If Dan would let me get away with tossing all the food out of our kitchen cabinets and using every available inch to store dishes, I would do it in a New York minute. As a certified dish-oholic, I have never met a set of dishes I didn’t want to own. But, even the Queen of Carry-Out needs to keep a few groceries in the house. So, I have had to rein in my obsession. How? But choosing a few sets of dishes that allow me to mix and match to create lots of different looks on my table.
If you like to keep your table fresh and fun, with different looks to reflect the season, the occasion or your mood, try my trick. Invest in three versatile dish sets, then mix them up to create dozens of unique looks.
White Dishes
If you love color and pattern, this may seem like a waste to you. But every great painting has to start with a plain canvas. That’s what white dishes give you – an ideal foundation upon which to let your table-setting creativity run wild.
Like that little black dress, white dishes go with everything and are perfect for just about any occasion. Take them formal or casual, traditional or contemporary, serene or spunky simply by switching around what they are paired with: table linens, chargers, serving pieces and accent plates. With each substitution, these chameleons completely transform to fit their new environment.
Case in point. Our design team at Nell Hill’s took one of my favorite sets of white dishes and gave them loads of personality by pairing them with a playful bowl, table linens and charger. Add in a show-stopper centerpiece, and these plates go from plain to powerful.
Green Majolica Dishes
I’ve long been a fan of majolica, especially for spring and summer tables. The leaf images just make me smile and add charm to any tablescape. Mix them with white dishes and all of a sudden, magic happens. Love how our team styled this table to give it garden charm, from the cabbage leaf to the rattan placemat.
With this fresh base, you can go wild with your table linens, centerpiece and serving pieces. Our design team used a simple woven coral colored placemat and floral fabric napkins to give this table at Nell Hill’s irrepressible energy.
This table threads in brilliant blues and zippy yellow to make a cheerful statement, perfect for a summer brunch.
Did you notice that the only things we changed from the table above were the table linens and table accents? The dishes are just the same. Yet, the look and feel of the table is completely different.
Blue Dishes
This is my favorite color, bar none. Blue truly looks amazing with everything. Check out how dramatic this whitewashed table is once you slide in a storm blue salad plate.
I don’t think you can get too much of a good thing. So I like to mix all three of these wonderful dishes together on tables. Here, we tossed in a splash of orange with a faux leather charger and a fun spring napkin. A little green flower inserted into the napkin ring is the perfect finish for a lovely spring setting that showcases the power of three fabulous sets of dishes.
Next Week … Natural materials like bamboo and rattan give your interior spaces warmth and character.
