Natural Beauty
Life
Tables of Content
Local style gurus bring you three distinctive ways to dress up your table for the holidays.
BY
Caroline Eberly
PHOTOGRAPHY
J. Curtis and Martin Crabb
PRODUCED BY
Elaine St. Louis

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Natural Beauty

Jodi Feinhor-Dennis, owner of Invironments in Boulder, creates a crisp and classy spread that’s cool, but never cold—with natural touches such as pinecones and pears to bring in holiday warmth.

Setting the Table: In keeping with the eco-savvy aesthetic of Invironments, a full interior design showroom, Feinhor-Dennis built her design around what most people cover up: “The table was the starting point,” she says. “Its monochromatic eco-sensibility really shines through, especially for fall.” From there, the spread evolved as the designer sought to create an eclectic, nature-inspired collage. “I bought flowers and candies and oranges that I thought would add to the tabletop aesthetic, but in the end, I discovered that greens, blues and browns were much more soothing and calming.” This approach mirrors her advice for all of us as we set out to dress up our holiday tables: “Have an aesthetic, not a theme.”

The Festive Flourishes: “The best option was a set of white oval plates contrasting with the woods. They just pop right off, then the brown bowls balance them out,” she says. The rock runner in the center of the table upstaged the idea of placemats, so Jodi opted to showcase the texture of the wood, along with other natural elements: pears, for their brilliance, and extra large pinecones that have “a unique sculptural and textural quality.” Against the backdrop of neutral hues, “it’s the little hits of color that pull your eye across the table,” Feinhor-Dennis says. And for a touch of finery, she recommends that you “find something that’s a jewelry piece.” Here, the Michael Aram handcrafted Twigware from Peppercorn in Boulder brings just the right amount of sparkle.

Why It Works: “You can’t go wrong when you add earthy elements to a project,” Feinhor-Dennis says. “If you look at the table, there’s a layering of the woods and the rocks and the texture of the pinecones; then the smoothness of the plates rounds out the whole package. It’s really great to do a more sophisticated slant on the holidays so it’s not just the typical glitz.”
invironments-design.com