Story: Tiffany Adams | Photography: Rett Peek |
Don’t fret over your holiday table décor. Acclaimed designer and owner of Bear Hill Interiors, Kevin Walsh, shows you how to add flavor to the look with a few simple ideas
Think of Thanksgiving and you’re likely to envision a cornucopia and a pumpkin or two. “Pumpkins are awesome, but I really wanted to do something that felt a little different and was more in line with the design of the room,” Kevin Walsh says of a “friends-giving” scene he set for a Little Rock homeowner. Read on to see how he created the look and find inspiration for your own Thanksgiving gathering.
Cleanse the Palette
Working with the hues of the dining room, Walsh selected plum, pink, green, and white as his colors of choice. “You can really work with what you have already; it doesn’t have to be orange, brown, and yellow simply because those are the colors of the season,” he says.
Drop the Formalities (A Notch)
Walsh chose placemats over a more ceremonial tablecloth to keep the look less fussy. Rather than using perfectly matched sets for the tableware, he mixed pieces from beloved collections and the clients’ everyday and formal dinnerware—along with a few new additions—to give a more comfortable flair to the setting. “I think it’s more interesting to mix things up. I do that in my wardrobe and in my home,” he notes.
Gather Your Flowers
Make it easy on yourself when it comes to centerpieces and vases of fresh flowers around your home. Walsh cut a fresh green branch from the homeowners’ yard for the vase on the mantel while a mix of fresh flowers from the local florist and the grocery store were used to create the centerpiece. “It can get expensive to buy everything at the florist for every event,” he says of the money- and time-saving tip.
Station Yourself
“I like the idea of using things in a different way than they were originally intended. This client doesn’t have a sideboard, so using the bar cart for both a beverage server and dessert station makes sense,” Walsh says. He also notes that keeping the desserts in the dining room encourages guests to linger at the table. “There’s no need for anyone to rush through the meal, everything they need is here in the room,” he says.
Take Five with Kevin
Red or White Wine? Sparkling Rosé
Go-to Host Outfit: White jeans and a navy blazer
Currently Collecting: Salt cellars! I also love vintage stemware and china.
Sunrise or Sunset? Sunset
Favorite holiday tradition: I like the classics!! I like to serve turkey, cornbread dressing, roasted vegetables, cranberry relish, and deviled eggs. And, of course, I enjoy being with friends and family and sharing lots of laughter.
Design Resources
Interior design Kevin Walsh, Bear Hill Interiors, Little Rock, (501) 907-9272, bearhillinteriors.com
Art, accessories, fabric, furniture, and lighting Bear Hill Interiors, Little Rock, (501) 907-9272, bearhillinteriors.com
