Using Gold for the Holidays with Designthusiasm

We are so excited to be sharing the holiday table by Lory Bernstein from Designthusiasm. Lory is a former fashion designer, with an eye for design. She describes her style as Modern French Country; a casual elegance with a respect for the past. 

Enjoy our repost of Lory's holiday table.

Christmas Table Decorations: Using Gold on the Table for Christmas

Edgey tablesetting, holiday decor, votives with candles

Shiny objects.

They’re the symbol of distraction. The things that grab our attention when we’re supposed to be getting important work done. They’re what we’d rather be doing or crave to be entertained by.

It’s no coincidence that this is the term used to represent such enticements.

Because ACTUAL shiny objects often command our adulation. Who doesn’t love a glistening new car? A twinkling diamond necklace? Or even the sparkle of a fresh blanket of snow?

And nothing is better suited to punctuate a celebration than things that glimmer!

For my holiday table this year I decided to embrace that warm radiance of gold trimmed table decor to up the ante of an intimate Christmas dinner. It’s a way to reflect the fortune of time spent with family at home.

This is an opportunity to set a table that’s unabashedly glamorous. I’ll save the pine cones and woodland creatures for another time.

Today is all about using gold on the table for Christmas.

 Gold Christmas table plates

The heart of this table, it’s aesthetic soul, if you will, is centered around these gorgeous gilt edged plates provided by Annieglass.

The charger plate, dinner plate and soup bowl are from the “Edgey” collection.  They are cut from thick glass, hand chipped and painted with precious metal and then kiln fired.

This stunning dinnerware embodies the very special nature of the occasion, and while used here with holiday accents, the pieces would be perfect for many other memorable occasions.

Use them all together or mix them with other pieces. They’re beautiful either way.

Gold Christmas table setting votive

 

In fact, they are so pretty even one would make a wonderful gift for someone on your list!

The warm glow of candlelight is very much in keeping with the gilded theme of this elegant Christmas tablescape.

For linens, I chose to keep the rich wood table visible, using classic white linen hemstitch placements and runner. 

The napkins, however, are woven with gold flecked lurex thread, coordinating nicely with the gold twist wire napkin rings. Tucked into each ring I placed a sprig of holiday greenery, cut from my garden, and a cluster of red berries snipped off a larger faux branch.

The centerpiece’s foundation is a vintage cast iron planter which serves up a traditional holiday bouquet of fresh white hydrangeas and red roses, with golden leaf picks inserted here and there.

Tall brass and glass hurricane lamps flank the arrangement offering additional candlelight to enhance the shimmering elements.

For holiday flavor I added a few more notes of greenery, through garland draped on the table and a boxwood wreath above the sideboard.

A small tree graces the corner of the room, unadorned, to allow the table to take center stage.

The mini-wreaths, below, are a sweet little accent, hung on the hutch knobs with pretty draped bows. The wreaths are actually candle rings made from green beads, but they look adorable used in this subtle way, adding a note of holiday cheer as a backdrop to the table.

The table wound up striking exactly the right tone, as I wanted to convey warmth and celebration, and a whole lot of joy.

No matter what else is going on, we can make our own little world special, by using gorgeous Christmas table decorations and the beauty of gold.

And lots and lots of shiny objects!