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Come and get it Pull up an extra chair for dinner – there’s a place setting for everyone this year. New trends in tabletop décor leave plenty of room for personal panache 
The rules of table settings have changed: No longer does the table have to be a stuffy tribute to too many heirlooms or a dull rerun of last fall’s dinner party. Thanks to the proliferation of fabulous products and brilliant ideas, the tabletop is a prime place to reveal personal style. Here, a look at trends worth bringing home. Kid Friendly Give even the littlest guests a chance to feel special by allowing them to use “real” dinnerware – so long as it's not Great Aunt Edna’s fine china. “There's something to be said for treating kids like they're not always going to break everything,” says Seattle-based lifestyle and food expert Heather Christo, mother of two young children. “You teach them how to behave around lovely things.” For a touch of whimsy, Christo recommends setting the kids' table with mismatched, inexpensive pieces found at thrift shops. If the kids aren’t quite ready for “adult” dinnerware, there are more options than the personality-free paper plates of dinner parties gone by. Manufacturers are turning out kid-friendly dishware in bold colors and graphic patterns. For example, Mill Valley, Calif.-based Green Toys just announced its new Green Eats tableware, made from 100-percent recycled milk jugs. Available in early 2011, the line is an eco-conscious parent's dream, free of BPA, melamine, phthalates, PVCs and external coatings. Plus, the bright colors make the tableware far more fun than standard white paper plates. Au Naturale Florals are flourishing. Many well-known china manufacturers, including Villeroy & Boch, Haviland and Wedgwood, recently released collections inspired by flowers. Wedgwood's new Cuckoo tea set collection is an elegant riff on the company's 19th-century bird-and-flower design. A more modern take on flowers, Villeroy & Boch's new Althea Nova collection features a botanical print design of herbs and edible flowers. To complete a nature-inspired tabletop, crown the table with an organic centerpiece. “We have so many wonderful things in our yards that stay green all year long: holly, magnolia, pine, cedar trees and shrubs,” says event planner William Fogler, founder of Denver- and Atlanta-based WM Events. “Mix these elements with fruit – a bowl of oranges, say, with magnolia leaves from the yard – and you have an elegant centerpiece.” Throwbacks Everything old is new again – or at least, hip again. “One of my favorite trends is using vintage or heirloom pieces to decorate the table,” Fogler says. He prefers mining the family china cabinet for just the right pieces, but if that's not an option, he recommends visiting local vintage and thrift stores to find china that suits fits the bill. If sorting through piles of mismatched pieces to find just the right salad plates doesn't thrill you, take heart: Legendary English china manufacturer Royal Crown Derby China has made honoring history easy with its recently released Titanic line, a reproduction of the china it produced for the ocean liner's ill-fated maiden voyage nearly 100 years ago. The pattern is elegant, marked by encrusted gold accents and Louis XVI-inspired green painted chaplets and festoons. A Touch of Glam Sparkle never goes out of style, says Kevin Walsh, owner and principal of Bear-Hill Interiors in Little Rock, Ark. Hosts and hostesses looking to add a little glamour to their tables have plenty of options. For a bold metallic look, Walsh recommends Juliska's Pewter Stoneware line, which makes a striking statement with its hammered finish and wide lip. (Plus, it's dishwasher- and microwave-safe.) For a more subtle shimmer, Juliska's Landon goblets have a sleek, curvy shape and antique silver finish. Not ready for quite so much shine? Lifestyle designer Barclay Butera recommends dressing up white dinnerware, such as Vietri's Incanto, with silver and crystal. Mix and Match Without question, one of this year's biggest trends is setting the table with mismatched pieces. “There is clearly a trend toward casual elegance,” Butera says. “Tables are layered with different colors and textures, which makes the entire dining experience a little bit fun, a little bit playful and a lot more entertaining.” To get that playful touch, mix precious family heirlooms with everyday items, Christo suggests. “That goes for flatware as well as china. Blend new and old with precious and not precious. It gives the table more personality and a touch of the unexpected.” Hosts looking for a more tailored look might mix glass pieces with dinnerware, or replace just one piece, such as salad plates, at each setting, Walsh says. But no matter which style you choose, there's one rule that should govern every tabletop, Walsh says: “For heaven's sake, have fun.” |
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