Mother’s Day, Easter, Passover, bridal showers—the next few months ahead are bursting with opportunities for celebrations with family and friends. And if you’re of the mindset that every day is a gift, Sunday dinners can certainly be special events, too! Elevating your tablescape is just one way you can make the most of any day in that distinctive place you call home.
Fresh from the Garden
Color and texture combine in subtle ways but offer big impact with this curated line of painted flower plates from shopterrain.com. Hand-painted so no two are quite the same, this selection will pair well with West Elm’s collection of Royal Pacific flatware in their Brushed Champagne finish. Add in Vintage Edged drinking goblets and wine glasses in pink from Williams Sonoma and then finish off your place setting with a warm and neutral Flax-Certified linen napkin from the Marin collection and faux leather Rizzo placemats in Desert Green, both available at Crate & Barrel.
First Taste of Outdoors
Those first warmer breezes of spring are wafting about and reminding us that we will soon be able to take the party outdoors again. And when it’s a little more than just a picnic we’d start with a plate that sets the tone for fun and the standard for convenience with a striking pattern made of melamine. We loved this By Hope Daffodil Stripe melamine dinner plate from shopterrain.com. The party’s about to start when paired with these textured Jupiter outdoor drinking glasses from Pottery Barn. Fill your glass with a cold beverage pulled for this Leland rattan beverage tub from Crate & Barrel, and frame those pretty plates with Sabre Bistro flatware and Salento linen napkins in pistachio from Serena & Lilly. The finishing touch is a Tallo de Olivio napkin ring of tiny wooden spheres from westelm.com.
For the Rule Breakers
Yes, our food-based gathering traditions usually have a few guidelines associated with them when it comes to “this fork here and that spoon there,” however, a great tablescape can be a curated construct of the imagination, as well, and one that guests will recall for years to come! This one starts with a glazed stoneware dinner plate in deep green by Wisteria topped with a dramatic black-and-white striped salad plate from Hudson + Grace’s Diane Keaton collection. A striking Modern Optic wine glass and matte black Cyprus flatware from Williams Sonoma, help stoke the drama, as a block pattern fuchsia cotton dinner napkin by Caspari pulls the intensity of this tabletop together.
Faith & Family-Based
Joyous and steeped in remembrance and gratitude, Passover is a special time of reflection and reconnection with family. This table is set with warm tones and aspects that reflect light. A Marlo Thomas Collection Blue Floral dinner plate from Williams Sonoma is dressed with a gold Baroque glass salad plate from Vietri.com and then framed with Vietri’s Ares Oro collection flatware. The simple, but elegant Hammered Gold Rim stemless wine glass is from Pottery Barn. A gorgeous Golden Fern serving platter will catch eyes at the table and can be found on shopterrain.com, and modest, cream-colored, cotton-weave napkins are enhanced with brass Star of David napkin ring holders from westelm.com.
For the Love of Mom
Nothing would be sweeter to than to surprise Mom this year with a beautifully topped table selection that she will be able to use year after year. And only timeless and traditional beauty will do! Start by making a memorable toast to Mom this year with some champs in a true-fire champagne glass. We’re loving this classic HG Heritage Coupe Glass by hudsonandgracesf.com from its HG Heritage drinkware collection, paired with its sister water glass from the same collection. For the lap and for the look of the fabric with the plate design, add a theme-enhancing pattern like Williams and Sonoma’s Sicily Mosaic napkin, and finish with a fine line of flatware like this one from Ricci Argentieri’s Rafaello Collection.
An Easy Tabletop Where-It-Goes Guide
For the inevitable before-dinner conundrum, here’s a brief refresher course in proper tabletop placement. Bon Appétit!
Casual
- Salad fork
- Dinner fork
- Napkin
- Dinner plate
- Dinner knife
- Dinner spoon
- Salad plate
- Water glass
- Wine glass
Formal
- Salad fork
- Dinner fork
- Napkin
- Dinner plate
- Dinner knife
- Dinner spoon
- Seafood fork
- Salad plate
- Bread plate
- Dessert spoon
- Dessert fork
- Water glass
- Red wine glass
- White wine glass
- Champagne flute
