Last week I introduced you to a new series here on the blog called Tablescape Design from Home. This unique new series is where the staff here at the Academy take you into our homes and show you how you can practice your skills as a wedding stylist or event designer simply by using what you have around your house. We encourage you to use every opportunity you can to hone and show off your skills, whether that’s having some friends around for a casual dinner or even brunch with your parents. These are events, all be it small ones, but they allow you to practice what you’ve learnt within your courses at the Academy.
Last week I showed you how to create an French Inspired Afternoon Tea by giving you a sneak peek into my garden at my home in South East France. We filled the table with colour, delicate floral china, cake stands, glassware and an old fashioned tea set. Today we are mixing it up and going for an alfesco dinner party.
Again I have simply raided my home and used whatever I could find in the cupboards. I even stole the candleabra out of our spare bedroom, where it usually sits resplendent in our Versailles inspired room, but for this shoot it became the focal point of my table.
We reused the drinks cart from the previous design but focused on spirits, mainly the Ampersand Gin that works so nicely with our logo, rather than afternoon cocktails. Our rose gold cutlery made a second appearance and we mixed up the glassware with our multi-coloured crystal wine glasses. In the spirit of the mixing it up trend all our place settings used a different plate design which give it a slightly eclectic look.
Most importantly nothing on the table was purchased specifically it was all taken from what I already had in my house. Remember though I have been at this a long time and have collected all sorts of things over the years that I can use to create these different designs. Half the fun of this is to look in the back of your cupboard and pull out something you haven’t seen for a long time and use it within a table design.
I would love to see you give this a try and share what you do with us on social media, but in the meantime here is our second table design, An Alfresco Dinner Party on the Charente.
