Monthly Mood Board

Happy November!  The holiday season is upon us which means schedules will be getting busy.  It also means it just might be time to do some entertaining.  You may be throwing a holiday party or having the entire family to your house for Thanksgiving.  That is why this month we are focusing on entertaining two ways.  Some may prefer to keep it casual, while others like to take the holidays as a time to get a little fancy.  This month we focused on the dining room for our monthly mood board.  What we have done is choose 5 core pieces for the space and then chose items to dress that space up in either a casual or fancy way.

Core Pieces for the Dining Room:

1.)    We have chosen the Salvaged Wood Trestle Extension Dining Table from Restoration Hardware.  The table is handcrafted from unfinished, solid reclaimed pine timbers from 100-year old buildings in Great Britain.  This is the perfect table for any setting.  It is offered in a multitude of sizes to fit any space.  The best part is it also has an extension so you can keep it at a manageable size most of the year, but when it comes time to entertain for the holidays it will expand to fit the entire family.  We also chose this table because it can easily be dressed down for a casual gathering or dressed up if you would like to be a little fancier.

2.)    This Zinc Sideboard also from Restoration Hardware is a great piece to have in your dining space.  We love the fact that it introduces a metal to the space for a little more interest than just matching all the wood.  It is also a great place to set up your appetizers or drinks when entertaining and just let guests serve themselves so you have more time to enjoy the party.

3.)    We love the Hudson Parsons Upholstered Side Chair from Restoration Hardware.  It is offered in many different upholstery options to fit any décor.  We like to keep it simple in a nice neutral fabric.  This makes it easy to keep it as it is for a casual event, or, you can dress it up.  The shape of the chair allows for you to add chair ties, a chair back decoration, or even easily slip cover the chair for a fancy transformation.

4.)    A great set of dishes can make it easy to transform the look of your place settings depending on the mood you want to set.  We have chosen the Classic Century Dinnerware from Crate and Barrel.  We chose this for the great neutral color that can easily be dressed up or down and will work with whatever colors you choose to decorate with.  The plates are an oval shape instead of the standard round so the dinnerware has a more unique feel to it while still being incredibly versatile.

5.)    If you would like a little variety with the chairs you can place this Hudson Parsons Upholstered Armchair from Restoration hardware at each end of the table.  The upholstery options for the chair are numerous so there is definitely a choice to accommodate everyone’s taste.

Casual Entertaining:

6.)    To transform your space into a more casual feel we have chosen to cover the table with the Mallorca Linen Tablecloth from Crate and Barrel.  The linen gives it a natural casual feel, but it is still a polished look with the gorgeous black edge of the hem detail.

7.)    For each place setting we have chosen a Slate Placemat from West Elm.  This adds a fun casual feel to the table and introduces a natural stone.  Since you are keeping things casual you do not need to you place cards, but you could take some chalk and write guests names on their placemats or just write a fun message or even the menu on each one.  Have fun with it!

8.)    It is fall so pumpkins are still a great choice to be worked into the décor.  We love this Lidded Pumpkin Pie Dish from Pottery Barn.  Use it to cover any baked goods that are waiting to be eaten.  It is a lovely edition to any table setting and can be easily transported to any casual gathering if the party is somewhere else.

9.)    Every party needs napkins and we love the pattern of the Ikat Mini Lattice Napkin set from West Elm.  We love the silver color for our casual setting, with a little bit of sheen to it to brighten up the party.  These are 100% cotton and washable.

10.) Every party usually has some sort of bread or crackers for dipping.  We have chosen this Canvas Bread Bin from West Elm to hold all that homemade deliciousness.  Get more than one and keep one on the sideboard and another on the table for the dinner rolls.  The canvas keeps it casual as well.

11.) It is always great to have items displayed at different levels.  We have chosen the Espresso Wood Pedestal and Serving Board from Pottery Barn.  These will make a great presentation of anything from cheese plates and appetizers to the sweetest of desserts.  We love the way the wood looks with the burlap runners we chose for the space and the color coordinates well with the slate placemats on the main table.

12.) In order to keep the top of your sideboard looking nice and to add another casual, yet natural element to the space we have chosen the Burlap Table Linens from Horchow.  Handcrafted of Jute with natural edges these are a great addition to any space.  (It is also an easy DIY option if you pick up some rolls of burlap from your local craft store)

13.) Just because you are keeping things casual does not mean you have to be boring with your displays.  That is why we chose the Window screen Pie Safe also from Horchow.  It has three shelves to display your holiday pies.  Or really anything you would like to display from cookies, and brownies, to breads or small plated appetizers.  It is an easy way to creatively display the food for guest to be able to serve themselves (again, so you can enjoy the party).

14.) The guests will need plates to mill around with while eating appetizers or desserts.  We have absolutely fallen in love with the Dapper Animal Plates from West Elm.  The party is casual, but these animals are dressed to impress.  Our favorite is the bear in a hat.  It is always a great idea to have a fun element that your guests may not have expected and these are just TOO FUN not to use!

15.) You cannot forget that your guest may need a drink.  To keep things casual we have selected the Glass Bottles with Wood Stoppers from West Elm.  We love the shape of the bottles and the wood stoppers add a unique twist.  It also keeps it more casual than an ornate crystal stopper would.  The bottles are available for wine or whiskey and in oil and vinegar sets.

Or Make your Space Fancy:

16.) For our fancier setting we have chosen to use multiple table runners in lieu of a table cloth and placemats.  We have chosen the Antique floral Jacquard Table Runner from Williams Sonoma.  It is an elegant runner with scrolling leaves, blossoms, and borders.  The fabric is a cotton/linen that is still machine washable.  We love the red/natural color option.  It is a great fall color to dress up your space.  We used this running the short length of the table across for a different look and it can then act as a place mat for the two people sitting across from each other.  Serving dishes can be spaced and placed on the middle section of each runner.  Get as many runners as you have chairs on the longer side of your table.  If three fit on each side get three runners and run across the table at each pair of chairs.

17.) Each end of the table will still need something for protection so we have chosen these wood slab placemats.  They are all unique and a beautiful natural element to add to the space all while still keeping it fancy.  We found the placemats pictured on Etsy from Premium Olive Wood.  When searching for these we found some listed as placemats and some as cutting boards.  Just check dimensions to make sure it is large enough.

18.) We found that some items can work for the causal or fancy setting and this is one piece that works for both.  That is why we chose the Window screen Pie Safe from Horchow.  It has three shelves to display your holiday pies.  Or really anything you would like to display from cookies, and brownies, to breads or small plates appetizers.  It is an easy way to creatively display the food for guest to be able to serve themselves (again, so you can enjoy the party).

19.) Every fancy party needs a cheese board and a stylishly displayed on at that.  We love these slate and wood cheese boards.  It is a fancy way to display cheese, but it is easy to write on so your guests know what cheeses they have to choose from.  It’s a modern, elegant way to arrange your cheese plate.

20.) After finding the fun and quirky animal plates for the appetizers and desserts in our casual setting we were thrilled when we came across some animal plates that fit in perfectly with our fancy setting.  The Golden Antler Appetizer Plates from ZGallerie are the perfect edition to any high style party.  The white ceramic plates are detailed with metallic gold and silver hued animal imagery.  The animal detail continues onto the back for an added design detail.  Loving these animal plates!

21.) Even a more sophisticated gathering can have some natural elements.  We love this Somet Bowl from Crate and Barrel.  It is an elegant elongated swoop bowl with a beautiful wood grain.  Use it to display breads, chips, crackers, or small appetizers.  It is a great addition to any appetizer table.

22.) Every party needs napkins and we love the pattern of the Ikat Mini Lattice Napkin set from West Elm.  We love the gold color for our fancy setting, with a little bit of sheen to it to brighten up the party and the gold adds a little bit of glitz to a fancier soiree.  These are 100% cotton and washable.

23.) Again you need something fancy to serve drinks to your guests in.  We have chosen the Ravenscroft Crystal Wellington 5-Piece Double Old Fashioned Decanter set.  This is still a simple shape, but a beautiful crystal decanter that will fit in with a fancier set up for your party.