by Beaty Coleman
Set a Fabulous Table
You don't need matching china to set your table with style. Try these four strategies for shaking up the look
Whether you have a matching set of china or an assortment of inherited patterns, a little creativity can make a formal setting fun or vice versa. Here, expert hostesses reveal tips for entertaining with any style of tableware, from classic gold-trimmed white teacups to wooden chargers.

1. Stockpile simple white dinner plates.

“A bone white plate with a simple gold or silver trim works with anything. You can mix it with a formal patterned accent plate or something casual,” says bridal consultant Janice Bowman of Bromberg’s in Birmingham. “Most couples don’t want to be stuck with one formal look.”

RESOURCES: Bromberg’s, 205/871-3276, www.brombergs.com; Silver Anniversary teacups by Haviland, Replacements, Ltd., 800/737-5223, www.replacements.com; Red Aves saucer by Royal Crown Derby, 011-44-133-271-2800, www.royal-crown-derby.co.uk. 2. Show off inherited pieces without feeling like a fuddy-duddy.

“Lots of people come in with a dinner plate they’ve inherited from their grandmother,” says Bowman. “Mixed with metallic-edged contemporary lines, tortoise, or even pottery, the old patterns can be fresh again.”

Designer Martha Reeves is on the hunt for hot-pink chargers to go with her great-grandmother’s dainty floral china. “All is forgiven these days,” she says. “You’ve just got to be clever with what you’ve got and use it.”

RESOURCES: Martha Reeves, Newman Reeves Designs, 404/402-9746, www.newmanreevesdesigns.com; William Yeoward Crystal, 212/532-2358, www.williamyeowardcrystal.com. 3. Add personality by breaking the rules.

“I don’t even have a ‘set’ of china,” says designer Jackye Lanham. Her tables are a variety of antique and new, casual and formal. “I love the look of pottery chargers with antique creamware dinner plates. If you keep things in a neutral palette, it’s easy to mix.”

According to author and hostess Sally Quinn, fussy patterns may coordinate just as well. “I sometimes use one pattern for the first course, one for second, and yet another for dessert.”

RESOURCES: Jackye Lanham, Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs, 404/364-0472. Soulé Studio kiwi lunch plate, Soulé Studio ambre mug, Soulé Studio kiwi bud vase, and Deborah Rhodes green fringe napkin, all from Table Matters, 205/879-0125, www.table-matters.com. Wood charger from Pacific Merchants, 888/207-8999, www.pacificmerchants.com; flatware from Target, 800/591-3869, www.target.com, green double old-fashioned glass by Leonardo, 980/322-3430, www.leonardostore.com; Raynaud through DeVine Corporation, 732/751-0500, www.devinecorp.net. 4. If you don’t have it, rent it.

“I have enough china for 24,” says Quinn. “So if I have a really big dinner party, I’ll just rent plain white china with a gold border from the caterer—that’s perfectly appropriate and it doesn’t cost a lot.”
RESOURCES: William Yeoward Crystal, 212/532-2358, www.williamyeowardcrystal.com.
 
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