When it comes to setting the table, creating a curated look infuses freshness and style – and Crate & Barrel has plenty of ways to make the holidays’ tablescape creative and artistic. Instead of the usual unvaried matching pieces, combine new items with family heirlooms. Highlight contrasts, like shiny with matte, metallic with rough-hewn. Add color with fruits, veggies or blooms in large containers.
Cranberries for example look marvelous in tall glass hurricanes. Artisanal pieces also provide an aura of warmth, while tone-on-tone relief on handcrafted ceramic tableware subtly reflects seasonal motifs. Add to that miniature frames of loved ones celebrating past holidays.
Guests at Crate & Barrel in Makati had a glimpse of creative tablescapes during a dining and entertaining event, with interior designer Tessa Alindogan and Metro Home editor-in-chief Anton Barretto demonstrating how to make innovative holiday settings using items from the store. The two showcased breathtaking tablescapes, shared holiday entertaining tips and chose gift ideas for family and friends for #theperfectgiftjustlikethat.
Anton and Tessa’s tablescapes captured the spirit of two table-decorating ideas from Crate & Barrel: Woodland or Natural and Sparkle. Woodland or Natural featured fresh greens; weathered or natural wood bowls, platters, or birch candles; and classic all-white dinnerware in round or square shapes. Sparkle, on the other hand, had bejeweled or metallic décor elements; a mix of metals like gold, copper, and silver; frosty platters or bowls, embellished plates and glasses offset with white, cobalt, or turquoise; and lots of candles that reflect the gloriousness of it all.
“Anton’s set up is more of the Woodland or Natural Christmas theme,” says Joanne Tsai, Crate & Barrel’s Visual Merchandising head, noting that a lot of greens and mixed weathered natural wood were used. On the other hand, Tessa’s look is more like that of the Sparkling table with elegance stamped on it. She used mixed metallic materials like copper, silver, and gold, noted Tsai.
Anton, who likes to be “a bit more creative so I extend the expected to the unexpected” likes mixing and matching “I like breaking pieces because for me entertaining is all about the memory that the guests will take away after the event,” he says.
Anton’s setting played around with things on the table, using different elements, textures, and colors. His tablescape had a blue, white and black palette with yellow, orange and green contrasts. “Use lot of things that you have at home,” he says, adding that one should not be afraid to “go a step further and experiment, mix and match patterns, plains and prints that you have.”
Tessa, on the other hand, says that she is “not into Christmas plates and stuff because I’m a practical person.” What she chose were plates that one can use all-year round, but added Christmas touches like the cut-out Christmas trees and the small animals, using orange as her accent color. “It not only it looks good, but is functional as well,” she says, since “orange whets one’s appetite.”
Tessa also made the setting more interesting by using the cheese platter as a charger to show people that “even if you don’t have the budget, you can still make your table look attractive.” To make guests feel special, she put individual carafes and small vases with Ecuadorian roses. Tessa also added candles in different sizes to make the setting more intimate. “It’s a play of shapes and heights,” she says.
Share your favorite holiday table decorating ideas by using the hashtag #crateandbarrelph #theperfectgiftjustlikethat. Crate & Barrel Stores are located at SM Aura, SM Mega Fashion Hall and at SM Makati.