Christmas in the tropics is real – especially if you live in south Florida. This tablescape was a breeze (tropical pun intended) to design once I turned my daughter’s childhood collection of seashells into three Christmas trees – see my Seashell DIY project here. Not only is this tablescape beautiful, but it hits all those nostalgic notes, too. I can see these seashell trees making an appearance in my home for years to come.
HERE’S HOW I STYLED IT
I started with the DIY tree project linked above and I also decorated five 3-inch clear plastic ornaments with a few coastal details. The first three were wrapped in netting and finished with a jute ribbon. I filled the last two with beach sand and a few seashells and finished with a sage green velvet ribbon for a slight contrast in texture, not to mention Christmas and velvet go together, right? Five ornaments were enough to scatter among the three trees.
Note: Remember in design, odd numbers work best, especially when displaying items, three and five are very appealing.
I used a muslin fabric as a tablecloth. It has a sandy quality to it and it’s the neutral slate I needed since my set up is indoors. It’s too hot to set up outside now. Had it been outside, I would set up on a wood table and instead of a “sandy” tablecloth, I would have scattered actual sand under the greenery and allowing it to spill out a bit so you could see the sand. The three seashell trees were arranged along the center of the table to create the height for the centerpiece. I purchased two seaweed-looking floral picks and trimmed the sprigs off the pick so I could loosely place them around the trees, simulating the seaweed that you find on the shore. The centerpiece was finished with scattered sea stars, sea shells and fairy lights.
I added fairy lights to the table because let’s be real, fairy lights make everything magical – especially at Christmas. Since the trees are styrofoam, I carved out an opening in one tree to hide the fairy light’s battery box. This was great trick and I was able to tuck the battery box inside the opening without any problem. Had I not done this, I would need to cover up the unsightly and noticeable battery box.
For the actual place setting, I started with a water hyacinth placemat, cream colored plates, and a water hyacinth napkin ring to hold the napkin. A neutral ribbon around the napkin ring with a seashell glued onto the ribbon tied all the elements together. Can we talk about the cream plates? I love the edging on this plate, it’s reminiscent of ocean waves and has a ripple effect to them! Bamboo flatware, seagrass woven glasses and pitcher finish off the setting with natural elements for those beach vibes.
To complete the theme in the dining room, I also gave the chandelier some needed attention by weaving green garland throughout and placing a few sea stars and ribbons. I used the same ribbon I used on the napkin rings. I don’t know if you can see it but, I added a large piece of white coral decor in the china cabinet and a large shell and floral arrangement on the bar cart. Now the whole dining room has tropical touches to make a cohesive coastal/beachy/tropical dining experience.
Below you can see the full dining area and how the theme come together. If you wish to view my other coastal tablescapes in my series for more inspiration, please click on Hamptons’ Coastal Tablescape, Neutral Coastal Tablescape and New England Blue Crab Tablescape. I hope they inspire you to create something beautiful.
SOURCING
Muslin fabric, seaweed floral picks, ribbons – any craft/fabric store like Hobby Lobby or JoAnn’s Fabric
Water Hyacinth Woven Placemats – Amazon
Water Hyacinth Napkin Rings – Amazon
Mikasa French Countryside Dinner Plates – Macy’s
Cambridge Bamboo Flatware – Amazon
Tommy Bahama Seagrass Drinking Glasses and Pitcher – HomeGoods, or this gorgeous one by Mark&Graham
April Cornell Botanical Poinsettia Christmas Napkins – HomeGoods years ago, try eBay
Italian Green Wine Glasses – vintage, try sourcing similar ones on eBay, Goodwill or Estate Sales
Seashells and Sea Stars – personal collection but, try sourcing at a craft store or visit a Florida beach (tourist plug)!
