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"To add a unique touch to your gathering, turn to nature, like a piece of driftwood, a few potted plants or some greenery from your yard. It’s amazing what beautiful things you can find in your own backyard!"
When creating a party I like to begin with the visual: a beautifully designed table where my guests will enjoy. Not just the food and drink but the elements of design, too. When you’re hosting a gathering and deciding how to decorate, turn to nature and found items to beautify your dining table and the areas where your guests will spend the most time.
Natural items are the most elegant to me, so to decorate my table I love using neutral linens, raw wood and a touch of green...a piece of driftwood, a few potted plants, or some greenery snipped from the yard are lovely ideas to place on the table or add to mason jars.
I love finding foliage from the garden. I forage greens or lush fresh fig or olive branches. Kumquat branches look amazing with their bright green foliage and pop of orange fruit. Wild apples and pears are also fantastic branches to style a table. It’s amazing what beautiful things you can find in your own backyard!
If you don’t have a yard or garden, there are other items you can use to decorate your table or serving area. Just place items like these on the table or in jars or vases for a pop of character:
- rosemary
- thyme
- sage
- greens
- grass clippings
- twine
- lavender
Turning to nature to decorate your surroundings is a creative and elegant mode of designing that will make your guests swoon.
ATHENA CALDERONE is the founder of EyeSwoon, a platform showcasing her taste as an interior designer, home chef and professional hostess. Launched in 2011, EyeSwoon highlights Athena’s ability to infuse her aesthetic into all aspects of her life from cooking and home design to creating stunning tablescapes and events.
Photo credit Gentl Hyers for Glamour.
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