Dinner

The Thanksgiving Table of My Dreams

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For the last couple of years, we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving by taking a trip with family. It’s a surprisingly wonderful time to travel as you don’t encounter many long lines while exploring a city since the bulk of humanity is sitting on their grandmother’s couch watching football. While I absolutely love this new tradition we’ve started, the one thing I miss about Thanksgiving is having the opportunity to design a beautiful Thanksgiving table.

Since I won’t be able to put together a real Thanksgiving table this year, I decided to share with you the Thanksgiving table I’m currently dreaming of. When I started to brainstorm what my ideal Thanksgiving table would look like, two things immediately came to mind dutch tulip vases and Richard Ginori’s Oriente Italiano dinnerware collection. I first fell in love with delftware tulip vases when Tom and I saw the dutch flower pyramid or “Bloempiramide” at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. On a recent trip back, Tom brought me home a kit to build my own flower pyramid. Mine is made of plastic, but it’s still super cool. Ever since, I’ve wanted to design a table with a Bloempiramide as the centerpiece. Now on to those pink plates. I first saw one of Richard Ginori’s Oriente Italiano plates at Forty Five Ten in Dallas. I awkwardly took a picture of the back of the plate in the store because I knew I would want to remember who made it. I think what I love about these plates is that the simultaneously seem traditional and modern at the same time, but in all reality, it was probably just the millennial pink that caught my eye. I built the resulting tablescape around these two pieces and hope it inspires you to make a beautiful Thanksgiving tablescape of your own. Happy Thanksgiving, ya’ll!

The 12 Dinner Napkins We’re Craving for Thanksgiving

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I can’t believe the holiday season is upon us. We didn’t really have our traditional Fall weather here, so the fact that it’s almost Thanksgiving is really surprising. Maybe it’s the fact that this year feels a little “off”, but when I was thinking about how to set the table for Thanksgiving this year, I was drawn to things that didn’t look too “Thanksgiving.” While having a theme can be nice, sometimes I feel like it ends up looking too kitschy.

This year, I’m really craving adding some color to my table. I have beautiful white dinner plates and napkins, which I use for practically everything and it would be nice to have an alternative. I also really like the idea of buying something that can be repurposed for other dinner parties throughout the year so that whatever I buy will get used more than once.

I think when it comes to holiday decorating often times we feel like there’s a right way to decorate. For Thanksgiving, your need warm colors – reds, oranges, and yellows and lots of gourds. But I don’t think you need to be overly formulaic. When it comes to Thanksgiving, it’s all about getting your favorite people around the table and enjoying a delightful meal. It’s also one of the two times per year that you will probably actually set the table and use real napkins and fancy china. The objective for setting the table is really to make the people you have invited to your home feel special. By just by being thoughtful about how you set the table, you will set the tone for the day. Whether you use a pumpkin or a gourd or some metallic napkins, is totally up to you.

Dinner Chez Claire

My friend and neighbor, Claire, is starting a dinner series. She has a vision of curating fabulous dinners in unusual places be that a bank, a boutique, or a wildflower field. Last weekend, I joined her for the first iteration at her apartment and snapped a few pictures of the evening. As guests arrived they were greeted by Sangria, passed hors d’oeuvres, and an inviting tablescape on a terrace overlooking downtown Charlottesville. I fell in love with the turquoise plates, which set the stage for a beautiful meal. The three-course dinner prepared by a local chef featured a colorful summer salad, delicious paella, and to top off the meal, a trio of desserts. Not only does Claire have a knack for creating a visual feast, but she always makes sure to include the most interesting people in order to create a night to remember. I’m already looking forward to dinner number two!