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Elegant Table Centerpiece French Country Decorating

table centerpiece for champagne brunch
My dining room…that you’ve certainly seen before and is always in a state of perpetual motion and massive flux. These photos were for a styled shoot that I had so much fun creating when asssigned by the editor at French Style magazine to contribute to the fall issue that just came out. I think that it was May or June, and that’s how things roll.

Off to the market and with my short list of what was requested in search of flowers.

Elegant Table Centerpiece French Country Decorating

The flower selection where I live generally speaking is not necessarily the best, so I make do with what’s available and fill in with greenery.

french country decorating rustic elegant table
The colors of pinks and golds were my theme and a champagne brunch. I started by creating a centerpiece and I enjoy creative challenges like this when I have to make do with what I have!

A CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH

The table was set the night before, after gathering all of my supplies and shooting was scheduled for the next day.
There was much to prepare. The table centerpiece idea was to take a piece of the 1940’s pottery that I collect and was sitting as a cast off in the garden and to spray paint it gold. I was looking for something that had a compote feel with a footed base and that’s how I started building the tablescape. Tall with florals in the center and cascading out from each side a swath of fresh and fragrant seeded eucalyptus. Fall was suggested with fresh fruit from the grocery store with apples, pears and oranges woven in the mix.

 

pink champagne flute with gold sugar

 

Pink prosecco in champagne flutes were rimmed with gold sugar that I have for baking and I mixed in my favorite vintage wine glasses that are pink with pretty etching. I don’t have a live assistant, so I do this all myself and I keep in mind the view that will take place from the camera lens as I set up.

 

rustic table with elegant tablescape setting
The gold charger plates are from the dollar store and were white, so I painted them gold to bring out the gilding in my Limoges plates and vintage gold flatware.
french pear on limoges china plate
I ombre dyed the napkins in pink and although I don’t do much pink these days I still love some pops of it in a romantic setting like this FALL CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH!
buffet stand with fruit and cupcakes

A tiered stand filled with fruit and cupcakes on the buffet, some candlesticks and a few other touches and that about does it! Stepping back and observing, taking a few shots with my iPhone to see how things were looking and I was off to bed and excited to shoot the next day.

French country dining room party
And then I woke up to thunder and lightening and a front moving through that was to bring tons of rain over the next couple of South Florida days. Not an ideal situation for print, but I managed and set up some studio lighting and in some shots used a fill flash. You can’t see the rain outside in the shot above, but it was crazy that day!
french country table and chairs
french style magazine fall 2016
If you’d like to see more, you can find my work and the work of many others in the GORGEOUS issue of French Style Magazine this month. It’s on newsstands now and as always it’s quite an honor to be featured and the opportunity to work at what I LOVE.

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One Comment

  1. I just love reading and viewing your posts. The camera work is quite good and really makes a bra presentation. I am very fond of French country design. Thank you for sharing. Jean