Decorating for a Party (Part II)

We've observed that many people don't know how to decorate their homes for a party or gathering, so, following up on our previous blog post on this subject, here are more ideas on decorating your home for an event.

The best place to start is probably by looking around your home and deciding either that any party decorations must fit in with your decor, which you already like, or that you want something completely different from your decor for your party.  For example, my sister's friend is an attorney who is very traditional in his home and office decor but once a year he has a tiki party or a luau where the decor is all tropical. As we have written about theme parties and their decor before and will do so again this fall, today we will talk about decorating for a party based on your existing home decor.

Once you decide whether you want to basically stick with your usual type of decor or taste for your party or you want something really different, the next step is to decide the areas of your home where you'll concentrate the decor.  Places like the entry way or living room, the dining room or great room, the patio...Wherever you decide will be the focal points for the party. 

Some people like to put some decorative element in every room for a party; if you want to do this, use SMALL decorative elements in these other rooms such as a small glass or vase with a small bouquet or even one flower head or small containers of potpourri, shells, stones, whatever, in a powder room or bedroom.  Keep the decroative interest on 2 or max 3 rooms at your party and you won't go wrong. Parties where EVERY room has a riot of large florals remind us of funeral homes! No, instead keep the decorative focus in the rooms where the guests will be concentrated.

Some decorative looks for parties that we like are:

• More formal-looking tablecloth, flowers, centerpiece and/or candles or candelabras
• Rustic chic (Pottery Barn style) with bare trestle table, metal or glass candlesticks, fresh fruit in a pottery centerpiece, heavy glassware, no table linens
• Modern glass or metal table, pastel or medium-colored (even in several different colors) placemats, one large or several small clear or white square or interesting-shaped vases, square plates, contrasting pastel colors of rolled or folded napkins on the plates--too many modern event designs use too much red, which often looks too "agressive" and cold, so the pastel or medium colors touch here warms things up!
• Eclectic--Mix and match table linens with solid overlay in complementary color over patterned cloth or vice versa, flowers in a colored vase in color to complement linens or in a clear square vase or even a nice pitcher, colored plates and clear or colored glasses or those glasses with colored rims

Each basic party decor scheme, based on your existing home decor and taste--traditional, rustic chic, modern, eclectic-can be interpreted dozens of ways to suit you. 

And look in your closets and ask friends--what do you have, or do your friends have, that might work for your party? Recently we borrowed from a chef a wonderful square silver footed tray about six inches high and we used it serve very modern-looking skewers diagonally, and the guests loved that unusual display.

Enjoy!

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com