Sometimes you want to try new stuff, but you’re scared of messing up, wasting money or maybe you just have no clue where to start. A centrepiece on your dining room table can really pull everyone into the mood of the holiday. Not only that, it doesn’t have to be expensive or take all that much time. Picking your items can even be fun and all of these tips can be used for any centrepiece you might want to build, like for Christmas!
Here are my best, simple tips for making your first (or second or fiftieth) centrepiece. Take them and adjust them to how much time you have, energy you’re willing to expend and the space you’ve got on your table!
Pick things and colours you love! Work off of that you already have: table textiles, plates, fresh flowers, an abundance of apple. It’s all in the arrangements, which is super easy to move around to satisfy your vision. I really wanted to do royal blue with autumn colours, but the thrift shops were just not co-operating with me this year. I went with the uber popular purple, as it allowed me to purchase everything on mega discount right before Thanksgiving. You can make this as simple or elaborate as you like, so relax and enjoy.
You can go symmetrical! Take two identical, or similar, items and mirror them. Done.
Group three things by a common colour or material. Sometimes a texture pops enough that it will pull everything together. Different sizes and heights really pull your eye to the centrepiece.
Mix textures! Be bold. Mix colours! If you’ve gone one colour too far, pull it out; none of this is permanent!
Add something alive or edible to make everything come together. Choose something in the spirit of the season! I went with cabbage roses, sunflowers, fresh sage, pumpkins and pears!
To finish, add something with a little sparkle, like a candle!
The origins of this particular holiday may be horrific but meanings can change over time. Perhaps you might use the opportunity to pontificate how the changing seasons are awash with the chance to start anew and the healing power of the chances we are presented with daily. You can get through anything and be all right on the other side of it.
Or maybe you can just take a deep breath and enjoy the crisp air that autumn provides us with, if you’re lucky enough to currently be enjoying autumn, that is. It might be you just got 7ft of snow, but snow is sparkly and that makes it all right!