Create a Fresh Fruit Centerpiece

Try a fresh fruit centerpiece for your tablescape.

Create a Fresh Fruit Centerpiece 

You stepped up and volunteered to host a holiday meal this year.  Good for you!  Among the decisions you will make including the inviting the guests, planning the menu and cooking the meal, one of most fun tasks of the event will be setting your table and creating your centerpiece.  This season, I'm interested in exploring tablescapes featuring fresh fruit.  Read on to learn how to make your own elegant, budget-friendly, and organic centerpiece that also affords one hidden benefit:  you never have to store it!

Building a centerpiece can overwhelm some people, so I'll present some concepts for centerpiece design simplified into three approaches: 1) Height, 2) Color 3) Texture.  Then I'll break down each concept into three levels:  1) Basic, 2) Advanced, and  3) Complex.  Jump in at whatever level you feel comfortable...or that you have supplies for...or that you have time for.

Initial Considerations

Before you even start to construct your centerpiece, take a few moments to consider some of the basics:

• What is the event celebrating?
• Does that event have traditional colors you want to incorporate?
• How many guests are you expecting?  
• Will they all be seated at one table or do you need multiple tables?
• The answer to that will probably answer this question: Will you serve buffet-style, family style or bring individual plates to each guest (what I call restaurant style).
• What will you use to cover your tables?  
• What tableware will you use?

After making these initial decisions, you now have direction to move forward on creation of your centerpiece.

Height

Basic

Live Granny Smith apples with cores removed act
as natural, interesting tea light candle holders.

To begin building a basic height-oriented focal point for your table, take the first step of determining the foundation of your display.  In this case, you are looking for something that is flat.  Some examples of a one-dimensional base are:  serving platter, cutting board, plate, doily or other small piece of fabric, lazy Susan, or a slice of wood with the bark on.  Think about the overall style and tone of your event and match your base accordingly.  For example, if your event is low on formality and high on energy, then you would want to use something homey and cozy like a cutting board or something made of wood. On the other hand, if you set a more elegant table, a base constructed of glass or crystal, perhaps a serving platter with a decorative lip would suit the mood. Now simply arrange a variety fruit on your base in a low fashion in whatever way looks best to you and you are set.  

Advanced 

A base layer creates a visual separation from the tablecloth
to take your table dressing to the next level.

In the advanced category still focusing on height as the starting point, you will add something with more dimension, but not really another layer.  For instance, instead of a platter, think of using a basket or use a cornucopia instead of a doily.  Another example would be to call a wooden trencher into action instead of a wood slice.  A decorative serving bowl or a spare crystal bowl works to add dimension while keeping the arrangement low for easy conversation and visibility at the table. Place the fruit inside the dimensional base, and presto, you're done.

Complex

Did you think that the basic and advanced ideas didn't take your creativity far enough?  If so, then you might want to construct a complex arrangement.  In this case, what you want to add is layering in the height division.  First, set the stage by placing either a doily or a piece of fabric on top of your table cloth and table runner.  Next, build your first level with elevation off the table.  Use something you already own.  Items you could implement include:

• Cake stand
• Tiered serving tray
• Bowl turned upside-down with a plate on top of it (Make sure it is well balanced or else use temporary mounting putty to secure
• Cornucopia or basket 

Take your display to the next level by breaking barriers.  Grapes or strings of cranberries should drape over edges.  Heap up the fruit well beyond the rim of a bowl to increase visual impact. Add a ribbon bow on top and let the tails trail down to the first layer, or all the way down to the table; whatever looks good to you.  There are no hard and fast rules, so let your good taste dominate.

Color

If you're puzzled about where to start with choosing the colors of your centerpiece, don't worry.  It's easier than you might first think.  Draw from the colors in your tablecloth.  Look at your china.  Is there an accent color you'd like to emphasize that you never really noticed before?  Consider colors that traditionally are associated with a specific holiday.

Basic

A monochromatic arrangement draws attentionto other attributes,
such as shape and texture.

A monochromatic color scheme lets a solo color sing.  You can fully explore other facets like shape, size, texture and height while keeping the palette simple.  Anything but boring, a basic color selection can be bold and memorable.

Yellow = Lemons, grapefruit, and bananas
Green = Granny Smith apples, green pears, green grapes, limes
Red = Delicious apples, red pears, cranberries, pomegranates,
Purple =  Plums, grapes, raisins
Brown = Nuts and pinecones, kiwi (uncut), whole pineapple

Yellow pears with red ribbons atop a
clear plate exemplify an advanced
color scheme.

Advanced

Think of your 1+  in a new way, as one color plus an accent. Find inspiration already on your table.  Pick up a color out of your table cloth or table runner.  Look to your china for an accent.  Does the holiday have a traditional color? For example, orange traditionally goes with Thanksgiving, red or green for Christmas, yellow for Easter and so forth. Consider coordinating with a metallic from your utensils.  Are they silver or gold?  Black is always elegant and goes with everything.  White brings to mind restaurant-quality service and emphasizes cleanliness.  Gray plus an accent color is trending right now.  Ivory is timeless.   

Complex

Multiple colors form a visual fruit salad. Drawing from an expanded paintbox conveys a festive and exciting mood.  Watch out for overkill by toning down the other components of height and texture if you decide that a multi-color display is right for your event.  In the hands of an artisan, the mastery of all three components of center piece design can combine to form a true show-stopper.

Texture

Basic 

Three colors of live apples as tea light holders
grouped together form a festive basic texture display.

Stay with one texture.  As a rule of thumb, rough is more casual and smooth tends more toward a more formal presentation.  To hone in on the characteristic of texture, employ just one kind of fruit.  For example, if you wanted a basic texture and you like the texture of pears, you can go could very simple with a graceful, low arrangement of yellow pears on a solid yellow tablecloth.  To make the arrangement one notch more diverse, you could remain mono-texture but add interest through color by stacking single colors of green, then red, and ending with a single yellow pear on top.  To keep a mono-textural display but to add multiple heights, use the strategy above, but build it upon a raised platform.   Example:  yellow, green and read pears all have the same texture.  The same goes with citrus or apples.  The concept applies further to nuts, where walnuts have a bumpy, seamed texture and hazlenuts are defined by a smooth surface.

Advanced 

Smooth skinned fruit plus a rough skinned fruit, like citrus and cranberries.  Tip: Vary the sizes of the members of the visual duet.  Pick two of the following, keeping in mind you 
Fruit (Skin: smooth vs. rough example apple vs. lemon)
Greenery
Nuts (pay attention to smooth skin vs. rough)
Ribbon
Lace

 Elegant fruit centerpiece provides the "Wow"
factor for your festive table.

Complex

If you want to pull out all the stops, then here's your sweet spot.  When you think of the complex level of texture, think of a utilizing three or more and including at least one from three categories:

• Fruit types (smooth skinned vs. rough skinned)
• Greenery or leaves
• Nuts
• Ribbon
• Lace
• Fabric

Summary

By dividing into your preference of  mono- to multi- in each category of height, color and texture you'll quickly and easily create your own fresh fruit display in minutes.   Plus, you'll never get tired of your centerpiece because it will never be the same twice, even if  you try.  Best of all, there will be nothing to store long-term because you'll whip up a new dish featuring whatever fruit you used in your display within a few days of your event. I've used two recipe websites with winning results in the past month: Food Network and Epicurious. The carmel apple pie egg roll-wraps were amazing!

Aren't you just the best for trying new things?  Yes, you are!  ..And so am I, because I'm right in this stretching and growing creative process with you.

Please share your thoughts, successes and failures and ideas in the comments section!  Let's discuss.

All My Best,

Kay
www.GreatDecorIdeas.com