For the past few years, coral has been a mainstay in my home decor and accent fabrics, but I also love it in florals throughout our home for a pretty little punch of color. The walls in our living and dining room are chocolate, so the coral/pink looks especially striking in that space. Last year I decided to use my Grandmother Segrest’s soup tureen as our Thanksgiving centerpiece. I thought that would add to the collected feel of the table and be a special way of honoring her with family round the table. I thought the dusty rose thrift store placemats would add a nice hint of color atop the neutral linen tablecloth. I layered my Mikasa English Countryside dishes with some Italian salad plates I’ve had for many years and topped each place setting with a Spode Woodlands salad plate for a rich Fall look.
When I went to buy flowers for the tureen centerpiece, I couldn’t decide between the fuchsia mums and the coral alstroemeria, so I bought both, not knowing how I would use them, but thinking both colors would compliment the other table elements. I like mums cut short with their tops just above the edge of the vase or container in floral arrangements- they aren’t especially pretty standing lanky and tall above the container’s edge, in my opinion. I added the cut mums to the centerpiece, but felt it needed something more, so I added short pieces of the alstroemeria and kept the green leaves on them and sort of layered them around the base of the mums in the soup tureen. I was pleasantly surprised at how simple that one step was, but how lush they looked with the colors layered this way! Not only did the bottom layer of flowers cover the mums’ stems and “hug” the container’s edge, it also made the entire arrangement look fuller and more significant.
I added white pumpkins, antlers, and bamboo flatware for a masculine/feminine mix, and kept the Pottery Barn napkins neutral and calm with soft shades of greens and blues. Green glasses compliment the napkins and Italian salad plates and help keep the overall feeling casual yet elegant.
You know they say something like: buy what you love and you’ll always find a place for it? The thrift store placemats caught my eye because of the color, and I’ve enjoyed using them in seasonal table settings. I think I got 10 placemats for $4 or something crazy good like that!
Holiday table settings are a great time to express your creativity and honor loved ones by using items passed down through generations. Layering flowers/colors not only gives your holiday table a beautiful, lush look, but it can be really economical, too, depending on the types you choose. Mums and alstroemeria can last close to 2 weeks if the water is changed every 3 days or so. Also, Thanksgiving table settings need not be limited to traditional yellows, browns, or oranges. Let your dinnerware, linens, and room color guide you to try a new color combination this year.
Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!
xoxo,
**If you missed my One Room Challenge space and want to see this dining room with its new gallery wall makeover, click here! It’s quite the transformation and I look forward to my family gatherings over the next few months in here. 🙂
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