Showing posts with label Exterior Decorating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exterior Decorating. Show all posts

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Thanksgiving Table Settings



Add a Touch of Glitz

For a sophisticated but not over-the-top look, balance the sparkle of metallics with natural elements, like fall branches or fresh fruit. Erinn's Tip: "Metallics add a great modern touch to a fall tablescape. Deep copper and bright bronze are a lovely additional to a traditional table. I prefer to bring in natural, textured elements like these seed-beaded placemats so the table doesn't get too glitzy."


Contrast Materials

A humble pinecone adds an organic touch to each place setting. Have fun with materials; contrast ceramic with glass, wood and gleaming metal. Forgo the old standby tablecloth and opt for glamorous, polished silver chargers and chocolate-brown linen napkins.


Bountiful Centerpiece

Set the stage for an unforgettable Thanksgiving feast with a centerpiece that exemplifies bounty. A ghost-white pumpkin, chunky pillar candles and metallic-painted gourds add sparkle.


Simple Sophistication

This place setting layers basic elements to achieve an extraordinary effect.A set of white plates is a great standard to have for your year-round table. You don't have to get something special out just for the season. It's all in the presentation — a crisp linen napkin folded into thirds and laid under a bronze glass plate topped with a miniature pear sets each guests' plate off with style for very little money, time or fuss.

 

Gleaming Glass Accents

Golds and ambers pair beautifully with the traditional browns and oranges of fall. Glass vases can be found very inexpensively in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes at your local housewares store. They're fantastic for adding a splash of luminescent color to the room. So go wild! Bring a bunch home, try them out and return what you don't use.






Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Garden Paths

Stamped concrete path


A curved path, high walls, soft greens, and a bubbling fountain make this Southern California garden a soothing escape.
The broad path connects the gate to the front door. The walkway is built of stamped concrete and has a dusting of multicolored sand for extra texture.


Fragrant journey


Designers know a great path includes an intriguing destination. Here, a yellow-glazed container catches the eye at the end of a lavender-edged gravel path.


Path of grass


A narrow carpet of grass, all that’s left of a once-expansive (30- by 60-foot) lawn, meanders between curved planting beds. To make room for the beds, the homeowners removed sod around the turf’s edges bit by bit as they discovered new plants they wanted to try.


Wooded escape


A flagstone path in Pasadena leads through a garden underplanted with New Zealand flax shrubs and grasses.



Desert garden path


Bold furnishings and dense plantings can help you create a getaway in your own backyard, even where gardening can be a challenge.
Individual concrete pads create the illusion that they're hovering lightly above the desert floor. Their exposed aggregate finish blends in with the native soil's stony texture.

Garden art


In Newport, CA, geometric steppingstones crossing a small pool give the illusion of walking on water.
A piece of art tucked amid greenery at the end of the path treats visitors to a visual surprise.