The secrets to great tablescapes

A stylish room is all about how you display accessories. Handy surfaces like hall tables, coffee tables and bedside pedestals offer an ideal platform for showcasing your favourite things, so here are some great ideas to try out in your own home

 

1. Simplicity is often best. Jo’burg interior decorator Peter Thomas chose an all-white theme for this arrangement of ceramic objet on a sofa table.

2. Layering items on top of each other is very trendy at the moment, especially when displaying collectables as shown in this arrangement of antique boxes, books, silver trays and blue and white porcelain. Decor by Suttie & Marais Designs.

3. It’s a great idea to bring wall-mounted pictures and objet into a tablescape. Here, a flower painting completes a bedside table composition.

4. A potting table and stool lend themselves to a rustic display of succulents in ceramic and glass vessels. A vintage garden fork adds a vertical element balancing the round shapes of the plants.

5. The importance of different heights, sizes, shapes and textures in a composition is evident in this brilliantly curated tablescape. Interior design by Interdeco.

Tips for creating artful tablescapes

  • If you’re a novice at tablescaping, stick to a theme, for instance a nature-inspired theme or a colour theme.
  • Items of different heights are essential to create interest. If necessary, place accessories on boxes, plinths or books.
  • A mix of textures, rough and smooth, shiny and matt, always makes for an interesting composition.
  • Using odd numbers of accessories works well.
  • Always include something alive such as flowers or a plant.
  • Combine things you love so that your personality shines through.