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Sieze The Holiday! So once again it is time to celebrate the birthdays of our two great nations. If you are like many Northscapers out there who are craving an outdoor affair that will let you enjoy the fresh air but don’t really have an inspiring space to work with, don’t fret. This article is all about the gentle art of placement, cover-up and creativity and how you can use all three to literally transform even the most bare of spaces into a masterful outdoor retreat.
To begin, let’s take a look at a few outdoor set-ups courtesy of your team here at Northscaping. First, we tried our hand at creating a casually elegant Canadian country theme. The classy yet casual spread may look like an expensive vintage set-up, but it was achieved for just under a budget of $50. Next, we created an intimate Independence Day affair, targeted at those of you who may not have the luxury of having a back yard to play in, but who may want to use their patio space to create their own outdoor party atmosphere. Using only a barren patio, we again spent less than $50 to turn it into an urban oasis.
The glory of these presentations is that they both look fantastic and are extremely simple to recreate. In fact, they can be achieved by just about anyone who uses the tried-and-true techniques found in this article. So read on and discover how you can literally transform just about any space without bursting your bank account in the process! 1. Be selective Often when we think of Canada Day or Independence Day we are automatically drawn to many over-used images or icons. To use Canada day as an example, we may immediately think of the Canadian flag, a Mountie on a horse, sweet maple syrup, maybe a beaver, and, of course, the maple leaf. But do we really want to have a stuffed Mountie scarecrow staring at us from the corner of our garden, while a stuffed beaver with a red top hat sits on a picnic table draped with the Canadian flag and holds out a bucket of maple-syrup candies for all to enjoy? Perhaps if you are having a party where the theme is “more = more”, this would be an appropriate option. But for either of the looks we are trying to achieve in this article, the answer should be a resounding NO. The trick with any themed presentation is to know when to draw the line between cool and cliché. Generally, I would advise picking one item that really speaks to your theme – or two at the very most – and enhancing it, rather than trying to create a party based on every themed icon ever invented. Once you’ve selected your item, look at unusual ways to use it in your presentation. Think about place settings, centerpieces, and serving options. Stretch the limits of your imagination and think of creative ways to utilize seating or the surrounding areas nearest your table. Where would you be able to fit in your theme choice so that it blends and enriches your environment rather than taking it over and screaming at your guests?
2. Fear not the thrift shop, the bargain bin or the basement I know many people who really aren’t interested in spending a bundle on a one-shot affair. I’m one of them. And if I can’t think of another use for an item beyond the one party I happen to be throwing at the time, I’m not likely to purchase it. Which may make having a theme party seem a bit difficult, after all, since theme parties usually carry that title for a reason – they are terribly specific. To overcome this dilemma, I find that thrift stores, bargain bins and basements are wonderful resources. When we were shopping for items to enhance our two themes, we needed linens to cover our picnic table, make napkins, and cover benches. My guinea-pigs insisted they did not own any appropriately colored textiles. Undaunted, I checked my three favorite resources and, lo and behold, I made some fabulous finds:
To make the most of your bargain bins, basements and thrift shops, you have to remember my number one ‘make-it-work rule’: Accept nothing for what it is. Many people get stuck in a rut when it comes to finding the new in the old or used. They have trouble visualizing the potential in the seemingly ordinary objects they have laying around their homes or standing in a thrift shop.
To keep this from happening to you, make a list of everything you may want for your party and then take each item on the list and hold it against just about everything in your home to see if it works. Need a table-cloth? What about old sheets, blankets, or shawls? Visit the bargain bins at your local fabric store or second-hand store – often you can buy the perfect fabric at a fraction of the cost of store-bought linens. Looking for a bread basket? Why not use old cookie tins, a decorative bowl, or even a tiered cake holder?
By stating what you need on a piece of paper first, and then critically scrutinizing it against your household possessions, you’ll find that ordinary bowls can become flower-pots and ice-buckets, fabric can become napkins, chair covers or table runners, and antique work tools can combine to create a decorative outdoor collage. Just remember – if you can’t find something, INVENT IT out of something else. That’s how some of the best party decorators in the business became famous. They found ways to use ordinary items in extraordinary ways. Often, you’ll find that you surprise yourself with your creativity! 3. Work with what you have, not against it Undoubtedly, we have all wished (at one point or another) that we had something we currently don’t, or noticed that what we have isn’t necessarily what we would like to have. Nothing tends to bring out our wishing wands more than the knowledge that other people will be coming over. We suddenly discover that our plates don’t match or our yard has embarrassing bare patches. There are stains on our only table cloth, our deck is sadly slopped, and the lawn furniture is rusting or, better yet, the lawn furniture is decaying before our very eyes.
It may be hard to believe, but it is incredibly easy to make your worst features worry-free or, at the very least, less worrying. My advice in this situation is almost always the same: hide it, camouflage it, or highlight it. Some things, such as a sloping deck, imperfect view, or barren wall can usually be camouflaged. Camouflaging is the art of blending things together so your guests’ attention is not drawn to any imperfections, if they notice them at all. Things that are too difficult to make blend into your environment are candidates for hiding – which literally means that you cover them up with something else so they can not be seen. If a flaw can not be camouflaged or hidden, it then becomes a prime candidate for highlighting – the art of making something unseemly seem like a natural or important part of your decor plans.
4. Make it new again To create a presentation that really has a professional edge, try to find ways to incorporate your theme that aren’t predictable. For example – in our Americana themed layout, rather than having flags everywhere, we chose a more understated yet equally powerful presentation by using a striped cloth with the colors of the American flag as our napkins, and blue runners on a white table cloth as our table cover. In our Canadiana themed presentation we chose to create a stylish maple-leaf place card for each setting, the maple-leaf serving as a strong Canadian icon while still acting as a refreshing break from a more traditional flag. 5. Centerpieces that reuse, reduce and recycle It may sound cliche, but if you can reuse it, why wouldn’t you? By making centerpieces out of plants you plan to plant in your garden later and putting them in unexpected and stylish containers for display, you not only create a fantastic centerpiece, but you get a great conversation piece as well. As an added bonus, the weight of the planted piece almost guarantees that it won’t blow away! Some tips for ensuring success when playing with planted pieces are:
One more tip – bedding plants can be used everywhere – as camouflage, to add color to the surrounding area, even planted in small pots as giveaways! And, because you can plant them in your garden when your event is over, they are a great alternative to cut flowers! 6. It’s all in the colors Color is a magnificent medium and should be used to full advantage. I could write an entire article on the selection of colors alone! For now, and for those who always have trouble deciding what to do, I would suggest sticking to the most obvious colors that represent your theme (Canada - red and white, United States – red, white, and blue) and using those or a combination thereof. While going with the obvious may not always be the most exciting option, it is generally the safest. But safe doesn’t have to mean boring or cliche. Give your look a little edge and keep your presentation fresh by using the following tried-and-true tips.
Use the power of tone – there isn’t just one color of red. It does not come in one shade or tint – so why do we feel the need to match EVERYTHING? Sometimes the best method is to break free. Mix it up. Add variety. My only advice in this situation is to stick to the same TONE family – or in other words, use colors that all have the same base or tonal value. For example, when using cherry reds, don’t try and add a more burgundy (blue undertoned) color as it will almost certainly look out of place. If navy blue is your color, avoid more greeny-blues and stick to the more purplish (red undertoned) ones. Pick a dominant color – select one color that speaks to your theme and highlight it with your other color selections. Dominant colors should be the ones used the most in the space. Highlight colors are used for accent and to make those things you want to stand out really POP. The reason you should always choose a dominant color is to ground your space and provide direction to your layout. Consider it the easel for your space planning – it is there to help everything else look its best. When selecting a dominant color, consider the entire space where you will be setting up – what color is the furniture, surrounding area and current decor? Generally, choosing a dominant color that will help everything else look and feel its best will give you results that leave you feeling your best as well. * * * * * So that about sums it up. While there are literally dozens of things you can do and find to create your next amazing outdoor party atmosphere, the most important thing to remember is to approach things with a fresh attitude and open mind. Once you master this, you will find that you have access to an enormous cache of hidden gems and goodies which make planning your Canada Day/Independence Day parties fabulous instead of frustrating. It is also very likely you will find guests asking you what your secret is. I’ll let you decide whether or not to tell them! By the way, for detailed instructions on how to create the outdoor party looks found in the pictures of this article, write to me at slangan@chimuklangan.com. I’ll be happy to provide you with the details. Good luck and have a great long weekend! Shannon Langan has been a graphic designer for over ten years, and is the owner of Ottawa-based design firm Chimuk Langan (www.chimuklangan.com). Her work has appeared across the globe in places such as Beijing, Turkey, England, Germany, Canada and the United States, and she has enjoyed working with companies such as TSN, The World Curling Tour and Bauer. She is also the Art Director for Northscaping, overseeing the image and design of the www.northscaping.com website, and is a regular style and design writer for Northscaping. |
