Starting to think about my Christmas table, I have always loved tablescaping and have been lucky enough to work with some of the best over the years.
At Christmas it is all about adding sparkle, sitting down for a meal with friends and family feels so special with a beautifully styled table.
There is no need to spend lots of money: mis-matched glassware and crockery, greenery from a garden or nearby woodland and colourful tablecloths from charity shops will look just as pretty as expensive pieces. Friends will bring wine and often like to help with the shopping and cooking even, but as the host, preparing the table is definitely your job.
I went on a Tablescaping Workshop at Hutton Wandesley Stables recently and it was so thought provoking. I learnt a lot from the flower arranging demo by Leafy Couture. They enlightened me to the beauty of asymmetry - an aesthetic that aligns perfectly with my suggestions of mismatched crockery and glassware!
Stylist Pandora Maxton gave a talk about layering: working upwards from a colourful tablecloth, adding more interest with tablemats and napkins, which could be contrasting or continue with a colour scheme for real depth. Flowers and greenery are the perfect finishing touch, plus candles and even adding some hanging decorations from the ceiling - so fun!
You can go pale and interesting as well of course, a beautiful option in winter actually - you still need sparkle, but pull back on the colour. Using all white table cloths and napkins and greenery as stylist, Gillian Alexander, has done here in her home, combined with twigs and bare branches rather than flowers will make a real statement.
I have a big birthday coming up this summer and I am very nervous about it, but actually, I have realised that planning the colours and the table decorations is really soothing me…
I love the work of Glasgow based designer, Bluebellgray. She gifted me this bag on the first shoot my husband did with her 2012 and I still use it for my art materials, I think I will use it as my starting point.
Yes, there will be pink. Yes, there will be cornflower blue. A touch of deep aubergine and lots of pale heathers… bring it on - it will be fun!