Now Blooming

December 2005

'Tis The Season To Bring The Outdoors In For Festive Party Decor

By Rachel Ezekiel-Fishbein

When guests arrive at Brad and Dina Baker's annual Chanukah party at their home in Wyncote, they never know what to expect.

Each year, the Bakers vary the menu, choosing a different theme which they carry into the party decor. While this year may bring a Cajun twist on the traditional fare, jazz on the stereo, a sultry ambience and entertainment to match the mood, 2006 could be an exotic tribute to the Middle East. What guests can always expect is that the Bakers' 150 year old Victorian home will be adorned in a non-traditional yet inviting style. They'd expect nothing less; Brad Baker, president of the Wyncote landscape design firm Baker Creative, has helped many of them create beautiful and exciting settings for their own family parties and special events.

"When you entertain, you're trying to set a mood," says Baker. "You can do this with the food and drinks you serve, the lighting, the music, and certainly the way you decorate. We often alter the mood from room to room, helping to create an interesting flow. For instance, sometimes we make the dining room very bright and cheery, but serve after dinner drinks in the living room, where we create a more relaxed, sedate feeling through the use of richly colored candles and greenery,”

Anticipating and planning around the flow of a party is step one to judicious decor which highlights your home's beauty, encourages your guests' enjoyment, and maintains a safe environment (for your special items, as well as your special guests). "Hosts often move furniture when selling up for a party,” explains Baker. "When you do this, it's important to take a fresh look at the views you've created from room to room and out of windows. Putting a table or sideboard in front of a window may necessitate festive lights in a bush right outside that window to give your buffet the right backdrop.”

The style of party is also important. A buffet meal will necessitate more movement and clearer pathways. When planning a sit-down meal, even the most beautiful centerpiece, if it is too tall, can obscure a guest's line of vision, making conversation across the table impossible. For that reason, Baker prefers a simple bowl of water with flowers or leaves floating in it. "I'll often walk outside right before the party and pick a handful of leaves, flowers or colorful berries. Hydrangea flowers float very nicely, as do berries and leaves.”

And just because it's called a centerpiece doesn't mean your main arrangement must go in the center of the table. Another option if you like large arrangements is to create a basket or vase design for the sideboard or windowsill. This can also help you draw the eye toward the view outside of your yard or holiday lights.
One of Baker's favorite ways to carry a theme throughout a party is to marry the menu and the decor by highlighting special aspects of the meal in various displays. This can be particularly inviting at this time of year, when so many of the foods we serve are rich colors from the red, yellow and orange family. For example, if you are serving a special cranberry dish, for which you are known, you might want to create a colorful display of berries, nuts, pumpkins and squash to highlight the cranberries. This can be done in a basket or set up free form on a table where food will be served.

If food is not the main event at your party, you can use this idea with other objects that maintain your theme. Baker recently helped a friend prepare for his wedding by creating backdrops for the ceremony. The wedding was held on a grass croquet court in the middle of a beautiful arboretum. Each year, the groom hosted a croquet fundraiser in this same spot, giving it special significance to the couple. Baker honored that tradition by using natural, seasonal foliage from the arboretum, in large stands with croquet balls in the center. The whimsical displays captured the essence of the event far better than a simple display of flowers might have.

When planning a holiday party, most of the focus naturally falls onto the interior of your home. It is an ironic twist of fate that the time from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day is the busiest season for entertaining while it is also the time of year when many of us have put our landscapes to bed. When planning your party, don't forget to take a moment to consider how your home will look as your guests approach, as well as the impact your landscape will make when viewed from the inside.

Each year, the Bakers decorate their front porch with a giant Winterberry Holly bush in a large planter. This particular type of bush sports large, red berries. Placed just so, the porch light reflects off the berries creating a colorful approach for the Bakers' guests. Through the dining room window, as they are perusing the buffet, the guests are treated to another view of this vibrant shrub. Baker often clips branches from the bush for the dining room table arrangement to create consistency between the outdoor and indoor decor.
Outdoor lights can focus attention where you desire in various ways. The use of tiny twinkle lights can draw the eye, as can a soft light aimed at a special tree or bush which can be seen through a window.

There are also many ways to bring the outdoors in to greet guests at your party. Rather than the traditional summer pot of outdoor flowers, you can bring inside a large pot of cut or dried plants, such as grasses or hydrangea flowers. Just be aware that cut materials will dry out within a few weeks. You'll want to discard them before they start losing needles and making a mess in your entryway. You can also highlight beautiful woodwork with pine roping or holly branches (whose berries make a nice accent). Use fabric ribbons to carry the colors of your party throughout your displays. By changing the color of ribbon, you can change the mood of the display - bright or shocking for a child's birthday party or gilt-edged and structured for your evening event.

Already, Brad Baker has set up his beautiful Winterberry Holly. The Chanukah party menu is complete and the Bakers are crafting ideas to adorn their home in a fitting manner for the party. However, I can't tell you anything more lest I ruin the surprise for the Bakers' guests.

Quick Tips For Party Planning and Holiday Decorating
As you plan your own holiday party décor, keep these tips in mind for easy maintenance, safety and the most desirable results.

Be aware of the materials you’re using and whether they’re hazardous to animals or children. If there will be animals or children at your celebration, also place candles out of reach and use only non-toxic plants.
Less is more. Be judicious about mixing scents and hues. A limited palette of plant materials will tell a consistent story and provide a more dramatic impact.
Consider how people will move through the house, so you don’t put decorations or heirlooms in harm’s way.
Many winter cuttings carry small seeds. When bringing them in, be careful not to end up with piles of little seeds all over your floor.
Any greenery is likely to dry out, particularly roping which you don’t keep in water. Watch it carefully and discard it before it becomes unsightly.

Brad Baker is a Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist. You can reach him at Baker Creative, 215-884-4978 or Brad@BakerCreative.com. To see his work, visit www.BakerCreative.com.

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