What I Want For Christmas

Dahling, this speaks to me. Don’t ask me why, because it’s completely silly, but I love this pig. I’m not a particular fan of pigs, but I am a huge fan of Jaime Hayon. And here’s something designed by Jaime (first name basis you know) that’s not thousands of dollars – only around $142.00 at Wannakees.

A little pig could look nice on a bookshelf, a dresser or some other serendipitous place It’s just a little something that makes me smile.

What’s on your smile list?

How To Set A Beautiful Holiday Table

You don’t need a special set of holiday china to set a table that also sets the mood. Any color china can be embellished to do the job nicely.

Here some more tips (see yesterday’s post) on how to take what you have and make the most of it.

Start with your everyday china. What color is it? I’m using Herend’s spectacular Elizabeth pattern. It’s super pricey ($250 per dinner plate), but it’s too beautiful not to play with. Really, any plate will do. Work with the main color and choose colors that will match, or coordinate. Gold and silver are usually good choices for holidays. There’s no law that says you can’t use any color you like because we’re going to make it say “Holiday” with a focal point.

Since the color I’m working is raspberry with gold accents, I’ve set a matching charger underneath. This gold banded style is from Ancienne Manufacture Royale ($150.00). Ouch?! I agree. Just scoot over to Target where you’ll find a wide variety of choices for about $15.00 each. Just make sure your charger complements the plate. Gold or silver are festive choices.

Now we need a plate for our focal point. I’m continuing with my raspberry and gold color palette by using a gold butter dish ($79.00 from Bernardaud). You can use gold, silver or a color than matches your dish. A small butter dish is nice because its size focuses the eye on the center. Here is another example, using a larger plate from the same Gold Leaf pattern, which makes the point that smaller is better.

Top the small dish with an ornament of the season. Keep in mind that you want to use something that complements your color palette. Here are some ideas.

• Christmas: an ornament tied with a satin ribbon
• Thanksgiving: a leaf, pine cone, berries, gourd. Tie a satin ribbon at the stem.
• Hanukkah: A dreidel, a little box tied with ribbon

Now that we have our focal point, we’re going to round out the place setting with stainless, flatware from Waterford ($89.00 5 piece setting). A little gold accent is nice with our setting. For a less expensive option, try this one from Target.

I’m not one for fancy napkin folding, so I used a simple snowflake ring and a jewel-toned green napkin. Jewel tones go together. Blue goes with red, silver, orange. Not everything has to match.

Finally, make sure you have enough wine glasses. Drinking glasses are not allowed! If you use proper wine glasses you can buy less expensive wine and it will taste better. These are from Juliska and Simon Pearce.

My centerpiece are simple flowers in a coordinating color. Actually, these flowers were awful – sprayed! The stuff got all over everything. They look pretty, though.

Jennifer’s Tips

1. Use your regular china and choose a matching or coordinating color palette. Gold and silver are good holiday choices

2. Create a focal point by using a small plate topped with an ornament of the season.

3. Use real wine glasses

4. Linens should be natural fibers and ribbons should be satin or grosgrain – no giftwrap.

Thanks to The League Shop, Grosse Pointe’s best tabletop shop, for allowing me to borrow their beautiful dishes and tableware. They will be happy to take orders over the phone and ship the Herend china directly to my door (LOL)!

Do you have some holiday tips? Share!

Belvivere Linens

I’d like to welcome my new sponsor, Belvivere Linens, to Design Hole. Their online shop sells fine linens including some beautiful tablecloths.

Tablecloths seem to be out of fashion. I see most tables dressed with runners and placemats. I have a collection of heirloom linen cloths and like to layer them in various ways.

For example, if you have a beautiful, vintage cloth with a few small holes in it, don’t throw it out. Simply place a plain cloth, in the same color, under it. You’ll see the beautiful features and the holes with disappear. Or, make the holes work by setting an eclectic table setting. Think Anthropologie. The holes go with that look.

I think the reason most people don’t use tablecloths is because they need to be ironed. No one irons anymore. And there isn’t any way to get around it. A linen cloth needs an iron. My solution is to send it to the cleaners. They’ll fold it carefully and hang it on a rounded hanger to keep creases to a minimum.

Do you agree that placemats are more popular than tablecloths? Is it the ironing issue, or an aesthetic one?

Genevieve Lethu

Do you decorate for the seasons? I don’t mean Pumpkins and Santas. Those are great for the kids. I’m talking about switching the toss pillows and throws from cool tones to warm ones. How about changing your tableware, too? Looking at the same old dishes every day gets boring.

I’m thinking of chunky dishware that reminds me of stews, chili and hot soup – the kind of food we look forward to when the weather turns cold.

I found these at Genevieve Lethu, the French store with shops here in the States. The plate is from the Mathilde Collection and comes in two colors. I mixed that with some leafy spoons that I would team with my regular flatware. Maybe add a horned steak knife. A chunky glass, this one is called Tendance.

I love this La Memoire de Temps ceramic pitcher. Use it as a centerpiece, or fill it with cider. Finally, I’ve covered the table with a table runner that ties it all together.

To find Genevieve Lethu shops near you, follow this link.