A LUXURIOUS NEW YEARS EVE BASH

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As 2016 winds down, I wanted to cap things off here at JustineCelina with an unexpected twist! The older we get and the busier our lives become, the more I truly treasure the time I’m able to spend with family and friends — especially during the holidays. I’ve always wanted to host a black tie party to ring in the new year — I would much rather stay in and create a unique and memorable evening for guests to enjoy than go out to celebrate. Today I’ve teamed up with HomeSense, Rebecca Dawn Design and Genevieve Renee Photographie to do just that in this Luxurious New Years Eve Bash!

If you’re hosting a New Years Eve party and looking for some fresh ideas, we have so much entertaining inspiration in store for you today. This season I wanted to create something interesting and experiment with a different aesthetic — fantastical, luxurious and a bit avante garde. This moody, black tie celebration is complete with dramatic florals and modern decor mixed with antique touches, indulgent accoutrements, Vanilla Pomegranate Mulled Wine and no shortage of bubbly. Rich, on-trend textures of velvet, agate and natural stone are layered with jewel tones, gold and antique brass to create a dramatic spread with contemporary flair. If you, too, are craving some drama this season, we invite you embrace your dark side this New Years Eve and celebrate 2017 in style!

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A LUXURIOUS NEW YEARS EVE BASH

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This year, I partnered with HomeSense to host an intimate New Years Eve celebration and today I’m sharing the inspiration behind every detail — including flowers, decor, entertaining essentials, food, drink, fashion and beauty! It was a such a pleasure working with Rebecca Dawn Design and Genevieve Renee Photographie to make my vision for this party come to life. I’ve been in awe of Genevieve’s work for quite some time (go check her out!) and feel very fortunate be able to collaborate with such talented creatives like Rebecca and Genevieve to bring fresh content to JustineCelina. I’ve mentioned previously that community is king and collaboration is the key to staying inspired and keeping things fresh — I hope you enjoy these beautiful images we created together for a very welcome change of pace around here!

I’ve mentioned many times that flowers are my not so secret weapon to elevate any celebration or space — I absolutely love to have fresh flowers in my home whenever possible, or gift them to family and friends during the holidays. I cherish being able to work with my friend Rebecca to bring the most beautiful blooms and flower education to JustineCelina for you to enjoy! This Luxurious New Years Eve Bash just wouldn’t be the same without this oversized, moody arrangement brimming with rich, velvety textures.

To elevate the drama of our celebration, Rebecca created a showstopping centrepiece to adorn the head of the table. It was a lot of fun experimenting with the placement of this dramatic arrangement — while I love florals running down the centre of the table, it doesn’t always make for the most practical set up for visiting with company or sharing a meal. Placing the arrangement at the head of the table creates a strong focal point in any space and allows guests to enjoy conversation without any obstacles in the way!

Rebecca worked with a decadent, jewel toned palette of rich magentas, ruby reds, merlots, deep berries, eggplants and chocolatey hues with subtle pops of fresh greenery. This oversized arrangement includes a medley of Hydrangeas, Black Magic Roses, Black Baccara Roses, Gem and Lace Spray Garden Roses, Hypericum, Allium, Lisianthus, Scabiosa, Liqustrom, Chocolate Lace, Cotinus, Photina and Grevillea. If you’d like to learn more about these beautiful blooms or winter flower care tips, be sure to hop over to our Luxe Holiday Floral Inspiration post!

If you’ve read JustineCelina for any length of time, you’ll have heard me mention that HomeSense is one of my favourite places to source unique decor and entertaining essentials (seriously… I stop in almost weekly!), so I was thrilled to partner with them to create this black tie New Years Eve celebration. One of my favourite things about HomeSense is that I can find those more eclectic pieces that really make a gathering feel special — I love to mix new pieces with antiques when I’m entertaining to create an eclectic vibe with meaning (there’s no better time to pull out family heirlooms for guests to enjoy!). This Luxurious New Years Eve Bash combines old and new for the best of both worlds — and I love that my new entertaining essentials integrate seamlessly with items I’ve owned for years.

Although I tender to favour light, bright imagery and decor, I wanted to experiment with a dramatic, moody vibe for this celebration. Since the oversized arrangement creates such a strong focal point at the head of the table, I kept the place settings relatively simple. First, I began with matte black plates dressed up with glitzy gold flatware. Gold flatware has been having a major decor moment this year, but can be a bit of a splurge. I was thrilled to find this beautiful gold flatware at HomeSense this season for a fraction of the cost of standard retail — just $39.99 for a set of 5 (which usually starts at $50.00!). So many of you have commented on them in the photos I’ve been teasing of this post via social media — so if you’ve been lusting after gold flatware, be sure pop into your local HomeSense and snag a set for yourself!

I styled each place setting with grey linen napkins I’ve owned for a few years — you’ve seen them around here many times my recipe posts! To integrate some on-trend velvety textures into this tablescape (yep… my velvet obsession this season is still going strong!) I tied each napkin with jewel toned velvet ribbon and incorporated a sprig of Liqustrom berries to add a festive touch to each place setting. I also draped our plush sheepskin throws over the backs of the dining chairs to add a crisp pop of white (I always pull them out to cozy up our space during winter months!), along with these gorgeous, forest green, velvet cushions from HomeSense. These simple but thoughtful touches really work to elevate the mood of your celebration and personalize a space!

I’ve always had a thing for vintage brass candlesticks — chalk it up to my prairie upbringing in a craftsman style home full of antiques! I’ve owned this set of candlesticks for a few years now and love the air of tradition that they bring to a tablescape — but I also love to add sleek, white taper candles to them to make them feel contemporary. Would you believe that the brass goblets are actually from HomeSense? I love the old-world feeling they infuse, while the mis-matched styles keep each setting from feeling stuffy.

All the rest of the glassware is from HomeSense — I love mixing and matching styles to create a unique atmosphere. I’m enjoying a glass of my favourite Codorniu Anna de Codorniu Cava Brut Rose in this stunning, crystal stemware, while the cocktail glasses and metallic mugs are filled with my Vanilla Pomegranate Mulled Wine! It’s been a hit around here this holiday season — the crystal cocktail glasses may look familiar because I also used them in my recipe post. They catch the candlelight so beautifully!

You really can’t host a party without a bar stocked with holiday cheer — every single item on our sideboard except the vintage candlesticks is from HomeSense! I love the way these mixed metals play together with natural stone and agate textures. We have my favourite La Marca Prosecco on ice, a decanter full of mulled wine, as well as a fresh fruit tray full of some of my favourite seasonal snacks — pomegranate, pears and grapes.

I love to set out simple, nourishing snacks for guests to enjoy when I’m entertaining. Lacquered glass serving trays display these gorgeous seasonal fruits beautifully and they also make clean up a breeze.

A few of my other favourite accoutrements to prepare for guests include breadsticks and an assortment of cheese and olives. I love to dine tapas style and enjoy sharing food with family and friends when it can be passed around the table and customized to each guests individual preferences or dietary restrictions.

And lastly, I love to start a fire for cozy winter nights in. There’s nothing better than a room full of people sharing good eats, drinks and conversations set to the beautiful, warm ambience a fireplace provides!

If you’re curious, my dress is vintage (I found it a few years ago) and I’ve been dying for an occasion to wear it! My silver hairband is from H&M and my glittery red lip is courtesy of the PAT McGRATH LABS Lust 004 Lipstick Kit in Bloodwine, which I reviewed in my 5 Festive Lipsticks to Try This Holiday Season post. I absolutely love this kit and find it surprisingly wearable, but it’s especially perfect for New Years Eve!

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What are your plans for New Years Eve? Whether you’re hosting or attending a party, heading out, or spending a quiet night in, I hope you all have a wonderful (and safe) evening! If this post inspired your entertaining plans or you pick up some new HomeSense goodies, be sure to leave me a comment or tag me on or tag me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook — I love to see your photos. I wish you all a fun, safe and happy New Years Eve and all the best in 2017!

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Disclaimer: Thank you to HomeSense for sponsoring this post. JustineCelina uses affiliate and referral links, which allow me to receive a small commission when you make a purchase through one of my links. Thank you for supporting the brands and businesses that support JustineCelina!