stylist annette joseph’s top ten table tips

My passions are food and design. The place where these two elements come together most often is at the table. One of my friends, Annette Joseph, is lucky enough to have made a career out of making things look good. Did you ever wonder why all those photos in magazines always look so fantastic? Well, chances are Annette was there, making everything look perfect, yet natural.

Annette is based in Atlanta, but travels all over for all the magazines you probably read most often. You may also have seen her on the Today show. Visit her website and blog for the full story.

Annette has graciously agreed to be a guest blogger today, and let us know her ten tips for setting the perfect table.




Annette Joseph’s Top 10 Tips for Setting the Perfect Table

As a stylist for magazines and television, I walk into people’s homes everyday. So I think it’s fair to say I know a little something about how people live and entertain. Granted, the homes I walk into are about to be featured in a magazine, and so are usually pretty special to begin with. That said, I do see a wide range of great settings mixed with both fantastic ideas and some unfortunate choices all the time. 
 
One of the places that usually gets the most attention – during photo shoots and also during daily life – is the dining table. Yes, the food is the main event, but it’s surprisingly easy to pull simple elements together for a big, dramatic effect. With most of us about to head into high gear for holiday entertaining, I thought I’d jot down my top ten stylist tips, easy ones that you can bring to your own table.


1. Make sure table is sturdy and chairs are comfy, it might be time to evaluate your dining room or kitchen table. This is one of the most important pieces of furniture in the house so treat it that way.

2. Decide on a theme, matching your décor is one way to go. But I prefer to match the theme. With a holiday theme, the possibilities are limitless. You can start with a color and then expand from there. Look in stores and online and see what’s out there. (That’s what stylists do, you can too.) Shop sales for seasonal decor the year before, then stash it in your linen closet, more on that later.

3. Mix and match your linens and plates, glasses and flatware. Matching is usually boring. Pairing mismatched items makes it creative and personal.

4. Centerpieces can be simple, yet creative. I like using things that are easy and inexpensive + sometimes free. For instance a wine crate filled with roses and candle-filled wine bottles. (This is the center piece I created for the Today show a few weeks ago)

5. Jam jars bunched together and filled with fresh flowers and herbs; drinking glasses filled with votive candles and flowers; Vases wrapped in wrapping paper and then filled with a mass of flowers. Big groups of anything is often effective and stylish. And keep it low! Tall arrangements may look dramatic, but are hard to chat over.

6. Ribbon and twine are your friends. Use them to tie up vases or napkin rolls.
 
7. Place cards should be creative , yet simple. Some ideas: tags tied around the napkin roll; place a card in a tiny terracotta pot filled with rosemary; tie a tag around a bunch herbs; use a cute votive candle or small lantern at each place setting with place cards attached. I always have a stash of card stock and pinking shears in my kit, to make fun place cards.



8. Be creative with chair backs. Sometimes I use a great kitchen towel I found on sale as napkins draped across the back of the chair, instant color and style. Or tie ribbon on the back of the chairs. This is an easy way to change the entire look of a room.

9. Clever water bottles. Putting water in a carafe or old wine or milk bottle can add a creative, vertical dimension to the table. Guests can help themselves and serve others, creating a causal interactive mood.
 
10. Remember to collect table accessories as you see them on sale. Having a fully stocked closet of table setting items helps to make the act of setting the table a fun and creative process and is super easy. I buy things on sale and stock them in my closet all the time. It is my best secret weapon. Buy them after season and hold on to them until next year! 
 If you incorporate even some of these tips, I can promise that creating the right tablescape will be fun, easy and affordable. Your guests will be impressed, most important you will all have a memorable and stylish day of celebration. Gathering friends and family is always special and if you put in the extra effort it will be fun and worthwhile.



(Thanks for images~ Better Homes and Gardens, County Living.)