My, my, my, how the tables have turned… turned into spring, that is. I love a time of transition, especially when it comes to tabletops. As seasons end, I sometimes find myself not quite ready to put away my favorite dishes and place settings. This is when the fun begins, and the creativity starts to flow. I’ve gone back into our photo archives from 2019 to show how a few simple moves can create a whole new seasonal look while still using some of the same plates.
One of the biggest ways to transition a tabletop is by transitioning your textiles. A change of a table runner, tablecloth and napkin can not only transform your table, but it’s a great foundation on which to build the rest of your look. As we move toward springtime, we trade our heavy and dark holiday-hued traditional plaids for fresher alternatives, like simple black-and-white designs that support a lighter, brighter color scheme. A small change can completely change how your plates look, and to me it is especially obvious with the cabbage leaf-inspired plates. They look so at home on my winter table, and when I see them in my spring settings, I wonder how I would ever see them in any other way. Now is also the time to break out the floral patterns, leafy greens and sky blues that have been hibernating all winter.
After textiles, I like to focus on changing up my chargers and accessories. With accessories, you can take your favorite place setting from a reindeer forest theme to a fresh outdoor garden look quicker than a dinner guest can say pass the salt. Without all the fanfare that accompanies the holidays, it is the perfect time to switch your sparkled and intricate chargers for natural alternatives, like wood and marble, to create a clean and simple backdrop for your dishes. Speaking of simple, while we tend to bust out our show-stopping holiday spectacular during the cold months, once the sun starts to peak through, I crave a simple and bright table. By editing down some of your dish selections, you will have a better canvas for the fresh accessories that come along with spring. Once you’ve traded out your evergreen wreaths for boxwood and your Santa statues for lemons, it will be a whole new view to enjoy during dinnertime.
While transition times between seasons can be tricky, I like to think of them as a great challenge and a segue into the next big change of home decor.
Adapted from nellhills.com. Katie Laughridge is the owner of Kansas City interior design destination Nell Hill’s. For more information, contact Katie at [email protected].