By looking to the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, Alissa Pulcrano and Leela Brightenburg, principals of Bright Designlab — an interior design studio with retail space in Portland’s Pearl District — designed a tabletop with clean lines and textural intrigue in traditional holiday colors.

 Two levels of green ferns placed in clear glass Labwear anchor the white table runner, which creates a vibrant centerpiece that delicately brings the outdoors in (ferns thrive in Oregon’s lowlands this time of year). The theme is carried through to the horizontal space with fronds tucked between flatware and each napkin.

Green meets red with the fresh, local pears placed among the “vases” as well as the pears in bowls tied with place cards. “We wanted to create a holiday feeling without having expected elements like berries and evergreens,” Brightenburg says. Besides, she adds, the luscious fruit could become a palate cleanser at the end of the meal, either as whole fruit or slices on a cheese board.

Adding any kind of fresh produce or other natural objects, from acorns to apples, adds a sense of life and vibrancy, which helps soften more modern settings with clean lines. “Then throw in a twist of the unexpected,” Pulcrano says, “Like Labwear or the vintage ceramic owl that peeks out from the center.”

// Photos by John Valls

 

 

 

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