From The Inside Out Mag.
For Personal Healing, Spiritual Growth & Development

The joyous holiday season is quickly approaching and the desire for peace, harmony, and a stress free environment is heavily sought. Decorating ideas to enhance our homes, work environments, and exteriors to create a haven on a frugal budget is essential, thus leaving additional monies for memorable meals and gifts. Creating this environment can be exciting, fulfilling, and magical. Where do you begin? The place where conversations are vast, memories are made, and advice is in abundance…even unwanted advice…the dining room table! Turn your table into a picture perfect arrangement filled with innovative ideas sure to be a conversation starter.

Tablescapes are an arrangement of items gathered and placed on the table. Like a landscaped painting or photo, tablescapes showcase how beautifully your favorite dishes, cutlery, linens, and anything you choose to create your design style can be laid out….yes even in tablescaped design. The goal is to create an environment depicting a theme, personal travel, or interesting arrangement and display it stunningly! The ideas are limitless granted you let your imagination soar.    

Effortless ways to enhance your tablescapes:

• Instead of traditional plate chargers, use ceramic, porcelain, marble, or travertine tiles
• Replace your normal botanical arrangement with seasonal botanicals including seasonal fruit
• Change your candle colors to reflect current decor
• Create a themed candle base with garland, ornaments, or fall leaves depending upon the occasion
• Use various fabrics whether a table topper, a runner, ribbons, and/or napkins 
• ·         Remember to only take up no more 1/3 of your table unless it’s strictly for display  

Interior Design comes in various forms and tablescapes are not just for the holiday season as they can be used throughout the year. The use of your mantle, coffee table, along with botanical elements, and bedside tables can all be used as your landscaped portrait. Create this portrait through various textures, staggering heights with the use of vases and bowls, and unique lighting elements. Centerpieces on any table can add additional pizzazz and add to the effect of staggering heights. A few simple changes can go along way! Get creative with everyday materials and make a tablescape design that will be the topic of conversation.

Tip of the Month

Pull out everything that you on special occasions and on a regular basis. Lay everything out and take a long, hard look! Section everything into color categories or by holiday season, then look around your house and choose some of your favorite items from your travels or everyday décor items. Combine all these items and play with various set ups until you are satisfied! Please send me pictures of your designs! Good luck!

By Aisha Z Lewis

 Aisha Z. Lewis is a business entrepreneur and Interior Designer in the Metro-Detroit area. My Design Philosophy: To create functional livable environments that are aesthetically, psychologically, and physiologically pleasing and stimulating to the mind, body, and soul.  Environments can affect you negatively or positively. My goal is to always provide positive environmental enhancements conducive to the client needs.  For information, questions, and private services, call 313-717- 2985 or visit  www.facebook.com/functionalconceptz

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Comments(1):

1. I look forward to your tips every month keep up the good work. I do just what you said lay everything out that I have and go from there to create something new from something old.

   Monday, November 14, 2011 Tim

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