If you're stressed out about holiday entertaining, relax. Styles in home design are trending to simpler, more casual, more modern -- and that applies to the table as well.

How you entertain, of course, may be a matter of your personal style. There's a camp that's locked in to tradition, say, for decorating the Christmas tree or setting the Thanksgiving table. Year after year, there are some who just won't deviate: same menu, same dinnerware, perhaps something passed down in the family, same kind of centerpiece.

Yet there are others who prefer to shake things up, who can't resist introducing something new: a tureen, a platter, napkin rings, linens -- just like tweaking an outfit with a fabulous new scarf.

Still another group may opt to totally refresh, like purchasing a whole new wardrobe, doing a 180, perhaps lightening up from tight formality and traditional plate patterns and going rogue with edgy or modern dinnerware punctuated by playful, whimsical touches.

While dress-up luxe looks are ever-present, especially toward Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations, there's also a less-buttoned-up approach with an emphasis on cozy and comfortable, reflected in many shelter publication features and the on the pages of retail catalogs.

In the October issue of Southern Living magazine, photographer Helen Norman showed off her own autumn table in a barn in the rolling countryside of Maryland.

"This particular table setting is a good example of where consumers are now," says Southern Living's editor in chief, Lindsay Bierman. "They're much more into the mix of high and low than older generations. There's an interest in casual entertaining, but still a desire to have a table that reflects family tradition, (while at the same time) making it their own."

So Norman brings an unexpected palette of blue and white (her late mother's china) to her lovely fall table," a mix of rustic and refined. It's still really pretty, rooted in tradition, but it reflects her home, not just her mother's."

Vintage plates shine on a country table as well as with stark, modern dinnerware in white or the popular taupey shades of today. Some of the painterly seasonal motifs that almost appear watercolored can be striking as accent pieces. Inspiration derives from a myriad of sources, including English lodge style, with porcelain plates decoratively rimmed by a border of curving antlers at Pottery Barn. At Crate and Barrel, a snowflake motif is fired with a reactive or "living" glaze, which also promotes a crackling in the pattern. There are also the quirky doodlings on porcelain "Oliver" appetizer plates: childlike black and white "sketches" that show a frenzied figure juggling holiday gifts or one holding a string of jelly bean lights with strategic hues that look like pages from coloring books.

An especially fresh treatment, also on Norman's table, is allowing the wood of the table to be exposed, save for a runner. Table runners nicely set off centerpieces, and these days, it's popular to do multiples or an uninterrupted display scattered seemingly randomly down the center of the table rather than a single, central arrangement.

Lots of bare wood "is an intentional choice meant to convey that casual feel," says Bierman. "And I love combining fruit and flowers. Fruit is a really nice way to add instant color."

Consider the kind of "props" that layer in texture and color, such as colorful turkeys, pumpkins or ornaments in a wide range of materials from feathers to metal to glass or woven rattan. And even if bling's not your thing, a little sparkle can add magic. Some of this year's pumpkin crop is glittery, in a variety of expressions. Consider beaded placemats or napkin rings, even trees crafted from crystal beads, or beaded garlands threaded through a chandelier. Along with candles, they'll light up a room.

By all means, use lots of candles. They add immeasurable glow and a romantic ambience to the table. Votives, pillars and tapers cohabit nicely, as well as vintage with modern. Some of the metal finishes, especially warm golds, are emerging as new favorites in home design, and mercury glass has practically become a staple. Try unusual shapes, such as gourd luminaries from Pottery Barn that look like carved pumpkins with lacey cutouts.

Strategic shots of coordinated color are a tabletop fashion statement. A red tablecloth may compete with your interior, but imagine pristine white, with napkins bordered in red, red glass vases filled with red and white flowers and white candlesticks with red tapers. Never boring. Ditto with almost any hue played this way -- tapped as a bold accent in a neutral vignette, just as stylists draw out key colors in punching up interiors for photography.

Look to nature for unexpected palette pairings: Orange and aubergine, inspired by ornamental cabbages, are rich together. In fact, you might include some of those cabbages on the table, along with branches of bittersweet or Chinese lanterns.

Linens, of course, can be snowy white or natural. Some have subtle patterns, such as an overlay of snowflakes on natural linen cloth that also has a silvery sheen, at Crate and Barrel. There are some fabulous prints as well as embellished solids. Beading and embroidery can dress up runners, placemats and napkins. One option at Williams-Sonoma features harvest themes crewel-stitched on vivid burnt orange cotton; even the napkins sport a single leaf. At Pottery Barn, there are linens with dimensional pumpkin embroidery as well as chocolate cotton decorated with delicate crewel stitches in a rich palampore print -- a nod to hand-painted Indian motifs from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Add your own signature by tying napkins with ribbon, yarn, woven tape, and perhaps tucking in a sprig of greenery or a leaf. You might even decorate linens with your own borders. Or just for fun, add small jingly bells to the corners of napkins or runners.

The idea of place cards might seem old-fashioned, but not if you're creative. Combine the marking with a takeaway for guests. Helen Norman simply gathers leaves from her yard and writes guest names with a gold pen. A gift box, an ornament, a pretty cellophane-wrapped container with homemade goodies -- are not only nice gestures, but they can be key to the table tableau.

Dressing the table may well reflect how you dress for the occasion.

"And that might not necessarily be Sunday best," says Bierman. "But in a way, that shows your guests -- friends and family -- that you've made an extra effort. That makes the whole thing more memorable."

After all, that special hospitality and good cheer, expressed as part of the decorating ambience, as well as the warmth that comes from hosting, are what make holiday entertaining a standout -- an occasion to remember.

Sources

-- Crate and Barrel, 800-967-6696, www.crateandbarrel.com

-- Pier 1 Imports, 800-245-4595, www.pier1.com

-- Pottery Barn, 888-779-5176, www.potterybarn.com

-- West Elm, 888-922-4119, www.westelm.com

-- Williams Sonoma, 877-812-6235, www.williamssonoma.com

-- Wisteria, 800-320-9757, www.wisteria.com

SIDEBAR

EXTEND TABLETOP DECOR TO OTHER SURFACES

Setting a beautiful table for the holidays is just one ingredient of the decor recipe. Creating an equally captivating tablescape at a sideboard or on a fireplace mantel is as simple as weaving in elements of the season, including autumn leaves, fresh cut hydrangeas or cuttings of evergreens from the garden. Don't forget the icons of the moment: turkeys, pumpkins, trees, angels, reindeer, Santas and sleighs.

-- Beads and bling can lend a glamorous vibe, but they're especially intriguing when teamed with more rustic or homespun elements.

-- Novelties such as special plates to mark an occasion can handsomely complement existing dinnerware. Choose on-trend graphic designs such as scripts that spell out a warm message or playful images of reindeers or architecture.

-- Painterly images or scenes distinguish dinnerware and serving pieces for the holidays. Turkeys, botanical pumpkins, snowbirds on branches with pine cones are favorite motifs.

-- Symbols of the season abound, including small pumpkins, gourds, bowls full of pine cones, trays of Christmas or Hanukkah cookies, tiered plates packed with greenery and pretty wrapped gifts for guests.

CAPTIONS AND CREDIT

(NOTE: These photos are for ONE-TIME use ONLY. At Home photos, with the proper credits, are to be run ONLY with At Home stories. Conversion to black and white is OK.)

(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com or the Universal Uclick Editorial Department at -uueditorial@amuniversal.com)

Stairs, like hallways, are pass-throughs, a means of getting from one space to another -- more specifically, from one level to another. Not that they can't be handsome -- even drop-dead -- architecturally. Think about those magazine beauty shots that show elegant circular stairs shot from the top looking down or from the ground looking up, often to fanciful skylights or chandeliers.

But most stairs are, well, pretty generic: wood in natural stains or painted, dressed perhaps by fancier rails, newel posts or spindles.

For those who dare, however, stairs are superb candidates for decorating. The kind of decorating that pops. Engages. Makes all the design difference in a space.

"One thing we like to do as designers is to take spaces that are overlooked and make them marvelous," says Jason Oliver Nixon, partner with John Loecke in the firm Madcap Cottage. "Why should a stairway just be a means to an end? Why not make it a journey?"

Nixon and Loecke have painted, stenciled and installed runners that convert stairs from "mundane to wow."

"Some clever design tricks actually make some houses appear to be much larger," says Nixon. "When a stairway becomes a room, there's a sense of progression and the pace of a home changes."

There are plenty of ways to step up the look of stairs. One of the easiest is with runners, often a dress-up, finishing touch, not to mention a way to acoustically soften and cozy the surface underfoot. The safest route is with traditional applications -- Oriental, small-scale floral or quiet geometric styles, more often than not in subdued hues. Or solid neutrals with borders, either tone-on-tone or contrasting.

When Wilmington, Del.-based designer Renee deVignier Biery took on a spacious foyer she opted for a cohesive strategy -- one that involved custom designs for a pair of area rugs anchored by bold medallions with fretwork borders and a running mate on the stairs echoing those bands. A happy shade of high-gloss coral walls is set off with white moldings and vibrant cobalt blue accent in a collection of vintage Chinese-export porcelain displayed in a built-in cupboard. So for the wool-tipped sheared carpets, all the key hues are brought into play. The fretwork was sparked by the Chinese Chippendale design, often used in needlepoint.

But consider for your stairs a stroke of edginess. A kicky stripe. A flamboyant megawatt floral. Dazzling color! Instantly, the plain staircase morphs into a spectacular focal point.

More of the less-buttoned-up looks tend to be less formal. A blue-and-white awning stripe, for example, has a beachy, cottagey vibe. A loomed flat-cotton weave, such as one available from the Dash & Albert rug company, lends a casual, sporty look. On the other hand, a microhooked wool runner splashed with larger-than-life blooms brings in the garden, in a totally unpredictable way.

Painting a staircase can dramatically alter its personality. When wood isn't necessarily distinguishing enough in grain or color to spotlight, designers often opt for painting stairs out in black, matte or lacquer finish. It's a simple, elegant look, often contrasted with white risers and spindles. Off-white or a color brightens a space, especially with a robust divergence in wall color.

Try an ombre effect -- yes, like the hair-color trend that gradates from dark roots to lighter ends, using the several shades of the same color on a paint chip. Or you can create the effect of a runner with paint, even with a bit of pattern, such as a stripe. Paint companies such as Pratt & Lambert and Benjamin Moore, among others, like to show the kinds of options possible and offer pointers on finishes designed for durability.

These days, some homeowners are getting a bigger rise out of the risers themselves. This is not unusual in the Southwest or in countries such as Mexico, Morocco, Greece and Turkey, where decorative tiles often are installed on the non-tread parts of stairs. No matter what the background -- terra cotta or white stucco -- ebullient patterns, usually strong geometrics or stylized florals, positively pop and add to the architecture even in the plainest of applications.

Tile in sizes close to the height of the risers effectively frames its entire pattern. But smaller scale, even mosaics can work. We've seen mosaics in iridescent hues, such as watery blue greens, that add unexpected luster. Mirrored mosaics lend a glam vibe, in the same way silver and gold leaf do on ceilings.

Patterns on risers are especially dramatic when the backdrop is simple, clean and modern. One of the most striking catalog covers in recent years is from Serena & Lily, a home decor site with a retail store in the Hamptons. The company is known especially for its fabrics and bedding. In an all-white setting -- stairs, railings, wainscoting and walls -- designers cut from lengths of eight different graphically patterned fabrics in a palette of deep blue and white, one with vivid accents of coral, and adhered them to risers. Effect: totally original and artistic.

So the DIY quotient, not surprisingly, has ramped up and an amazing range of creativity, often with results posted on Pinterest or websites like Houzz (www.houzz.com) or Apartment Therapy (www.apartmenttherapy.com). One posting of a creative spruce-up featured four different modern patterned wallcoverings left over from projects. The homeowner, Vancouver designer Jennifer Scott, took it a step further: She added vintage address numbers as a whimsical way for her daughter to interact with the space while learning to count. One tip: Scott used double-stick tape instead of glue.

Or check out removable wallcoverings, which some call "slipcovers for walls." Libby Langdon's Chic Chevron pattern for Casart Coverings (www.casartcoverings.com) is an attention grabber. It comes in sailor blue, totally teal, orange fire and silver gray. Brewster's WallPops (www.wallpops.com), especially the "happy chic, groovy graphic " designs from Jonathan Adler, also would rock the risers.

Clever installs include using leftover patterned linoleum, chalkboard paint, house numbers, decals, text (from inspirational quotes to Bible passages to just funny stuff), and even metal grates. Years ago, some magazines featured the use of anaglypta as a riser cover. The embossed patterns, which come in a range of motifs, mimic tin ceiling tiles often employed at the dawn of the 20th century. Come to think of it, you could actually cut vintage tins to fit.

Nailheads could be another cool, fashion-inspired idea, one replicating the studs so prevalent on handbags, shoes and leather jackets. Several years back, one imaginative woman took a bottle cap collection in a rainbow of colors and painstakingly applied them in perfect rows to risers, a look that well suited her eclectic Arts and Crafts-style Chicago home.

One craft gaining a lot of attention is stenciling, mostly because companies such as Royal Design Studio are providing stunning patterns, and dishing plenty of how-to advice. Whether it's simply black on white or complex combinations of colors that really resemble those multicolored ethnic ceramic or concrete tiles, the possibilities are pretty much limitless when you factor in your fave color schemes.

Pretty much the sky's the limit, from smart tailored motifs to bling-y to pop and from op-art graphics to rustic, country or elegant traditional. Heck, you could even go a little romantic with an old-fashioned hydrangea floral or even a toile.

Put on a happy stair face. As long as the colors and patterns complement spaces in the same ZIP code, it should be a stairway to style.

Sources

-- Benjamin Moore, 855-724-6802, www.benjaminmoore.com

-- Dash & Albert Rug Co., 800-658-5035, www.dashandalbert.com

-- deVignier Design, 302-652-3490, www.devignierdesign.com

-- Farrow & Ball, 888-511-1121, us.farrow-ball.com

-- Madcap Cottage, 917-513-9143, www.madcapcottage.com

-- Royal Design Studio Stencils, 800-747-9767, www.royaldesignstudio.com

-- Vives Ceramica: for the very latest information, visit Tile of Spain USA, 305-446-4387, www.tileofspainusa.com

CAPTIONS AND CREDIT

(NOTE: These photos are for ONE-TIME use ONLY. At Home photos, with the proper credits, are to be run ONLY with At Home stories. Conversion to black and white is OK.)

(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com or the Universal Uclick Editorial Department at -uueditorial@amuniversal.com)

Light sconces, sadly, are not on most folks' interiors radar, unless it's in the context of a bathroom. But illuminating a vanity is not the only task for a pair of wall-mounted fixtures.

Like anything that embellishes a wall, light sconces these days offer plenty of decorative options. With a little flourish, swagger, bling and sophistication, they are far more versatile than in the past and offer far more than task, accent or mood lighting. Styling has ramped up to a new level, with an ample range of bright ideas in traditional to contemporary designs as well as surprising materials, shapes, colors, textures and sizes.

"In the old days, (residential) lighting was limited to crystal and some sort of brass," says Nigel Maynard, editor of Residential Building Products and Technology, a digital trade publication. Particularly in contemporary lighting, he says, "European designers have raised the bar. And Americans are stepping up their game."

High-end interior designers and architects long have looked to Italian companies such as Artemide, Fontana Arte, Foscarini and Leucos for edgier, off-the-chain styling in metals and glass, including clear, frosted and even glorious color. And those seeking authentic mid-century modern, Art Deco or '60s and '70s pieces might start with the impressive global online retail site 1stdibs (www.1stdibs.com) for excellent examples. And for a good representation of au currant styles, check out Horchow (www.horchow.com), where sconces range from $195 to $895.

"Sconces definitely are having a moment," says architect Andreea Avram Rusu, who also designs lighting. "It has been building for a while. It is winning public consciousness. For so long, lighting was uninteresting." To compound the blandness, there was repetition. "Everyone was using the same thing," she says.

But Avram Rusu sees different levels of beauty in lighting. "It's the most important thing in the room in general, for how people look, how people feel. Light transforms space."

Sconces really can add ambiance and an artistic note -- without taking up precious real estate. Tel Aviv-based designer Ayala Serfaty, is known for the sensual shapes of her light sculptures for Aqua Creations, some of which evoke couture fashion touches such as pleated and shirred silk. In addition to such textural pieces, other sconces add movement, like those that mimic the form of cascading chandeliers.

And there are hybrids -- fixtures that can attach to the wall or ceiling, to float. They're plug-ins, so they go anywhere. There are candlestick designs that are elongated, exaggerated more like torchieres. There are sconces that look more like table lamps with giant shades, some of which are on articulating arms. And there's new respect for the backplate, often merely there to cover the junction box, now designed as an integral part of the piece.

Some backplates are more fanciful, shaped like stars (especially eye-catching when they're composed of beveled mirrors) or a series of clear circles to create their own artistic universe. A fan of faux coral creates a background nest for lights.

A light sconce called Nelson from Hudson Valley Lighting has traditional references, including the suggestion of candlestick lights and textured crystal bobeches (flat "collars" designed originally to catch candle wax drippings). The brushed gold finished piece has an arched arm that extends between the pair of lamps, and it's fastened to a matching backplate that rests on a beveled mirror keystone for striking effect.

Even the meticulous teaming of disparate materials adds more depth and interest to sconces. West Coast designer Marjorie Skouras, who has been inspired by the sea for many of her furnishings, married natural orange-patterned shells with eglomise (reverse-painted) glass medallions in a striking double-tiered wall sconce.

Some finishes dial down the shiny, favoring matte looks (although gleaming polished nickel remains a favorite in modern interiors because of the tasteful sparkle and elegance it imparts). Burnished gold is hot, in keeping with home design trends where metals are warming up. Patinated or bronzey finishes lend a vintage or industrial vibe, especially impactful with see-through shades to bare bulbs. Complex finishes include painting, distressing and glazing.

Materials also include wood veneers and embellishments such as capiz shells and beads as well as the more familiar crystals. It's an imaginative mix that sets apart some designs.

"We mix modern with rustic, elegant with casual, romantic with relaxed," says Carla Regina Zajac, partner in Regina Andrews. "It's an eclectic vision that resonates with natural style -- a new look at how we live today."

As in other areas of home design, fashion references also are shedding new light on design. Global Lighting, a New York-based company, produced a catalog that merges design, fashion and magazine look-book, including eye-catching shots of models in layouts where the lighting relates to the outfits -- and holds equal weight.

As a producer in the decorative lighting business, Global Lighting's CEO and founder, Larry Lazin, calls his products "fashion for light bulbs," and says that in the lighting arena, designers should hold themselves to the same standards as fashion designers producing "couture level" fixtures.

With a new crop of fashion forward and artistic light sconces, perhaps more thought will be given to where they might dress a room. A single sconce or a pair adding sparkle to the front door. In the foyer, above a table. At the bottom and top of a staircase. In the living room, flanking a mantel. In the dining room, at the sides of a sideboard. In the library, framing a sofa and a wall of art. In the kitchen, on cabinets at either side of a window. And let's not forget theater lights, which might even channel the Art Deco styling that graced 1930s movie houses.

But these are, after all, conventional applications. Edgier sconces, such as those designed by Canadian architect and industrial designer Omer Arbel, demand unorthodox treatments.

Arbel, who creates evocative pieces for the Vancouver-based lighting company Bocci, fashions pieces into blown-glass globes that are artistic, playful and functional all at the same time. One particular model, the 14 Series, is in itself quite subtle. Its cast-glass half-sphere with a frosted cylindrical void houses a 10-watt xenon or 1.5-watt LED lamp. The light glows from within, kind of like a candle encased in ice.

What's particularly cool about the design is that bubbles and imperfections within the glass interact with the light source to create a halo. By nature of the medium, each piece is unique. So a mass installation -- dozens of these 4 1/2-inch pieces, seemingly randomly placed on a wall -- is as magical and hypnotic as a night summer sky filled with fireflies. Some of Arbel's pieces also feature colored glass, introducing another exciting layer.

Historically, the idea of a light source on a wall existed in early abodes, where torches lit up dark caves. Less primitive perhaps, were the "sconces" that illuminated medieval castles and the gothic and rugged iron looks for lighting expanded to large-scale chandeliers. As lighting design became more polished, the epitome of lush, grand styles were on display at places like the palace at Versailles, where chandeliers and sconces dripped with dazzling crystals.

Sconce choices today pretty much channel all of those looks and then some -- with designers pushing the envelope, exploring new media and combinations, and providing more options for a personal touch.

Sources

-- Aqua Creations, 212-219-9922, www.aquagallery.com; or contact Atelier Gary Lee, 312-644-4400. www.ateliergarylee.com

-- Astele, 203-557-3332, www.astele.com

-- Avram Rusu, 718-389-0350, www.avramrusu.com

-- Bocci, 604-639-5184, www.bocci.ca

-- Boyd, 415-778-4300, www.boydlighting.com

-- Corbett Lighting, 626-336-4511, www.corbettlighting.com

-- Currey & Co., 877-768-6428, www.curreyandcompany.com

-- Global Lighting, 914-591-4095, www.globallighting.com

-- Regina Andrew, 734-250-8042, www.reginaandrew.com

-- Visual Comfort & Co., 866-344-3875, www.visualcomfort.com

SIDEBAR

ARTISTIC ILLUMINATION

Lighting and art certainly have been mentioned in the same breath before -- to wit, Tiffany stained glass and the more contemporary glass artist Dale Chihuly are hugely collectible. But in the last five years there's been an evolution to what some describe as art lighting.

One thing is clear. There's a strong desire for the one of a kind -- or at the very least, designs that stand out.

"It's bespoke, it's fashion," says architect, interior and lighting designer Andreea Avram Rusu. "Clients are very specific: they say they don't want what everybody else has. They enjoy experimenting, pushing boundaries."

That sometimes translates to higher price tags (an Avram Rusu Confetti sconce ranges from around $2,800 to $3,500).

The fun, of course, is in the search. As for art -- well, just like beauty, perhaps, it's in the eye of the beholder.

CAPTIONS AND CREDIT

(NOTE: These photos are for ONE-TIME use ONLY. At Home photos, with the proper credits, are to be run ONLY with At Home stories. Conversion to black and white is OK.)

(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com or the Universal Uclick Editorial Department at -uueditorial@amuniversal.com)