There are two kinds of people in this world; those who feel "set the table" is a chore and those who consider it an enticing invitation. If you're reading this, chances are you belong to the latter camp—and you're in good company.
Though the art of table setting has a long history intertwined with cultural, political, and religious tradition, setting the table as means of creative expression has enjoyed renewed popularity in the era of Instagram, where inventive tablescapes rack up just as many likes as the recipes for the food served on them.
Take, for example, a garden party designer Caroline Gidiere hosted at her Birmingham home with De Gournay last spring. Her place cards handpainted on paper leaves by Casa Gusto and cabbageware plates set on chinoiserie tablecloths were reposted thousands of times.
No one knows the power of an Instagram table better than editor-turned-creative-consultant Benjamin Reynaert, whose styling magic has seen his tablescapes featured in the The New York Times. Social media fervor for the table settings in designer Josh Young's layered, minimal home, meanwhile, earned him brand deals with the likes of Williams Sonoma Home and will play a part in his upcoming book, Artful Home. Paris-based Ajiri Aki also showed off tables in her recent book, Joie, celebrating her life as Madame de la Maison, a vintage and home decor purveyor in France.
Speaking of purveyors, no tabletop lover's virtual shopping list should be complete without a stop at Moda Operandi. Last month, the online retailer expanded Jessica Matlin's role there from Director of Beauty to include home. Now, she's ensuring that a wide range of entertaining essentials from Colombia, Austria, and beyond are accessible with the click of a mouse.
To help you navigate the inspiring world of tabletop—and maybe find a few gems of your own—we chatted with these tastemakers about their signature styles, how they love to set a table, and what they use to create these inviting tabletops. Read on for tips, sources, and plenty of inspiration.
Ajiri Aki: Soulful Vintage
"I always say that our souls collide at the table," says Ajiri Aki, the Paris-based founder of Madame de la Maison. The Nigerian-Jamaican-American in Paris always loved a soulful table, but when she moved to France, she began leaning into her passion for creating beautiful occasions.
"When I moved to Paris and saw a plethora of 19th- and early 20th- century items for the table at flea markets, it became important to me to make gathering also beautiful and intentional," says Aki.
She's not above a bit of the unconventional, either. Aki loves using cake or pedestal stands in lieu of bowls and serving dishes, vintage accessories instead of floral centerpieces, and even fruits and vegetables in place of traditional settings.
"The last table I set was for Galentines' day and I used pink radicchio, violet artichokes, and Queen Anne's Lace to make the prettiest runner," she recalls. "I actually didn’t plan it, but just went to see what caught my eye at the L’Arrosoir, one of the flower shops I frequent, and Terroirs d’Avenir, a fruit and vegetable shop, then went home to play. I was very pleased with how romantic and playful it looked. I also filled all the carafes typically used for whisky with rosé."
If you didn’t notice, "I love to overdo it with a color or a theme," Aki says. "I want people to feel good when they enter my house and see a beautifully set table with flowers, candles, and all the cute table accessories, but also don't want my guests to feel like they can't touch anything. I love a full table and full hearts."
Aki’s favorite sources for tableware include Marché Vernaison at the Puces des Saint Ouen, Chairish, secondhand marketplaces, Landline in Paris, and Gohar World. One thing her tables always have? "Knife rests."
Shop Ajiri's Tablescape
Salad bowl Vénus in white porcelain
Set of four stainless steel dessert stems
"Kiss Me Everywhere" Ice Bucket
Martha Stewart Jadeite Glass Cake Stand
Pyrex 3-Piece Prepware Mixing Bowl Set
Caroline Gidiere: Classic Chic
For Birmingham, Alabama-based interior designer Caroline Gidiere, the passion for tabletop started early: "My mother and grandmother always placed such importance on the table and included me in setting the table when I was young," she recalls. Now, she describes the entertaining she does at her home as "loose, classic, and chic."
Much as she does in her interiors, Carline tends towards mixing classic and traditional elements with unexpected touches (for example, she says, "I love having a bowl of chocolates on the table"). Her tablescapes often involve a touch of Southern formality, too; think hand-drawn place cards and individual salt and pepper shakers at each place.
"I also like a high-low glass situation—and I don't mean costs," Gidiere quips. "I like to pair lowball glasses for water with wine glasses on the table, in lieu of a string of tall stemmed glasses."
That variety is echoed in the flat parts of her tablescape, where Gidiere tends towards textural detail—jute placemats, hotel silver on a bare wood table—and small-scale pattern (blue-and-white Aptware and tortoise shell glass).
Gidiere's go-to sources for table decor include Tory Burch Home, Land of Belle, Amanda Lindroth, Houses & Parties, and Etsy ("for linen hemstitch tablecloths").
Shop Caroline's Tablescape
CHARTREUSE DINNER NAPKIN
Lettuce Ware Dinner Plate, Set of 2
Sabre Panda Bamboo Five-Piece Silverware Set
Italian Linen Tablecloth
Benjamin Reynaert: Layered and Unexpected
There's always a surprise in Benjamin Reynaert's tablescapes. The stylist and creative consultant started in the world of magazines, so he may owe his taste for the whimsical to his editorial education. "While assisting editors in the early days of my career at Martha Stewart Living, I always begged to go to their prop house to find items anyone needed for tabletop shoots," says Reynaert. "It was truly a treasure trove and I learned so much about pottery, silver, collecting, and objects there."
Years later, it’s safe to say he's mastered the art of layering. "I like to mix different styles and color palettes to create a riot of color and texture on the table," he explains. Style aside, Reynaert never loses sight of the ultimate goal of a great host: "It's all with the goal of creating a memorable evening in mind."
Reynaert's tables often include an accumulation of items he collected around the globe as well as at local vintage haunts. "I pair fine china with rustic linens," he explains. "I like the mix it brings. I don't ever want the table setting to feel fussy or overly precious."
One element nearly all his tables feature that never ceases to delight guests is an assortment of small salt cellars with tiny spoons. "I seem to be bursting at the seams with tiny dishes and love to scatter them around the table," Reynaert says. "Plus, it saves guests from having to ask to pass the salt."
Reynaert's favorite sources for tabletop scores include a slew of small shops—Larger Cross in Oldwick, NJ, Sage Street Antiques in Sag Harbor, The Huntress in Pound Ridge and the West Village, NY, Saved NY in Chelsea—and a range of discount havens: Ladies Village Improvement Society, Housing Works. He also frequents estate sales, especially in Delaware, where he has a home.
After all, you never know where you'll find the perfect piece: "I recently used an old Robert Kime fabric remnant I picked up from a church basement for the tablecloth and the organic pattern just worked," Reynaert says. "The tinted ground and oranges and blues became the perfect backdrop—everything looked good on top of it."
Shop Benjamin's Tablescape
ikea VARGFISK
Isphahan Porcelain Giant Charger
Set of Four Lavaux Goblets
Ginori Floral Charger Plate
Juri Sage Napkins
Jessica Matlin: Easy Elegance
As the Director of Beauty + Home for Moda Operandi and a longtime beauty editor, Jessica Matlin is no stranger to a well-orchestrated event. "I've attended over a thousand brand events all over the world, and the atmosphere—especially the table—has been central to setting the mood and sharing something about the host," she says.
Meanwhile, closer to home, Matlin has found a more thoughtful, personal way of setting a table. "My cousin (with whom I am very close), is an incredible interior decorator, and always has an amazing eye for vintage pieces she stakes out at many of her dealers (who have become fast friends)," says Matlin. "Every item in her home has a life behind it, and she has a zero-tolerance policy for clutter. (Maybe that’s the German in her.) Her way of living inspires me, and makes me only want to bring pieces I really love into my home, whether that's beautiful plates with painted animals or Turkish bowls from the Grand Bazaar, painted in a creamy sage green I’ve never seen anywhere else."
At Moda, of course, Matlin has access to some of the very best for the table. "Our in-house line Moda Domus covers everything from everyday entertaining to more formal specialty pieces," she says. "We see it as the building blocks if you're just starting your first tabletop collection, a resource to fill in gaps we haven't found in the market elsewhere, or our way of recreating LSD's vintage finds." The best part? "Most of it is dishwasher safe, making it ideal for everyday use."
It's also ideal for the kind of easy entertaining to which Matlin is partial. "I have a four-year-old daughter, so we often have kids over with their parents," she says. "I love having beautiful serving trays over with lots of snacks: The Moda Domus Hopenwork Creamware Serving Tray is so practical, and makes everything look elevated (without being too fussy). I love the pink."
But not all of her entertaining is geared toward the pre-K set. When it comes to adult beverages, "Now that we're headed into spring, Il Buco Vita’s glasses feel right," she says. "The blue does it for me. They're absolutely stunning. I can't wait to have my first 'warm night' cocktail in it. My husband will be making it."
Besides her favorite Moda pieces, Matlin likes sourcing tabletop at vintage and antique stores from London's Convent Garden to Lambertsville, NJ and New Hope, PA. ("I love to take a day to wander and find special one-of-a-kind pieces," she says.) And she's always looking for a bit of kitsch, seeking out "elevated pieces that don't take themselves so seriously," she says. "I think they put guests at ease, and they show people you have a sense of humor—essential if you're hosting people at your place."
Shop Jessica's Tablescape
Hopenwork Creamware Serving Tray
Pienza Glass Tumbler
Pink Palm Big Candle Holder
Set-of-Four Small Embroidered Linen Placemats
French Baguette Porcelain Box
Josh Young: Elevated Casual
"I want my guests to feel welcomed and relaxed," says Young, who entertains frequently at his townhouse in Washington, D.C. as well as a country home in Middleburg, VA. He styles his tables accordingly, with neutral palettes, pared-back place settings, and lots of textural detail. It's a style he calls "formal but not stuffy."
"When we began hosting more formal dinner parties with friends, I slowly became more aware and intentional with how I set the table," Young recalls. "This then kicked off my collecting of beautiful table linens, flatware, stemware, etc. It's so much fun and it's something I'm always looking for whenever sourcing or traveling."
Young's last great purchase was a pair of antique hurricanes, which he uses when entertaining both indoors and out. "Last summer we hosted an outdoor dinner party with friends at our country home, Sycamore House," he recalls. "The table was simple and monochromatic with mustard yellow napkins, linens, woven charges, sculptural branches and green hydrangeas in small silver julep cups. Setting a table outdoors is for sure my favorite and I'm looking forward to the warmer days ahead!"
Young's go-to sources for tabletop indicate his deftness at mixing high and low; some favorites are: D.C. boutique Manse, Williams Sonoma Home, Saint Signora ("for vintage linens"), as well as Amazon ("great for the essentials") and local antique and vintage shops. Two things he'd never leave off a table? "Flowers and candles," he says. "It may seem obvious, but every table needs the softness and intimacy they both bring."
Shop Josh's Tablescape
Open Ended Glass Hurricane Candleholder
Vintage Etched Goblets
Williams Sonoma Nito Charger Plate
Fringed Napkins, Set of 4
La Fête Bougie Candle
Hadley Keller is the Director of Editorial and Community Engagement at the Design Leadership Network, a community of top interior designers. She has covered design, interiors, and culture for over 10 years.
