When it comes to tabletop design, Ed Libby, celebrity event designer, based in New Jersey and New York (201-666-7776; edlibby.com) certainly knows a thing or two. For the spring-summer season, he feels there are two schools of thought. One is heavily embellished with everything from linens and flowers adorned with crystals, beading, monograms, or embroidery of some sort. The second is a take on modern luxury, using the hot new plexi “ghost” chairs instead of standard ballroom styles, paired with lucite tabletops lit from underneath. He also feels it’s not just about the flowers anymore. “Flowers are just a natural extension to the overall table presentation,” he says, which now includes lots of other “accessorizing” to the table.

Glenn Wolski of Stem & Co. in Upper Montclair (973-746-1000; stemandcompany.com) agrees. Some of the details that he likes to incorporate include silk-ribbon tassels or vintage brooches as napkin rings and embellishing centerpieces with beaded pins and crystals. Wolski also likes to wrap cylinder vases in special papers, ribbons, or couture fabrics. “This creates more of a fashion focus on the center of the table, using flowers in monochromatic colors to keep a clean line,” he says.

So what exactly is new in flowers? As for colors, shapes, and sizes of arrangements, Nicole Zbikowski, designer at Linda’s Florist in Short Hills (877-806-9088; lindasflorist.com), believes low centerpieces will continue as well as the use of multiple smaller component vases, as opposed to one large arrangement. Elizabeth Gilmore-Duddy, owner of the Lily Pond in Scotch Plains (908-233-1230; lilyponddesigns.com), also feels the low and long trend will continue, saying she prefers “using lots of glass in rectangular shapes; if it’s tall it’s super clean and simple, using orchids or calla lilies.”

As for the flowers, Gilmore-Duddy believes in not using a lot of greens, but rather going with one type of flower as opposed to a mix of different kinds. Michelle Santanello of MDS Floral Designs in Manahawkin (609-607-0467; mdsfloraldesigns.com) agrees: “I like to use bunches of the same flowers together, but multiple types. I design a lot of weddings down the Shore, and that inspires me to use details like sea glass and shells in unexpected ways.” As for color, Libby and Gilmore-Duddy feel pink will be the hot shade of the season, while Zbikowski sees brighter colors like fuchsia mixed with red. Other hot colors were bronze, lavender, and all shades of green.