Tablescape Fun

We've been in this house for two weeks and when I invited a potential future friend over for breakfast today, I looked around and decided that I better get rid of all the empty boxes and actually do some styling!

First up, my front hall table. I'm not hanging anything on the walls until everything is unpacked and we have a good master plan but for now, it's fun to play with artwork and accessories. I was inspired by a blog post about creating tablescapes using four elements: 1) candles 2) books 3) artwork and 4) flowers so I grabbed some of each and here's what I came up with.

I also tried to keep in mind the rule about using odd numbers when decorating and I felt like the five elements were a nice balance.



1) candles. The best I came up with was this candelabra and yes, its missing its taper candles! I have some turquoise ones but they're still packed up.

2) books. I used my Nancy Drew collection my parents just cleared out of my dad's office. It's important for the books' colors to tie in with the rest of the vignette and I love how the yellow ties in with the painting!

3) artwork. My painting from Southern Living At HOME/Willow House I scored on clearance years ago. I love the colors!

4) flowers are a faux bouquet I've had since decorating for my wedding 9 years ago and I still love the color and how realistic they are. I also happen to adore the turquoise SLAH/Willow House pitcher they're in.

I eventually added a lamp, too. I'll be on the hunt for a matching pair of similar lamps for this table.



Here it is as you come in from the garage.



Moving on to my dining area, which I had set up this morning for a new friend's get-to-know-you breakfast. I love the sunlit look....



and the pink bromeliad against the turquoise.

I need place mats!!




And here's a Chinese antique cabinet/sideboard in our family room. Again, I created two groups of odd-numbered objects (three) although the shell does make it four! Here's what I did:



Then my husband came along and made one small change and I do like it better (I think it's because I like the separation between the bold orange and turquoise pieces)! I swear, he has a better eye for design than I do. Bless him.



Do you "style" your tabletops? Do you typically use the four above-mentioned elements (candles, books, artwork, flowers)? Do you leave them alone or find yourself tweaking them all the time? SHARE! :)