People who love to eat are always the best people.
Julia Child
There are few things I enjoy more than cooking for
others. Having come from a long Greek
line of food pushers, it is simply what I do.
I cook for my family daily and whenever the occasion calls for it, I cook for
others. If you have a new baby, I will
bring food. If you win the Pulitzer
Prize, I will bring food. If you have a
death in the family, I will bring food. If you leave the restroom trailing toilet paper from your shoe, I will bring
food. This is how I
celebrate my family and friends, in good times and bad. Much like my Yia Yia, I
show my love through cooking.
This love of cooking has naturally extended to entertaining.
I entertain at home quite often.
Preparing a delicious meal and setting a pretty table thrills me to no
end. I relish any opportunity to raid my
china stash. I have an incurable habit
of collecting it so I reason that I should use it as often as possible. We use my grandmother’s vintage blue
willow collection for our everyday dishes, which I have been augmenting since
college graduation. Just last weekend,
my mother dropped off my Yia Yia’s blue willow to augment my collection – it was very much
like Christmas come early.
The other day I had a few friends by for dinner and set
this festive table. Almost always, I mix
patterns and color, just like I do with my interiors. The pink poinsettias and artichokes are a nod
to the holiday season without being overtly Christmasy too early or Turkeyfied too predictable. No red
and green for me, or heaven forbid, brown and boring. I do appreciate brown, as evidenced in my
bathroom, just not in any predictable manner like a Turkey Day table
setting. Instead, you will get a crazy
mix of color and pattern at my table, even on major holidays. I’m frisky like that.
SOURCES:
monogram napkins | Chinoiserie plates
| blue Villeroy & Boch goblets | gold chargers | Blue Willow
bowls | green Limoges plates | bamboo tray | placemats | silver
| pineapple print | pink candles
Items without links are things that I have inherited. My holiday tables will be a similar riot of color with a few more seasonal tweaks here and there. My equation for a frisky, gorgeous table always starts with classic elements. Classic elements, like bamboo, rattan, and silver help to keep the look grounded, while the mix of unexpected color, pattern, and fresh produce keep the look fresh and frisky.
I encourage you to not only entertain more this season, but to do so colorfully. #colorismyfavoritecolor
In my book, people who love to mix color daringly are always the best people too!
All designs, layouts, styling, and photos by
Emily Vanderputten
kisses, mrs. V
