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Show WOMAN'S WORLD Simple Table Decorations Help Build Family Culture, Pleasure I By Ertta Haley Textured Place Mat f ' L - ' ir,'..i., DO YOU THY TO make every meal a thing of beauty? A mem-lory mem-lory to cherish? A way of building itaste and culture? If, not, try it for 'awhile and see how much pleasure 'you and the family can have. One woman can get together an economical casserole and salad and !set it on the table with flair, while another has to spend hours in her kitchen on a meal that is not enjoyed en-joyed nearly as much. Often the secret of enjoyment lies in the way the table is set, and the way in which the meal is served. Even the simplest meals can be turned into the loveliest occasions with the proper settings. A single houseplant placed in the proper container and tasteful appointments in china and glassware can increase the appeal of the meal. Eye-catching accessories need not involve straining the budget, but they will probably stretch the imagination. im-agination. It's fun to see how creative crea-tive you can really be, even with a limited budget and storage space. Many decorations which are chosen can be used for both table and buffet, buf-fet, and they may go on mantel, desk and console as well. The style and trends reflected in the furnishings of your home will dictate in some degree the kind of table settings you have. You will have china and glasses, along with silverware, which goes along with A place mat for any type of table that is both practical and durable is this one made of vinylite sheeting that has a raised tulip design against linen textured surface. It will neither slide nor scratch the table, and can be cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth. home, but most often solids are used. Deep colors and off shades are especially good. Breakfast pottery, which these homes have, often have pieces which can serve dual purpose. Many of the water pitchers make clever flower and plant holders, while crystal blocks, bowls and pieces used on mantels, coffee or side tables ta-bles may often be brought to the dining table for centerpieces. Plants offer excellent material for the tables, and are best when used simply, such as a single spray in a rectangular container without any decoration. Ming trees and other oth-er Oriental figurines may also fit well into Modern decor. Table linens for the modern table ta-ble are severely simply, and most often rely just on color and texture for their handsome appearance. You might have an assortment of Inexpensive table cloths in textured cotton or rayon in aqua, forest green, chartreuse, wine or brown, as a basis for the dining table wardrobe. Woven and simulated place mats in natural or deeper colors will help out for breakfasts and luncheons. Modern tables use simple lines . . . a traditional, Colonial or modern house. Table decor should conform to these to be in the best possible taste. . Seasons will help you to plan interesting in-teresting centerpieces for your tables, ta-bles, too, and this will help foster appreciation of nature in the youngsters. young-sters. Provincial Styles Use riaids, Florals, Copper If your home is done in one of the Provincial styles, then plaids, florals flo-rals or any of the early American china patterns will be perfectly in keeping for table decor. Any of the pottery pieces might also be used for accessories. The burnished or sun-baked sand tones which you see in pottery can be chosen for pottery pieces. Use these for table service, especially for the very informal meals. They can serve a dual purpose by being used as flower, fruit and plant containers con-tainers when the occasion demands. Burnished copper and even brass have the color and sturdiness which Is also in good taste for homes in Traditional Types Should Spell Elegance when Formal Elegant crystal and silverware, are part of the traditional or Eighteenth Eight-eenth century home, and are therefore there-fore at home on the dining table. When you have to be formal, it can be done on short notice with your fine damask or linen, ornate silverware silver-ware and exquisite china. In this case the floral centerpieces which are most appropriate, should have a purely classical line, and must be carefully arranged rather than massed. Tall candelabra, tall salt and pepper pep-per shakers, and even tall silver vases for the flowers will be entirely en-tirely in keeping with the traditional tradition-al table set for formal dining. Informal dining will call for your porcelain birds, figurines and ceramic ce-ramic flowers that can be arranged to fit any shape in tables. Flowers are not necessary if you have enough figurines and ceramics to make pleasing settings from them. Many of the epergnes will hold flowers and fruit at the same time, and are in good taste for informal occasions that will still have that "dressed up" look. For long buffet tables, you will probably want to use more of stately state-ly silverware in your collection. Serving dishes and their lids, set end to end are good for holding flowers, in the absence of other suitable containers. Give Variety to Table With Different Cloths China, silver and glassware are usually not changed at different intervals in-tervals and women want to know how they can achieve different effects ef-fects with the tables. The easiest way to do this, no matter what style of decor you use, is to change the background on which you set the china and silverware. Linens are replaced, and these hold the key to changing the table just enough to give the necessary variety. For informal dining you can have place mats of inexpensive cottons, many of which can be made at home. The same is true of the smaller cloths so useful at breakfast break-fast and luncheon. A colorful solution to this problem prob-lem can also be provided by smartly smart-ly styled place mats made from flexible vinylite plastic sheeting formed with three dimensional surfaces sur-faces that look like fabric but give no laundering or ironing problems. They're easily cleaned with running run-ning water or a damp cloth. In the absence of much centerpiece center-piece information, you can add colorful coasters to the table, thus giving it more interest. These should, if possible, match the place mats. Colors in the new fashions are designed to appeal to the men, and they will certainly meet every taste. Ranging from pale to vivid flower tones, they include pinks, violets, mauves, off-whites, and include in-clude black and navy for the more conservative taste. Those who feel they cannot wear the ultra slim skirts on most of the new suits will undoubtedly find to their taste the "trouser pressed" suit skirt which is fuller than slim, but still very much in keeping with the pencil type lines of the new clothes. Period styles adhere to tradition. Provincial styles. The skillets can be used to serve oven meals from the broiler, for rolls, plants or flowers. If you have a couecuon of peasant figurines and can tuck plants in them, these are excellent to use either singly or in groups as a centerpiece for the table. Backgrounds for the table depend a great deal on what particular style your dishes are. For plaids, use cloths or place mats in one of the colors predominating the plaid, or at least one which harmonizes well with them. For delicate floral dishes, sheer white cloths are always al-ways good, and they may be starched cottons, organdies or linen. Modern Tables Need Clean, Simple Lines Should the predominating style of decoration in the home be Modern, then you'll need to make the table simple, sleek and completely uncluttered. un-cluttered. Table decor for tables in homes where Modern is the main influence may be as inexpensive as possible, or they may be as expensive as you wish since pottery, glass or high priced silverware are used. Lines are often rectangular or square, but they may have odd shapes even though the basic Lines are simple and graceful. Many pieces of this period have square shapes with suddenly rounded or turned up corners. Colors may be muted or bright, whatever is in keeping with the |
