Pepper Design Blog

Holiday Entertaining: Thanksgiving Inspiration

What are your plans for Turkey Day? Next to a delicious meal and afternoon food comma, the Thanksgiving tablescape is high on my list of what I look forward to. Serious about the food comma – my mom’s apple and pumpkin pie… mmmm.

I love a beautiful table because it can be so inviting and it really speaks to how special a meal is. Plus, it’s an awful lot of fun to plan and pull together.

Here are a few tablescapes that I’m especially inspired by this Thanksgiving (and here’s my list for 2010):

Initially found over here, the color palette of this rustic tablescape is what caught my eye. How beautiful is the teal against the rich brown and pops of bright orange? But the details are equally adorable! How creative are those crossword and wishbone name cards? and the newspaper filled cloche? Lovely job, Chris!

Next up? A modern and neutral table backed by a pop of color.

I love the idea of keeping your table simple (with, say, a basic white tablecloth topped with a wide brown runner) and creating a statement out of your food serving area. Pick up a brightly colored fabric remnant and drape it over the existing tabletop decor (such as a large mirror or picture frames) for an fresh display. More details on this party here.

Statement runner. Enough said. Simple, classy and no need for extra decor which leaves plenty of room for all of the fixen’s right there in the center.

This bridal shower doubles as a beautiful fall tablescape. You know what immediately caught my eye though? How ingenius a simple ribbon running the length of the table is. What an easy way to introduce a new color to your table palette and to reuse current craft room items!

Finally, you can’t go wrong with classic white. Give your Halloween pumpkins new life by coating them in a thin coat of white spray paint to match classic white dishware. I would incorporate bits of thrift store lace and my crocheted doilies to balance out vintage with modern in this refreshing tablescape. Thanks, It’s Overflowing for the inspiration!

Many thanks to Pampers, Play Dates & Parties for getting the brain juices flowin’ – be sure to check out more ideas here.

Office Makeover: Finished Fabric Corkboards

I thought that these would never be finished. Here’s a project for the office that I started a couple of months ago and have finally completed!

I was really wanting a set of custom corkboards for behind the desk so that I could hang inspirational images, fabric swatches, photos of Liv, and maybe even a work pie chart in there somewhere.

The frames were built from scratch out of engineered wood molding, the corkboards were upcycled from cork placemats from the Goodwill, the fabric is a beautiful Thomas Paul print from Calico Corners (found here) and the time and energy to assemble should have taken a few days tops but, sigh, it took a bit longer than that. (Remember when I shared my round up of bulletin board inspiration?)

I love the colors up against the grasscloth wall and I think the dark brown frame plays nicely with the other lighter wood tones (while complimenting the bronze pharmacy lamp).

This is just a quick sneak peek – it’s on its way to being covered in favorite tear sheets, remnants and pictures and I’ll be sure to take better photos in the morning light. That plus the tutorial of building these guys coming soon.

Yay! They’re finished!

Also, please stop on by Daisy Dreaming and join me as I take part in Kelsey’s wedding series where she asked me specifically about my wedding flowers – I am full of smiles when I think back on that beautiful day and I was thrilled to share my details with her.

For more Office Makeover posts, check out: handmade capiz pendant light, organizing the bookshelves, wall collage part 1, part 2, fabric bulletin board inspiration, (new) inspiration board, new lamps, wallpapering open shelves, finding the perfect credenza, new trim, dining table-to-desk, a new desk & bookshelves, installing remnant carpeting, grasscloth wallpaper, painting the office nook, finding carpet for the office, chocolate brown wall ideas, plastering progress,  inspiration for a diy desk, back in action!, desking hunting for under $300, bookcases under $300,inspirational rooms, room layout options, demo part 1 & demo part 2.

Office Makeover: The (New) Inspiration Board

Thank you so much to everyone who sent their condolences yesterday, I really appreciate the notes. I’m so grateful to have such kind readers! We’re back from Omaha and the dust has settled, it’s good to be distracted.

I thought it might be fun today to share the ‘inspiration board’ behind the new office. This isn’t an exact and I’m sure our minds will change again and again over the next month, but it’s an outline that helps to narrow down furniture, accessory and ‘do we need this?’ choices.

Back before we were even close to finishing the space, I shared this layout idea (with an initial color palette) and these inspirational rooms. Wow, much has changed in the last eight months! But you know, looking back so many ideas have stayed the same, too. Some stuff just sticks with you.

Key pieces in the above room include: a desk, bookshelves, refrubished credenza (not pictured), wallpaper for credenza, grasscloth, new platform bed, a wooden office chair (I’ll add plenty of padding to make it comfy), a French-style occasional chair (a Craigslist find like this would be so cool), bedding, window curtains, side table with a handmade skirt, new lamp and chic office organizers. So I’m maybe half way through the list?

Inspirational fabrics include: Arden Chocolate by Ballard Design, Joann’s Dot Brown, Calico Corners’ Thomas Paul in Silhouette, Aviary Thomas Paul in Robin, Robert Allen Roman’s Circle in Pool and Thibaut’s Jubilee Collection. Love, love, loving these prints!

Creating an inspiration board is usually high in my process for building out a room. It keeps you from distraction and really focuses you on the functions and feel of your finished space – it’s especially useful if you’re tempted with an impulse buy!

Wow it feels like the office is ALMOST there! Especially considering the room started as this:

And once the kitchen was removed (and the wall between the old office and kitchen was knocked down), turned into this:

Little by little!

For more Office Makeover posts, check out: new lamps, wallpapering open shelves, finding the perfect credenza, new trim, dining table-to-desk, a new desk & bookshelves, installing remnant carpeting, grasscloth wallpaper, painting the office nook, finding carpet for the office, chocolate brown wall ideas, plastering progress,  inspiration for a diy desk, back in action!, desking hunting for under $300, bookcases under $300, inspirational rooms, room layout options, demo part 1 & demo part 2.