Close to 100 women visited the Kettle & Cord store in Crown Heights on Monday for two tablescaping workshops to help them prepare for the Sukkos festivities.
The entertaining presentations, led by floral designers Mimulo Design, guided participants through the tablescaping process from beginning to end: From laying the perfect tablecloth, anchoring the design, and setting up the perfect accents.
Video: Tablescaping workshop
The result: Two stunning table designs, perfect for Shabbos, Yom Tov or any special occasion.
According to Mimulo, everyone can be a tablescaping genius. All it takes is following a few simple steps:
Begin by choosing the vibe you’re looking for. Do you want a traditional look or something more whimsical; rustic or more modern. Once you’ve chosen the vibe, begin scouting your house for anything matches the color scheme. Grab it even if you have no clue what you’ll use it for – you’ll be surprised where your creativity might kick in!
The first step in the tablescaping process is layering. Begin with any piece of cloth as a base. It doesn’t have to be a real tablecloth; any piece of fabric (or even a blanket!) you find in your house works.
Once you have the base layer in place, begin adding additional layers to add texture. Again – they don’t need to be real table runners. Any swatch of fabric can be used to add texture. If there are rough or frayed edges, just tuck them under and it will look perfect!
You can then use anything really to add further layers. A marble board, a tray, a piece of cloth – just get creative and anything can work!
The next step is anchoring the design. Begin with plates, cutlery, and glassware. Glass has a special effect on a table because it reflects all the colors and the candles, so the more glass the merrier!
Next: The flowers! Florals bring everything on the table together. Again, flowers don’t need to be placed in a vase! Find random things around your house and get creative with them.
A great way of turning random bowls into flower holders is by using chicken wire. Bend the wire to form a ball shape and place it inside your bowl, and you can then place the flower stems into the wire to hold them in place.
One piece of advice: Your flowers shouldn’t be higher than shoulder height when sitting. Otherwise, they’ll block you from seeing the person across the table.
One more thought about flowers: Flowers are living organisms, and all living things die. That’s what makes them so beautiful; their ephemerality. So, don’t worry that they’re going to die in a few days, just enjoy their magic for the time you have them. And then, when they do die, it’s time to create something new!
Finally, you want to add accents. Accents is where the real creativity comes in. You can use anything in your house. Fruits, acorns, crystals, candles, dishes, even books! Really, whatever you find lying around your house can be used as accents for your tablescape.
The one ingredient you can’t skimp on is your creativity! Get insanely creative, and build something beautiful for your home.
In their presentation, Mimulo used a wide array of dishes, vases, flatware and tablecloths, many of which they found upstairs in Kettle & Cord store.
“We did some pre-workshop rummaging upstairs in the Kettle & Cord store,” said Chanie Fraenkel, owner of Mimulo. “We couldn’t believe how many creative tabletop accessories we were able to find!”
To celebrate the event, participants received 15% off any giftware items bought on the night.
Kettle & Cord has a wide range of workshops and classes planned for the upcoming months. The Kettle & Cord Kitchen produced a special Yom Tov Recipe Series in partnership with COLlive.com.
Starting October 17th, Tani Minkowitz from The Kale Maidel will be leading a weekly cooking class for kids. More events will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We hope to host events that are suited to every demographic in our community,” said Susan Kind, Kettle & Cord store manager. “We look forward to welcoming the entire community into our store.”
View the complete Yom Tov Recipe Series at kettleandcord.com/demokitchen
Thank you for posting
Go Freidel and Chani!
These presenters and their presentation is beautiful. Both inside and out.
Wow! You continue to amaze us with you fantastic talent!!!