Happy Thanksgiving! This may be the year you have time to experiment with your table! You may be showing it off to others via Zoom! It still brings a sense of normalcy to go through our usual routines. As this table can be up for two weeks, the orange grape vine pumpkin takes the center location (It’s easy to see over as well.) with individual vases of flowers, my grandmother’s china, new napkins from Williams Sonoma and turkeys from See’s Candies. We are at least ready for the dessert course and will enjoy the table whether we eat there or not!
A Lamp As a Piece of Art
Add a new dimension to your boring area with a single lamp! These lamps will give the entire space a special glow. Fizi Table Lamp by Articolo Lighting, WaWa F by Catellani + Smith or Etch Web Pendant by Tom Dixon. And you can move a lamp from one special location to another! For example, as the days grow shorter, your interior space needs to adjust for longer evenings. Or bring these works of art out for festive occasions. You could also surprise your house guests with an addition in their bedroom or sitting area.
Let’s Go To the Movies!
Knowing your family, didn’t you wonder if everyone would go to a home theater? I love movies but as times go from a bigger screen to an iPad! We are so close to Hollywood we have heard about screening rooms forever! Maybe if we were getting a soon-to-be-released blockbuster, we would have friends and business associates over. Members of the Screen Actors Guild do get all of the movies to review and I regret that my neighbor with this perk moved this past year! This dedicated space is just that so maybe a more flexible space with sofas and windows (drop down shades, of course) allows for more casual interaction. Anti-glare televisions hang on the wall like paintings and others disappear with the click of a button. Additional outlets for electronics allow the family to multi-task. Mansions have room for one of everything! If you don’t own one, choose options that give your family the best experiences within your home.
Observing the Recent Kitchen Changes
In recent years the kitchen / family room combination has been overwhelmingly popular. It has evolved from the days when appliances looked like appliances. With wood panels on refrigerators and the more streamlined design of appliances, it is now easy to have a seamless transition in the two areas without looking at a ’50s era kitchen. The main obstacle has been having a big enough kitchen if the back wall is mainly appliances and the island is the only other component. Cooks should design kitchens! By extending at least one side of the kitchen (an L-shape) and then positioning the island, you have created more appliance and countertop space. A U shape with an island also works well. Recent articles showcase a working pantry/scullery. Spacing is always a determining factor. The working pantry has the advantage of caterers working behind the scenes and the disadvantage in everyday functions of separating the cooks! It is more convenient if everything is in a continuous area where cooks can talk to each other! A second sink, dishwasher and microwave in the secondary area would allow prep for the main or dessert course after guests have started to enjoy the starters or main course. However ice, wine, seltzer taps, ovens, coffee stations and refrigerator drawers with afterschool snacks for kids all need to be close to their final use areas. Ice makers can be noisy and need to be located accordingly. Open shelves collect dust whether they are exposed in the kitchen or in the usable pantry. Linens, flatware and dishes close to the tables cuts down on cross traffic. We have come a long way since the ice box but with so many options it takes careful planning to achieve a highly functional space.
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween! When these witches arrived, they were not what I expected. All wrinkled; then the fabric melted on the iron! But designers make the boring extraordinary and during this challenging time we all rise to the occasion with resourcefulness. The added hair toppers and feather masks brought them up to festive holiday standards! You say no one is coming over so you’re not decorating? That makes it the perfect year to organize holiday decorations! Give some away (my Mom and a teacher at our grandchildren’s school were both happy). You could use a photo of the decorations with evites to a socially-distanced, mask-wearing design meeting. It takes time to experiment so begin now for extraordinary results!
Fall Begins!
As the stores have started fall decor earlier than ever, it was inevitable that we would purchase our first new pumpkin or orange item and then… Do we put it away or just leave it out and add to it? The temperature dropped below 100 degrees so I went for thinking of fall, friends gathering and simple nutritious food! It doesn’t take much for kids’ snacks or having your neighbors over to come together in an inviting way. Orange cuties, carrots, orange juice (or mimosas), apple juice, cider, White Claw, Perrier… Enjoy the company with autumn light and then go to all out for Halloween as we get closer to that holiday! Enjoy!
Out Of Africa tablescape
While spending more time than usual at home – no traveling, meetings or gatherings, I have re-organized a lot of stuff! I have planned for many years to have an Out of Africa party and instead of waiting until the day before to plan the table, I got out the options and pulled them together! With my picture records, the final set up will be easy. My options all have fabrics obtained in Africa. The black and gold rimmed plates are very versatile. The centerpieces vary but accessories plus floral additions make it personal. Guests always feel more special when they know you have been working hard to entertain them. Since we’re not going out, why not have a few socially distanced, masked friends over to look at travel pictures of places you have in common – with lunch or dinner included! Food? Take out, cook in or gather around the grill!
Labor Day Tablescapes
After red, white and blue for Memorial Day and the 4th of July, mix it up for Labor Day with a nod to Rosie the Riveter with polka dots, blue denim and yellow. “We Can Do It!” was her slogan and that is certainly true today. We can do whatever we put our minds to. Either way pull together some random gears and have a festive weekend! I used to entertain a lot more but I have fun putting the table together with or without guests!
