Mixing the New & Old for Christmas Table Décor
[Editor's Note: What fun! Kim (Bo) Kalil was introduced in Salvaging and Repurposing Part I in August 2024. When Part IV was published, we were afraid Kim's innovations would end, but luckily for us, she has kept going and these suggestions are coming just in time for our Thousand Islands Holiday. Thanks Kim!]
Mixture of New and Vintage Items
The interior design aspect of continuity discussed in the October article on salvaging and repurposing can also be applied to decorating your dining table successfully with a wonderful mix of new and vintage items.
This makes for a very interesting and unique experience for your guests that is not only visual, but tactile. Pictured, the white plates with red trim are Denby circa 1990s, and the floral one sitting on top of it is Ancestral by Minton from the 1950s. The medium blue plate is from Denby’s Studio Blue collection purchased three years ago, and the white china with the blue pattern is Charmed by Ridgeway, from the 1950s.
All of the silverware are individual vintage pieces of different patterns that I have picked up over the years at antique fairs, garage sales, and vintage stores. I call them my “story orphans” and I feel that my silverware drawer contains volumes of stories because these pieces were privy to the conversations had by the people dining with them over the decades.
Copper Candle Holder
This copper candle holder has been with me since my high school days, and at Christmas, I use vintage Christmas light bulb-reflectors to dress them up. These reflectors were quite popular when I was a kid in the 1960s. I have a collection of large ones for the regular bulbs, and smaller ones used for the mini-light strings.
This triple candle holder is actually a Parisienne ceiling light fixture from the Art Nouveau period of the 1920s. Laying it flat on the table allows three taper candles to be displayed in the three holes that would have housed the light bulbs.
A vintage toaster’s hinged flaps held the bread slices, but it is the exact same size as cocktail napkins and makes for a very pretty way to display them.
A little trick to hiding the unsightly battery packs of decorative lights on your table is to purchase little silk bags at the dollar store and hide the pack in there so it blends in with the table runner.
This 1950s bubbled glass ceiling light fixture stands nicely on its side and looks very pretty with battery operated pin-lights placed inside.
Remember, battery operated pillar candles can be dressed up with a fabric bag usually used for gifting a bottle of wine. Also, This turn-of-the-century German Christmas tree stand is much too small by today’s standards to use for a Christmas tree, but it provides a gorgeous way to display artificial pine branches and a crystal embellished tree branch.
So, open those china cupboard doors and rummage in your silver drawer and start to decorate your table for tonight, next weekend and of course, for Christmas!
By Kim (Bo) Kalil
Kim (nicknamed Bo in high school) Stone Kalil lives in Toronto but spends as much time as possible with her family and friends at her home in the Thousand Islands, which was previously a 100-year-old horse stable. Her design company is kskdesign.ca and she designed her home with the help of architectural designer Michael Preston of Kingston, and her son Matthew Kalil, a Master of Architecture graduate of University of Toronto. The extensive renovation was done during 2020-2023 by the incredible Brian Wooding from Gananoque and his talented team. Bo is an avid traveller, photographer, and dabbles in acrylic painting. As if that doesn’t keep her busy enough, Bo is pursuing a degree in psychology part-time at York University in Toronto.