How to Build a Centerpiece Challenge, and The Classic
Many clients have asked me through the years, “What should I put on my table?” As I perused the thrift store isles last week, I decided it would be fun to grab a bunch of different items and show you how to create a centerpiece for yourself!
It’s a challenge to take a disparate bunch of accessories and bring them together to create something beautiful. I definitely miss styling my former store where we planned and styled many different themes each month. It was so fun to play with different design styles and appeal to different customer’s tastes. Probably why the early springtime sunshine is inspiring me to create today!
Whatever the reason, I needed to make a mess while making pretty today…which I do rather well!
To show you the art and process of creating a centerpiece, I’ve gathered five different foundations for five very differently-styled centerpieces. My first tip for creating a dining or coffee table centerpiece is:
Make it portable!
When your kids want to break out a board game, you simply pick up your pretty centerpiece and move it to another flat surface! When they’re done you can plop it back in place! And everyone will be happy!
Your local thrift store is a great place to find a foundation for your centerpiece, super cheap! I found four of my centerpiece foundations at my favorite haunts and will be using my own galvanized tray for the fifth:
A perfectly tarnished silver cake plate, a mustard-colored ceramic serving platter, a brown wicker tray, a square plastic orange plate, and my galvanized tray.
Each day this week I will show you what I came up with, and then you get to choose which fits your personal style best, or is your favorite (kind of like Fixer Upper).
First off…”The Classic”:
Silvers, golds and neutrals inspired me, along with quiet texture. Many of the items have pedestal bases.
Once I have my horizontal base piece I add the vertical elements. I’m going for asymmetry on all of these, with visual interest on all sides, since they’re in the center of a table.
Make sure your centerpiece has interest from all sides if it is going to be placed in the middle of a table.
A collection of subtly-colored vintage books lean nicely against a heavy, gold, ornate candleholder {For more tips using books, “ {“Decorating With Books 101 and Beyond”}) A fake pillar candle provides ambiance. A moss ball, shredded paper and a couple feathers provide texture and a fake plant brings some life.
The book cover offers some typographical interest to the grouping. Evaluate all the different textures represented here: silver, gold, paper, moss, feathers, foliage, stone. Subtle colors, but very texture rich.
And now to provide a little bit of life and whimsy, a cute little owl figurine (I picked up a couple after writing my (in)courage devotional {“Exits and Entrances”}).
If you want a supporting actor role, I thought it would be fun to add a vintage camera from my stash {“Cameras, Some Things Old, Something New”} next to this centerpiece for more appeal…
Centerpiece 101, “The Classic” is complete! It’s comprised of classic elements, subtle colors and lots of texture. Now, to create some more centerpieces with completely different styles and elements…
Here are the 4 other very differently-styled Centerpieces from the Challenge. See which of these fits your tastes the best:
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Okay, I have to pin this one too! As my grandson would say, “They’re both my favorite!” Thank you for sharing @Vintage Charm!