Winter Tablescapes

It’s no secret, I love tablescapes.

This year my holiday decorating theme is rustic simplicity. In the past I have been known to fasten big red bows to anything, hang ornaments off of everything and decorate every corner of our home. This year, partly out of necessity, but mostly out of choice, I’ve decided to simplify. I have been trying to be more present in my life and I made the choice to spend more time with my husband and children and less time worrying about the perfection of my Christmas decor. This is not easy for someone like me, but I’m trying.

I decided this year’s winter tablescapes were going to encompass my theme of the season. I focused on evergreens (fresh and faux), wood, and whites. I wanted a very clean and fresh look but I also wanted it to feel natural and soothing. Of course, I had to add a little sparkle because I mean…c’mon, every table needs a little twinkle and glow!

When we moved into the farmhouse I got a new dinning room table. It’s one of my favorite pieces in our home. I always wanted a table big enough to seat twelve and I finally got it. It’s Amish built and I just adore it. I picked the ashen finish and the heavily distressed look. I literally got tears in my eyes when it was delivered to the farm.  Now that I have this gorgeous table, I’ve found I have a very hard time covering it. I bought one linen table runner and one table cloth for our table. However, more often than not, I use the runner so that I can see my beautiful table while we eat at it.

My first Winter Tablescape became a HUGE hit on Instagram and it was mostly due to one thing, THE reindeer plate. Funny story about these plates; I was out running errands one day and I was passing in front of Pier One. I was walking at a good clip when I looked through the window and BAM! There they were. The MOST adorable reindeer plates I’ve ever seen. I immediately stopped and went in the store. I bought out every plate they had on display! The manager said they had just made the display that morning. I was so excited! I didn’t know what the store was going to do after I took all their plates (which by the way, were on sale…SCORE!), but I couldn’t worry about that. I left the store giddy! Once I got home, I literally could not wait to start a tablescape featuring my new reindeer plates. It wasn’t even December yet, so we still hadn’t gotten our Christmas tree. Typically I try to use fresh flowers or greens whenever possible, but since it wasn’t possible this time, I went up to the attic and brought down our faux Christmas garland. That’s when the creating began!

I laid the garland down the center of the table atop the linen runner. Perfection! It was the perfect length. Next I used my French country silver chargers. I wanted the reindeer plates to really stand out and be the focus of the table so I used white dinner plates on top of the chargers and placed the reindeer plates on top. My heart was fluttering, it’s amazing how much a girl can love a plate! I was in love with the bright and soothing feel of the white with the greenery and the natural wood from the table. I decided to carry that through with white linen napkins wrapped with simple woven rattan napkin rings and tucked a Rosemary sprig in each napkin to add a little green because, quite frankly, who doesn’t love the smell of Rosemary?! Finally, I laid out my stainless silverware and mercury glass votives. I used sixteen ounce mason jars with the threaded ring still on them as candle holders on the table as well. The silver threaded ring around them accents the silver throughout the table. Remember, you can never have enough sparkle!

My second Winter Tablescape begins with the same Rustic Simplicity theme of the season and the first tablescape. I left the table raw with only a natural linen runner down the center. This time, we had our Christmas tree! I wanted to do a tablescape with real pine boughs. I also wanted to elevate this table setting a bit and add a little more elegance to it. I began with my three mango wood candle sticks, two white wooden Christmas trees and hydrangeas arranged in two low lying white ceramic vases. The three candle sticks, two trees, and two vases keeps with the design rule of odds. This created a very symmetrical centerpiece. Once I had the candlesticks, trees, and vases planed out I started filling in the centerpiece with fresh greenery. Once this was complete, I started setting the table. This time, I used my favorite pewter engraved chargers. They are engraved with, “Good Food, Good Friends, Good Company.” That encompasses the theme of every meal we host in our home. With the chargers, I used our wedding china. It only gets pulled out once, maybe twice a year. Side note: When Mr. A and I got married, we registered for china. I really wanted something special to hand down to our children one day. Realistically though, when we have guests in our home, the last thing I want is for anyone to spend all night hand washing dishes, most of all me, so we don’t use them often. I feel like our time together and with guests can be much better spent not doing dishes. Although I do use our china, I don’t use it often. For this tablescape though, it was perfect. The silver rims of the dinner plates with the silver embossed snowflakes on the salad plates went so well together. I paired those with my stainless silverware, white linen napkins and simple silver napkin rings with yes, you guessed it…Rosemary sprigs wrapped in twine. Finally, I put the mercury votives to work again for the extra sparkle and glow for the table. Viola!

Both these tablescapes are easy and fun to do. They can be used throughout the winter season, not just during Christmas. They are also extremely versatile and give you the freedom to add your own touches, whether that be red berries, gold silverware, or plaids. The sky is the limit! I think that’s why I love tablescaping so much, you can let your creativity run wild. I hope you have the chance to use some of these ideas. If you do, I would love to see your tablescape. Please send me a comment and photo so that I can share in your tablescape success. Also, please follow me on Instagram to see what I am working on at the farm on a daily basis, just search caligirlinasouthernworld. I look forward to sharing my days with you. Happy Holidays!