Disclaimer: I received a free Social Studies x Absolut Espresso Martini kit from Social Studies to try out and review. All opinions are my own.
The inevitable has happened—the thermometer has hit the 40s and 50s, and it is (mostly) staying there. A North Carolina winter is here! While this may not be the best news for some, I am all for these chillier mornings and cozy evenings. The empty silence that winter brings is a welcome respite from the hustle, bustle and leaf blowers of other seasons.
And of course, as winter weather settles in, so does our Christmas decor. Sam and I are slowly building up our Christmas decorations, so our home isn’t all-the-way Christmassy (yet!), especially after moving into a new house this summer. One of those gaps in festivity is our dining room, which, aside from being painted an already fairly festive hue of deep green, has only a Christmas tree-adorned table-runner.
So, I was excited when Social Studies reached out and asked me to try their Social Studies x Absolut Espresso Martini kit. Social Studies creates and rents out these beautiful dinner party sets that include everything you need for a night of fun, except the food. The Absolut Espresso Martini kit looked moody, cozy and just a touch festive—it seemed like a great way to bring some wintry cheer into the dining room, at least for the night.
The kit arrived in a few large boxes the day before the party, and all the decor was safely packed away in them. And boy, was there a lot of decor in there! There was cutlery, dinnerware and serveware all tucked inside, plus table decor and linens and supplies for after dinner drinks (this kit was created in partnership with Absolut, so it was only fitting!).
Once the table was set and our cat Pigeon had only tried to knock off a few things, the dinner party began! It was sweet night shared with a few friends, and was filled with some delicious food and drinks. The Absolut Espresso Martini kit from Social Studies definitely brought the vibe up a few notches, and it was really interesting to see how much a well-set table can change a room.
Ready to rent this look? Check it out on Social Studies’ website. Or, if you want to grab a few DIY tips from this tablescape, keep reading!
1. Get Your Set-Up Done First: Even with the suggested layout that Social Studies provides for its tablescape kit, it still took a while to lay things out exactly how I’d want them. So, I’d imagine it would take even longer if you were piecing together the look yourself. I got the table finished before I started cooking, and knowing that the table was done (even if the potatoes were not!) made me feel like the party was still ‘ready.’
2. Use Candles: I feel like candles should be a requirement at any dinner party between the months of October to March. Not only did they look great, but they make the table feel so much more intimate too. If you can, snag some black candlesticks like the ones Social Studies have. They were such a cool addition!
3. Mix-and-Match: I loved how the table set-up from Social Studies wasn’t all matchy-matchy. It made the table feel much more elegant and intentional. To get this look yourself, use a base color that a few major table items have (like your dinner plates and table runner), and use one or two complementary accent colors that repeat themselves throughout the look.
Rabekah Henderson 