Liven Up the Cocktail Table

Cocktail tables, particularly those in the living room, can be showy. To accomplish that is simply a matter of placing the right accessories on it. The table itself can be plain or exotic, it doesn't matter, the finishing touches are always going to get the attention.

A collection of vases — with a theme such as all-silver or all-glass or all-blue — would be one idea. They can all be empty, or one or two of them could have flowers.

A few big picture books are another eye-catcher. Add to that a live plant in an interesting container and that cocktail table is well accessorized.

Fresh tall flowers in a crystal vase always look gracious on a table. Depending on the size of the table and the size of the vase and flowers, that might be all this cocktail table needs.

Three big balls of various sizes and made of wood is a good start for another table. Add to those two tall, fat wooden candleholders with big, round candles, and the look is almost complete. Now for the finishing touch: add a potted orchid plant. A classic look.

One more idea — a clock collection. OK, another idea — three individual faces carved out of wood. Just one more — a short, full and bushy plant that covers at least half of the tabletop.

Enough ideas to get started?

For a copy of Reflect Your Personality Through Accessories, send $3 plus a long, self-addressed stamped envelope to L&M Publications, PMB 229, PO Box 413005, Naples, Fla. 34103-3005. Be sure to mention the title.

(Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, an interior designer in Naples, Fla., is author of Mystery of Color, available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers and online booksellers.)