Hello everyone! I’m thrilled to be back on the Forums and your hostess this morning for Put it on the Table, the theme for 8-10 July. I’ve been a huge fan of Food Network chef and cookbook author Sandra Lee and her Semi-Homemade style of cooking and entertaining – 70% prepared foods and 30% fresh really fit my lifestyle in recent years. I loved to watch her whip up a themed meal and finish it off with an inventive cocktail and a beautiful tablescape to complement the theme.
Sandra Lee is credited with using the term tablescape in 2003 but in fact, competitive tablescaping (from the words table and landscaping) traces back to at least the 1930s when competitions took place at county fairs and events across the country. Many of us have been doing a simplified version of tablescaping at home for years – in our house it was “Will you set the table?” which meant the placement of the plates and utensils, placemats and napkins and something a little extra in the middle such as a vase of flowers. Voila, a tablescape!
As entertaining and the desire to make meals more pleasing has increased, tablescapes have taken on a new dimension. Instagram has brought us a myriad of ideas as people post photos of their meals and creative tablescapes, #tabledecor and #tablesetting have been shared several million times. Pinterest has been an incredible resource for ideas and home décor stores have displays to tempt you to purchase additional items. No more just plates, utensils, simple table linens, and a little something extra in the middle, it’s time for a full-on display to wow your dinner guests.
Tablescapes start with table linens – a tablecloth, runner, or placemats and napkins, plates and glassware often complement a theme, and then some sort of centerpiece is crafted along with individual place cards and other personalized items at each place setting. The sky is the limit and just about anything can contribute to a tablescape. In the next couple of days, I’ll show you some holiday examples but today, tell us about a tablescape you designed. You may not have referred to it at a tablescape at the time but it was.
Pamela
Navy wife, mother of a horse-crazy adult daughter, born American but British at heart, and lover of all things Christmas!
Sandra Lee is credited with using the term tablescape in 2003 but in fact, competitive tablescaping (from the words table and landscaping) traces back to at least the 1930s when competitions took place at county fairs and events across the country. Many of us have been doing a simplified version of tablescaping at home for years – in our house it was “Will you set the table?” which meant the placement of the plates and utensils, placemats and napkins and something a little extra in the middle such as a vase of flowers. Voila, a tablescape!
As entertaining and the desire to make meals more pleasing has increased, tablescapes have taken on a new dimension. Instagram has brought us a myriad of ideas as people post photos of their meals and creative tablescapes, #tabledecor and #tablesetting have been shared several million times. Pinterest has been an incredible resource for ideas and home décor stores have displays to tempt you to purchase additional items. No more just plates, utensils, simple table linens, and a little something extra in the middle, it’s time for a full-on display to wow your dinner guests.
Tablescapes start with table linens – a tablecloth, runner, or placemats and napkins, plates and glassware often complement a theme, and then some sort of centerpiece is crafted along with individual place cards and other personalized items at each place setting. The sky is the limit and just about anything can contribute to a tablescape. In the next couple of days, I’ll show you some holiday examples but today, tell us about a tablescape you designed. You may not have referred to it at a tablescape at the time but it was.
Pamela
Navy wife, mother of a horse-crazy adult daughter, born American but British at heart, and lover of all things Christmas!
