Center of Attention

The Centerpiece. The words weigh heavily this time of year.

For months you can go without thinking about The Centerpiece or worrying about The Centerpiece but, come the holidays, The Centerpiece becomes important.

The Centerpiece sets the tone of the holiday table. The Centerpiece says "we're dining formal" or "this is going to be fun." The Centerpiece lights up the room and is the master of ceremonies to your talent portion of the evening.

Yes, there is pressure — Centerpiece Pressure.

To find out what the designers are doing about centerpieces, we went to a recent Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS event where interior designers, stagers, specialty stores, college design students and celebrities created elaborate tablescapes.

This year, lighted centerpieces were popular, as were floral arrangements in anything but a traditional container.