Shaker furniture is recognized for its simplicity and craftsmanship.
The Shakers, a religious sect, left England for America in the early 1700s, and, as the decades passed, they became famous for the clean, simple designs of the furniture they crafted. Shaker occasional tables come in a number of styles, each adaptable for use in an entry foyer. When decorating a Shaker table, the rule is less is more. Does this Spark an idea?
Organizational
Entry tables, because of their location, can become a dumping ground for keys, mail and other items you set down as you come into your home. Organize things in a simple but elegant fashion in keeping with the design of your Shaker table by lining up wooden pantry boxes, also crafted by the Shakers, on the table's top. Their oval shape adds a sculptural appearance while their tops conceal clutter. Similar boxes crafted by the Amish work just as well, as do woven sea grass baskets with lids.
Natural
Add a splash of color with flowers, but avoid arrangements that are too large for the table's delicate lines. Stick with simple arrangements like white hydrangea blossoms in an unadorned pottery vase or line up gerbera daisies -- one each in a cobalt blue bud vase -- across the table's top. Small rosemary topiaries, one at each end of the table centered by a rustic wooden bowl, appeal to your sense of both sight and smell. Fill a glass bowl with beach rock that has been smoothed by sand and water. Place it in the center of the table to create a soothing centerpiece directly from nature.
Collections
Editing your collections down to a few items is one way to streamline a display and an ideal way to decorate a Shaker entry table. Center the table with a white stoneware platter in a plate holder, and flank it with a graceful stoneware pitcher on one side and a bowl on the other. For a rustic look, fill a wooden bowl with balls of yarn or fabric, and place it in the center of the table. Evoke an English cottage feel, but keep it simple with just one china cup and saucer in a floral pattern placed on a lace doily centered with a matching china creamer holding a small rose bouquet. Stack vintage books on the table, and top with a taper candle placed in a rustic candle holder.
Seasonal
Stay true to your Shaker table's simple but elegant design. Welcome spring with a bouquet of daffodils in a timeless crystal vase, or fill a basket with raffia or dried flower heads and top with wooden eggs and a small bunny crafted from linen or cotton. Granny Smith apples add a touch of summer color lined up like soldiers across the table top or corralled inside a wreath made from twigs. Fall calls for simple arrangements of gourds, dried sunflower heads and mums on a woven linen runner. White candles inside glass hurricane lanterns surrounded by greenery highlighted with pine cones, small glass ornament balls and holly berries strikes the right note at Christmas.
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