Stylist Rita Brownstein, author of this site Design Megillah along with the book Jewish Holiday Style, shares some beautiful and simple suggestions for freshening your Hanukkah dining table and mantel.
Rita out of Design Megillah
Try a fresh dining table setup. This season Brownstein plans to shake things up in her home by hosting her Hanukkah dinner before the fireplace. “I needed a cozy setup, so I pushed back the living room furniture to make more space,” she states. “It also means that my grandkids can operate around, sit and see on the couch nearby and feel more relaxed than at the dining table.”
Rita out of Design Megillah
Go for blue and metallics. Instead of the typical white, silver and blue palette, Brownstein is updating her appearance with various shades of blue together with glistening gold and copper metallics.
“It’s very important to your holiday dining table to reveal you and the type of your home,” she states. Here she pairs gold bowls out of Pier 1 Imports with snowy Mercer dinner dishes from Crate & Barrel.
Rita out of Design Megillah
Brownstein utilized gold fabric paint to give every meal napkin a number, representing the eight nights of candle light during Hanukkah.
Rita out of Design Megillah
Insert an extra menorah. Though a lot of men and women place their menorah in a front window for all to see, Brownstein places an extra menorah on the table.
“I loved the clean, modern shape of this Tovah menorah from Crate & Barrel, but the polished nickel finish didn’t work with my gold motif,” she states. “So I gave it a quick spray using Krylon Brush Metallic in Sparkling Canyon.”
Rita out of Design Megillah
Utilize dreidels as vase fillers. Gold dreidels add weight to a vase and reflect the candlelight without needing any play away from the white hydrangeas.
Rita out of Design Megillah
Set an alternative candy bowl. Brownstein found that this soap dish Target. “The blue rock candy seems great with the glass mosaics and makes a wonderful addition to the dining table,” she states.
Rita out of Design Megillah
Have a mantel of wonders. She changed the mantel with shimmery golds, with presents wrapped in blue paper near.
Rita out of Design Megillah
String some grown-up gelt. Brownstein made this gelt garland with vinyl coins she found at a party supply store.
To produce your own gelt garland, you will need:
Hot glue gunWhite string that could manage the weight of your coinsPlastic gold coinsThumbtacks1. Measure the diameter of your mantel using the string. Allow extra so that the string can hang loose in miniature layers. Brownstein layered four string strands.
2. Glue two coins back to back on every string, 3 to 4 inches apart.
3. Connect the string ends together and secure them to the side of the mantel with thumbtacks.
Rita out of Design Megillah
Send a special message. Brownstein painted chipboard letters with gold crafts paint and glued a wood skewer, also painted gold, to the rear of every one. “They’re sitting in glass votive cups filled with salt. The term “wonders” is appropriate, because the story of Hanukkah entails how a small group of soldiers, the Maccabees, defeated the whole Syrian army,” she states.
Rita out of Design Megillah
Have handmade favors. Donation packs perk the hutch. Brownstein made paper dreidels from patterned scrapbook paper in her palette of blues and metallics.
Rita out of Design Megillah
She wrapped the dinner favors such as a petite Hanukkah gift. “I filled them with blue jellybeans in keeping with the colour scheme. A chocolate gelt coin makes a perfect tag,” she states.
Rita out of Design Megillah
“When I was growing up, Hanukkah was simply lighting the menorah for eight nights and getting a few presents,” Brownstein says. “Today we’re bombarded with so much more beauty and creativity in design. Don’t forget: The holidays are a fantastic opportunity to reflect your individual design style.”
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