Page 54 - MLT December

Gilded
Accents
Add a little flair to your table by dressing up fruits with a glitzy coat of metallic paint, then inscribe them with the names of your guests for an especially festive touch to your holiday table. Don Thomas and Matthew Wetzel of Thomas Matthew Designs show you how.
1. Start with firm fruits. Since you won’t be eating them, it’s better if they’re underripe. Thomas and Wetzel are
partial to pears, but apples work, too. “Pomegranates are also great and can be recycled into a bowl as a centerpiece once the event is over,” says Thomas.
2. Gild the fruit. The designers favor the Rub ‘n Buff brand in gold, silver or copper. Apply with a soft cloth or T-shirt and buff until you achieve the desired sheen. Or try metallic spray paint, which must be applied in several light, even coats. They recommend Design Master Premium Metals Spray or Krylon.
3. Personalize place cards. Write each guest’s name or initials on the fruit with a paint pen. The designers’ favorite
is a 12-piece set by Craft Smart. You also can write the names on paper tags and tie them with a ribbon or cord to the stem of the fruit.
4. Add embellishments. If you
want an extra pop, position the fruit on a magnolia leaf or other greenery, or in a gold baking cup. Embellish with baby pinecones arranged at the base.
delicate, aged brass key to open the doors,” Sicilia says. “Inside is a smell of history that brings me right back to holiday gatherings in my childhood.”
Her designers suggested lining the back of the china closet with blue-and-white patterned wallpaper. That way, “you aren’t staring at an empty cabinet after you take out the china and crystal,” Wentzel says. “The wallpaper makes things look finished.”
Table Finery
The Sicilia family’s guests gather at a long farmhouse- style trestle table, a transitional piece that creates an aura that’s classic yet contemporary. A Lucite chandelier sparkles overhead. Below it, a wool sisal rug glimmers with a border of metallic threads.
Large wing chairs accented with nail heads are stationed at the head and foot of the dining table,
and blue upholstered chairs line the sides. “They’re so comfortable—a wonderful place to enjoy a meal and have a conversation,” Wetzel says. continued on page 95
For the Sicilias, it was crucial to create a dining room that seamlessly blended the relaxed vibe of a young family with their beloved antiques.
52 December 2019 | www.mainlinetoday.com