while i'm on the topic...

I am thinking a lot about dinner parties and table designs lately. I want to make a chocolate brown linen tablecloth to go with my new green candlestick and a few other accessories. I like to layer at the table, combining placemats and tablecloths and coasters in various combos. Butcher paper makes a good layer too. It is so bistro-chic, and it is disposable. You can use white or brown depending on your color palette. And then there are all the great paper napkin designs there are to choose from, especially those at IKEA. I have a bit of a cocktail napkin collecting problem actually. This is just some of my collection...

For Spring I like to show some bare table and use a combination of smaller table linens, runners and sheer placemats. I know it sounds weirdly like clothing design, but hey, I am a fashion designer after all.

So anyway, my suggestions for a striking table are the same as for a stand-out personal style: choose modular versatile pieces and layer layer layer. You can create a unique table and a unique you. It's all in the mix! And it is so much fun to keep changing up the elements when you are wanting a little something new and fabulous. And it doesn't have to cost a lot.

Below are some are table linens I made (like the white and grey runner and the green striped coasters); some are single napkins I purchased (from fancy design stores like Bliss and Lekker in Boston) and pressed flat; one is a bamboo window shade I cut to size for a table mat. For a sushi party one Spring I grew small pots of grass to complement the bamboo mat and arranged votives in soy sauce dishes.