Ideas for Decorating a Buffet Table Using Table Lamps

A whimsical idea to try for decorating a buffet table is using lamps. Whether the lamps are part of an inside joke or your partys theme is light or youre being intentionally random, using them as the table dcor is sure to bring a smile to hungry party guests faces. Does this Spark an idea?

Artful Arrangement

Collect a good supply of table lamps. Gather together all the ones in your home and borrow several for the evening from friends and family. Place them down the middle of the buffet table, in lieu of a table runner, with food on either side. Or, place a lamp here and a lamp there among the food dishes. A third option is grouping the lamps in two or three clusters on the table. For this approach, the more mismatched the lamps the better.

Twisty Fun

Shine gooseneck lamps down onto entrees.

Gooseneck table lamps in particular can be brought into play in creative ways. Buy secondhand ones inexpensively at a thrift store or flea market. Use them to put all the hot dishes under a showcasing spotlight by twisting their necks so that they shine down on the food. For cold dishes or desserts, place the lamps a safe distance away and shine the light up to the ceiling so the heat they give off wont affect the food.

Name Game

Use lamps in conjunction with food. For every style of lamp placed on the table, use a dish that corresponds with its name. Place a little flag with the food/lamp name on it next to each dish so guests will get the connection. Examples include Floor Lamp Fajitas, Arc Lamp Alfredo, Kerosene Lamp Kebobs, Lava Lamp Lettuce Wraps, Accent Lamp Asparagus, Orb Lamp Orzo, Reading Lamp Roast Beef and, for dessert, Desk Lamp Devils Food Cake and Tiffany Lamp Tarts.

Lit Letters

Another take on how to incorporate food into decorating the buffet is using food, lamps, and the aforementioned flags with lamp-related words. Entre examples are Lit Lamb Skewers, Vintage Veal Parmesan, Halogen Hamburgers, Base Beef Wellington or Shade Shrimp. For side dishes, consider such selections as Bulb Baked Potatoes, Lighting Leeks, Table Turnips, Crystal Corn Chowder with Traditional Treacle Puddings or Beside Blintzes and for dessert. Quench partygoers thirst with Contemporary Cosmopolitans and Lamp Limoncellos.