, warm colors, gathering with family and friends.

If you’ll be hosting the celebration, start early on decor for your front door, foyer entry and tabletop or buffet.  Set aside a little creative time each week and by the 24th your house will be ready to receive your guests in style.

“WELCOME”

Your front entry can be simple, countrified or elegant.  Simple?  Add a couple of potted ornamental cabbage or kale plants, along with a handmade paper vertical WELCOME banner on your front door.  Countrified?  An arrangement of corn stalks, a large pumpkin, several artful squashes or gourds, a hale bale draped with a quilt.  Elegant?  A beautiful handcrafted wreath or a purchased wreath that you add your flourish to with beautiful ribbon, pheasant or peacock feathers, and a sprits of gold spray paint.  Hang your wreath from the same decorative ribbon (wide ribbon is best) or a metal door hanger.

FOYER ENTRY

Candles or a potpourri pot (even cinnamon simmering on the stovetop) create an instant welcome.  Fragrance used sparingly is an unseen home accessory that can be delightful in setting mood.  An arrangement of similar or varied candlesticks at different heights is visually interesting.  Add a seasonal area rug or runner.  Add a temporary coat rack or hooks for guests to easily find their things when leaving.  Fresh flowers or an arrangement of gourds displayed on a silver tray communicate the warmth of the season.

TABLETOP AND BUFFET

Endless options!  Make your traditional table decor fresh by using repeated pops of color.  Think clusters of red carnations inside small vases at each table setting.  Combine this with a solid orange or brown tablecloth.  Whether your dinnerware and serveware are white, green, gold or cream, this combination will create new ideas for you to explore.

To invoke the vineyard harvest theme, pair hues of plum, pomegranate and grape with orange, gold, bright yellow, crimson, cranberry and sage or lime green.  With a solid cream or white dinner ware, this scheme will bring a few “ooh-la-las”.   The colors can come from linens, flowers, vegetables and fruits, candles and serveware.

A truly honoring and heartwarming centerpiece can be fashioned from a collection of vintage family photographs.  The stories and memories they evoke will add a depth of “heart” to your celebration.

Serving buffet style is terrific for large groups.  Stack your decor so that it’s on several levels above the trays and bowls of food.  Also, elevate a few of the serving dishes by placing a round or rectangular baking dish under large napkins or a single cloth that covers the entire buffet length.  A single large floral display is especially lovely for buffet service.  If this isn’t your style, consider a more contemporary take and place individual floral stems in repeating vases or skinny glassware down the center or at the back of the service area.

GLAD YOU ARE HERE!

When place settings are individualized, they make a truly memorable and welcoming  environment for your guests.  Write a ‘thank you’ statement to each one and place it at their plate.  Hang appreciation notes for each guest to open on a bare branch tree.  Make note cards available for guests to write their expression of thanks (anonymous or signed), hang them on a string/banner/tree and then read them at the dinner table.

Don’t forget to have fun!  You can download jokes from the internet, copy and print them onto place cards and let your guests read them.  The laughter will make them forget that you burned their favorite dinner rolls!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  I hope your celebration will be warm, wonderful and beautiful.

Cheryl von Tress is a Certified Interior Decorator and custom designer of furniture, cabinetry, garden sculptures and more.  www.cvtdesign.vpweb.com 541.899.2824