It is no secret that there is an art to styling a sweet table.
A skill I have come to acquire over the last decade while creating and celebrating in countless special events.
When curating a sweet display there are a number of factors to consider.
Like any great design their needs to be intention and harmony.
Just like in my Dinner Party 101 post I like to start with a source of inspiration. Whether it is a colour story, a concept or theme, even a feeling or message I need something to spark my creativity. Luckily, making something from nothing is truly my craft. Once I have my jumping off point, it’s all good fun from there!
I do follow a few principles when designing and I am happy to share them here for you to be inspired.
What is your focal point?
Often in my world we have a cake as the centrepiece of the sweetscape but it is not necessarily always the case, especially if only styling a variety of pastries at home. A tall vase of flowers, an urn fitted with a plant or a taller piece of serving ware can all equally act as a focal. Sometimes we even have playful backdrops to work with that too can create a center of interest.
The secret...
There is nothing more boring than consistency! This is the time to shake things up.
The secret to visual interest and dimension is all in the balance of layering and combining complementary and contrasting pieces until it feels right for you. From your serving ware to your pastries, mix heights, shapes, styles and materials. I love layering different textured linens; metals and even using patterned papers as liners.
Your colour story does not always have to have a punch. Consider if you are working within a monochromatic palette, the shapes, heights and textures can do all the talking.
Composing
Think of your display as if it was a symphony. Sounds hilarious right?
I kid you not; you will find my waiving my hand around when setting up my composition, visualizing how it will all lay.
I find working with odd numbers offers a beautiful balance, a design trick I picked up moons ago. Lay your serving ware and pastries in rows of odds, the repetition too is a fun little trick. You want your viewers eye to travel and this is where having a variation of heights will create more interest. This can be height in you serving ware to your pastry sizes. I like to place taller more substantial pastries with a top-heavy design on flatter dish ware so that they ground the setting and are visible, where I place shorter pieces on taller pedestals to give them some oomph, sometimes even stacking them to create a bountiful impression.
Personalization
We all love personal touches.
Things that tell a story about who we are and the places we have been.
Consider adding small details like custom dessert napkins; tags or little menus that describe the pieces or even personalized take away boxes for guests to enjoy.
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