Once you ring in the new year and the holiday buzz begins wear off, it’s time to settle in for the long, cold (well, sometimes) winter. Nights still feel endless until late February or early March, and you’re still eating everything in sight. So it’s a perfect time to entertain. People are needing good company to go along with all that good food—and a break from hunkering down under a blanket every evening.
A welcoming table can be a bit of a challenge after the sparkle and good cheer of the holidays. Is it better to embrace the barren landscape (if you live somewhere chilly, that is) or ignore it completely?
Fortunately, there’s room for both. Here are five winter settings grabbed from some of our favorite, most inspiring Instagram accounts. For menu and libation ideas, have a look at our recipe pages!
Junebug Weddings
This amazing place for wedding resources has lots of inspiration for setting an awesome table. By placing lots of greenery down the center (use moss, evergreen branches, seasonal wildflowers), the settings area can stay clean. Here, they use simple white plates, gold flatware, and etched glasses.
Addy and Company
A Brooklyn-based tabletop and giftware company that knows how to pull together a warm palette for a winter table. Wood flatware matches nicely with the rustic table, while the scalloped-edge placemats and napkins in green and white an elegant contrast. Hand-painted plates at some artisanal texture.
Casa de Perrin
This designer favorite and LA-based rental company has a huge stock of items in stock and will ship anywhere in the country. This mix of blue shades and patterns illustrates a great basic technique: keeping everything in the same hue lets you mix and match to your heart’s content. (It helps if each individual element is pretty!)
Cordelia de Castellane
Cordelia de Castellane is an artistic director at @diormaison and @babydior—plus she runs a studio specializing in interior design, furniture, flowers, and more. A white and gold bee pattern for @diormaison forms the basis for a lush table with lots of candles at different heights alternating with myriad small arrangements of flowers and greenery.
John Derian Company
John Derian’s shops in NYC and website are not only a source of some of the best stuff on earth, but his company website is a wellspring of ideas. For a lunch or brunch, a vintage tablecloth is the perfect backdrop. Then, add in nature-themed plates and a single (and singularly beautiful) flower arrangement.
Story by Stephen Treffinger
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