This is absolutely my favourite table setting ever! It is so pretty to sit beneath, the light shimmering on the ornaments, the leaves smell fresh and eucalyptus minty, the hints of gold and humour with the Aussie animal decor (spot the pythons in the leaves). You can create your own Christmas canopy at home very easily. Building and decorating the canopy took me about an hour and a half to do, not long for the gorgeous end effect. This is worth giving a try!!!
You will need:- 4 bamboo poles (from local garden centre) cut to table size
- string to tie canopy to ceiling hooks
- 4 removable ceiling hooks (from local hardware store)
- scissors
- florist wire, I used silver because it disappears into the final arrangement
- 3 bunches of eucalyptus leaves
- 30 - 36 Christmas ornaments (mine are Vintermys from Ikea)
Step 1 - hang the bamboo structure
Cut the poles to roughly match the table dimensions.
Stick removable ceiling hook above each corner of the table.
Suspend bamboo from ceiling hook with string. I positioned mine about 30cm above head height of a person seated so that the canopy decor won't hang into guests faces.
Step 2 - Attach the eucalyptus branchesTake individual eucalyptus branches and tie them to the bamboo pole with silver wire.Arrange the branches so that they are partially supported by the bamboo but still hang down creating a soft feather effect.I found it easier to suspend the poles first so that I could see the arrangement developing.
Step 3 - Add Christmas ornamentsI added ornaments as I was going along to get a sense of how I wanted it to look (see above)Make sure to add ornaments in groups of 3 or 5 and hang them at different lengths so that the overall effect is loose and not over organised.
Colour choicesI wanted to create an Australian style Christmas, inspired by our Aussie animals, eucalyptus and the golden sunshine. So I have chosen soft gold colours that are beautifully set off by the grey-green eucalyptus leaves. It really feels like the sunshine dappling through bushland on a sunny day. Its a lovely change from more traditional Christmas colours, much more suited to the summer celebrations of the southern hemisphere.
I picked up the gold again in the polka dot ribbons and sequins on the place settings, and of course my gold Aussie animals. See the full diy for the place setting here.
Hope this inspires you to do something special and unexpected at your home this year.See the full table setting post here.
