For centuries and in every corner of the globe, the Jewish people have honored their freedom from slavery in Egypt at Passover. The evening is marked by prayers, blessings, and rituals that are all anchored around a festive meal. Part of the experience is gathering around a beautifully decorated table with family heirlooms, flowers, and other elements that create a warm and embracing atmosphere.
As Balaboostas we love to cook, yet our excitement is at its highest levels when dreaming up new designs for our tablescapes. Our recent Pesach blog post about our inspiration from the Nile River “stemmed” from a visit to the flower market and the discovery of the Cattail plant that grows in marshes and wetlands. While developing the theme we were drawn to the color palette of the desert.
The neutral tones in sand and silver mixed with woven textiles speak to the current home decor trends we are seeing from Scandinavian influences. Braided placements on a linen tablecloth are reminiscent of the textiles found in biblical stories. The dried floral arrangements dot the table landscape as they would in the desert expanse. Striped cotton napkins in gray and white remind us of a tallit prayer shawl.
We love to mix contemporary design with a touch of an heirloom. If you look closely, you will see two silver pyramids that our mother brought back from her trip to Egypt several years ago. Bringing in this type of detail adds visual interest and acts as a conversation piece.
If you love this look as much as we do, here is a color guide to help you create your own desert table theme. Begin with neutrals and select items that have texture such as woven and braids in cotton, linen, silk, and straw. Note that the colors of the sand are not uniform and have a natural mix. We love picking items that have a sheen and capture the light as if the bright desert sun was shining down on our table.
We are thrilled to be launching a new Passover collection featuring our new luxe leather matzah cover and afikomen bag, seen in this post in the stunning Geometric Pattern. For this contemporary Passover collection, we have created a design that starts with our original Star of David pattern and morphs into scattered geometric lines; including the hebrew word "Pesach." The color and patterns fit in perfectly with desert tones -- and so many others!
Be sure to check out our Type Pattern which, like the Geometric, are available in silver and champagne. The elegant look of the Type cover was created using a laser cut technique to write the hebrew words in a modern font "Pesach", "Matzah" and "Maror" artistically around it.
No matter how you decorate your Passover table, we hope that it brings you and your family joy and love to be enjoyed in good health. Amen!
