A SEAT AT THE TABLE: GET INSPIRED BY THE COLOR-FILLED DINING ROOMS OF ASHLEY WHITTAKER

Photo courtesy of House Beautiful

When it comes to setting a beautiful table, designer Ashley Whittaker does it right. Pulling in the colors used in the room, she incorporates the color scheme in the flowers, china, stemware and placemats. When setting your table these holidays, use what you have and add in some fun elements.  Think about mixing items that are at different heights, playing with scale and texture to create nice moments. Throw in something unexpected, like small decorative accessories, if they work with the color palette. And most importantly, have fun, and enjoy the meal.  Ahead, a look at the colorful, layered, and beautifully detailed dining rooms created by Ashley Whittaker. As she told me recently, she is a "dining room girl," and you can see why. She creates transforming spaces to entertain in.

Photos courtesy of Ashley Whittaker

A candy apple red lacquer dining room paired with chocolate brown takes traditional to a youthful, invigorated place. She arranged Dahlias in high and low julep cups and placed them around the table.

This dining room has brown and gold, so purple is a nice accent color. And don't be afraid to mix metals, the gleam of shiny things will be picked up by the glow of the candles.

Purple Ranunculus, a favorite flower of mine, works with the beautiful china and purple stemware with touches of silver

If you are having a blue and white Thanksgiving, working with white flowers is always pretty, and try pulling in a third color for an interesting contrast.