A Ramadan Table with a Modern Twist: Part I

During these unprecedented times, I think it’s important that we make the best of what we have, and I think that goes for tablescapes as well!

I wasn’t able to get my hands on flowers, on new pieces, or anything new for this, so I created a couple of tablescape options for you out of what I had in my house and in my garden. Ideally, it would have been nice to go out and purchase some items, but alas, the Covid 24-hour curfew had severely limited my mobility. Anyways, I’m going to split up the posts, and post one table today and the other one later this week so that we have some excitement in our lives!

The first afternoon I attempted a Ramadan tablescape, it was a major fail. I’ve always strived for the perfect balance between East and West when it comes to decorating, and the first attempt wasn’t even close to achieving something like that. Part of the problem was that while the hodge podge of colors didn’t look bad at all, the variety of textures as well as metals was just too much. I had glass, wicker, wood, marble, silver and gold metals – it was far too complicated and too small of a canvas to hide it.

So what I’ve learned through this experience is that it’s best to keep it simple and consistent with a couple of textures and maybe one or two metals, otherwise it gives off a not-so-great confused boho vibe.

How I created this tablescape…

So for this traditional with a modern twist tablescape, I stuck to mostly rusty warm tones, black and white, glass, and silver metals with the occasional tiny hint of gold.

I started off with a neutral base for my tablecloth – it’s the best backdrop to any theme. I usually love using white tablecloths, but it was giving off too formal of a vibe. This black and white tablecloth from H&M Home is not only neutral, but is quite casual and modern as well. It helps update the whole look!

For the centerpiece I wanted something large to take up some space. However, I didn’t have anything large enough, so I used a grouping of 3 as my centerpiece – the vase, and 2 silver lanterns from Desert Designs in varying heights. It’s important that the height is different on all 3, it really helps with creating depth, interest and keeps your eye moving around the whole table.

I love using flowers and plants in my tablescapes, but with a limited supply right now, I used some faux plants as well as some cuttings from my yard.

I had a choice of gold and silver cutlery, but my silver cutlery set worked so much better with the lanterns in the center – it was way better to match the tones. I also chose warmer colors for this tablescape because I’m obsessed with them these days, and I wanted it to work well with the color of the food that I was putting on the table. This is also why I used clear glass cake stands, containers and glasses, so that it would help enhance the look of the food!

In our house for Eid and during Ramadan, my mom would always make a pink coconut dessert that my grandmother had taught her. It’s a coconut mithai (I guess you could call it a “sweet” in English) that is crazy addictive. You can see it below in the smaller cake stand! My mom would add a touch of red food coloring to give it a pink color, but it can be made in any color.

I made it specifically for my tablescape post because it reminds of Ramadan and our family traditions growing up. It’s so comforting to keep meaningful items on your table whether it be décor or food especially at a time like this!

It’s important that when you have a lot of things to put out on your table, to group your smaller items into trays or into smaller groups around the table.

I had a lot of glass in one corner, and even with the varying heights, it kinda looked like everything was floating on the lighter tablecloth. To fix that, I used a beautiful black and white bone inlay tray from Desert Designs that was bolder in texture and color, to help ground the look and contain any visual clutter. Nobody wants a cluttered table!

On the other side, to help balance the look, I used a black wooden tray from West Elm, and then grouped the lemonade and glasses together.

Lastly, when I was done setting up I made sure to do a final check to see if I was missing anything. This can be looking for empty spaces, missing colors or textures. When I was done, I felt like this table needed a tad bit more color, so I made sure to put some of my vegetables in a colorful dish (that worked with the other colors) and added that as well. I also filled some of the empty space with little candles!

And yes, I’m aware that you would never eat Iftaar in the middle of the afternoon, but you’d have a hard time seeing the details otherwise 😉

Product List

Outdoor Table & Chairs, Pottery Barn | Black & White Tablecloth, H&M Home | Black Round Wooden Cutting Board, West Elm | Glass Pitcher, Pottery Barn | Wine Glasses, Stationary Fantasies | Round Bowl with Hummus & Oval Bowl with Veggies, Annual Show at the Dhahran Expo | Silver Cutlery, Pottery Barn | Dinner Plate, Zara Home | Small Plate, Pottery Barn | Red Napkins, West Elm | Small White Vase, West Elm | Silver Lanterns, Desert Designs | Large White Vase, Pottery Barn | Faux Florals, IKEA & The White Company | Black & White Tray, Desert Designs | Glass Containers with Mosque and Arabic Calligraphy, Villeroy & Boch | Glass Cake Stand, Hazzaz & Pottery Barn | White Fruit Bowl, Pottery Barn

If you’re looking for a creamy hummus recipe, try Ina’s creamy hummus – I haven’t tried it yet, but the ingredients look pretty close to the real deal!

Note: Most of these items will probably not be available as I’ve had them for a while, but I want to share where I got them from just in case you find something similar there!

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I hope you enjoyed the table and remember to light those candles and lanterns at night!