Think of food as part of the conversation and you are well on your way to setting up edible flourishes for your special dinner party. Big bunches of red grapes over a bed of ferns down the middle of a long rectangular table turns food into an interactive experience. Guests will nibble as they surround the centerpiece and will be forced to speak to, and hopefully won’t nibble on, each other.
The next time you go to the produce department, pretend you are at the florist. This will put you in the mood for selecting the unique centerpiece for your next dinner party. Consider an arrangement of glossy eggplants, ripe tomatoes and green and yellow zucchini. The can be center stage one night, and for the next party you can give their brother, ratatouille, a shot at show business.
Fruits and vegetables make a lovely show; even if guests might not munch on them they way they might other things (other guests, pets, etc). One California floral designer combined white and brown eggs, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions and birch branches in straw baskets for a special spring luncheon. Consider texture as opposed to color. It will open new doors for ideas. Turn fruits and vegetables into vases when they are not looking. Scoop out a melon or small pumpkin just wide enough to hold a plastic tub and fill it with flowers or candles (or children who simply will not behave).
Use natural elements like autumn leaves, minerals or shells to decorate your table. Pile tiny pinecones in a shallow basket, tucking in a few berries or evergreens among them. Remember too, that an arrangement, just like a guest, can be above a table instead of on it. Chandeliers are just standing around getting dusty. Enlist their aid in hanging Christmas bulbs or other colorful lightweight elements.
Have fun and learn to think outside the traditional party table box.
Related Reading:
“Flowers In The Home: An Old Thought”