The designer Edyta Czajkowska of Edyta & Co. sent us a photo her dining room all dressed up for the holidays. Czajkowska decided against the traditional color schemes of red/green or white/gold. Here are her thoughts on the room:
I used predominantly turquoise, pink and gold—a modern twist on the traditional green and red. I wanted to make it fun, fresh and festive. I mixed different china, crystal glasses, and colored glass plates and used a saturated paisley fabric to completely change the feel of the space to take me back to warm cozy holiday feeling that I cherish from my days as a child growing up in Poland as well as the holidays here in the U.S. at my parents’ house. The fabric reminds me of beautiful silk paisley scarves that I love. I put vintage glass plates on white clean-lined china. I just loved their saturated color. Mixing china is such a fun way to create a completely different look, start a color scheme, and serve as a starting point for the whole design of the holiday decor. I approach table setting the same way as I approach a design of an interior—starting with an inspiration (in this case, turquoise glass plates mixed with white and gold china) and create a plan. I love the happy vibrant combination of pink and turquoise, so I knew it would be a perfect color scheme. I also wanted to incorporate some quirky elements, so I added a couple gold owl candles that I love for their whimsy, and flea-market yellow shot glasses that serve as pretty bud vases. I also used pretty yellow rose motif tea cups (a gift from my mom) with a sweet tassel hanging from its handle. The tea cups hold chocolate covered almonds and gold-wrapped candy. On the side console table, I included tiered striped gold/cream boxes served as packages for candy and now create a pretty and organized vignette. A bouquet of flowers adds color and a natural element while not overwhelming the dining table, and an ornate gold frame with a photo makes it bit more personal.