PublishedJun 20, 2019 3:11 PM EDT (more is more, friends)
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A tired tabletop is one guaranteed way to send your guests into a surefire snooze. Sure, everyone’s ostensibly there for the food, but if the table setting doesn’t back up the fabulous meal, your fellow dinner companions may quickly grow glassy-eyed—no matter how good your cooking is. Want to jolt some life into your dining room? In lieu of a traditional holiday setting, this season we’re loading up on alternative patterns and unexpected colors that stray far, far from your standard display. Subtlety, who?
For all our maximalist entertaining needs, we asked the team atDavid Stark Design and Productionfor their most inspired, color-charged ideas for the dinner table. Reinventing six different colorways, the renowned event producer and decorator extraordinaire shares his rules for crafting a layered, cohesive tablescape. Take notes—this is masterclass territory.
Not unlike assembling a wardrobe, Stark approaches table design from a layered perspective. His advice? Think of your table linens as the outfit—the defining base of your composition—and the glasses, napkins, and centerpiece as your accessories.“Often, the tablecloth becomes the linchpin of our color story, creating the canvas for a tablescape’s palette,” shares Stark. In other words: dress your table like you dress yourself. (No judgment on either.)
Echoing the concentric circles of Pierre Frey’s multi-colored “Mil Neuf Cent Vingt” fabric, here Stark and his team worked in plates and glasses that subtly mimic the existing forms. When designing around a powerful rainbow-bright palette, repetition is the glue that keeps the chaos from becoming, well, chaos.
Putting a contemporary spin on a timeless color pairing, Stark and his team revamped this classic scheme by injecting graphic movement and woven textures into the mix. From the tablecloth to the napkins, each piece plays with this iconic marriage in a shapely way, while natural details extend a sense of softness to all that abrupt contrast.
“Black and white is always timeless and cool, but adding hand-made or natural elements to the mix takes the look from ’60s mod to bohemian-chic,” explains Stark. “Whether it’s a gloss black ceramic charger softened by its exposed natural edge, or glassware with a hand-woven basket casing, these natural additions ground the geometric patterns and keep the decor from going full retro.”
Be it a lavish peach or rusty apricot, of all the colors we’re craving right now,orangereigns supreme. Love the look of a striking, monochrome setup? When working pattern into an already powerful color scheme, mind your proportions—or risk a tablescape that resembles a fruit salad.
“Mix patterns of various scales together. A small floral with a larger woven ikat, or a geometric pattern that complements—there are no rules. Color can link and unify the various, disparate elements beautifully.” Translation: chaos, but make it coordinated.
Speaking of scale, the same rule applies when introducing high-impact motifs. If there’s a wild print you genuinely adore, don’t be afraid to bring it to the table—just do it in smaller doses. Scaled down to its tiniest form, even a heavy print morphs into a surprisingly neutral base.
“Although on the surface a pattern can read as quite ‘busy,’ when it’s of a minute scale—like the Japanese indigo fabric used as the tablecloth here—it reads more as a rich monochrome,” suggests Stark. “So it’s not a problem to mix in other larger-scale motifs, like those of the plates or napkins, because they’re all simpatico.” See? Math, but make it design.
Table florals aren’t just there to look pretty (though that’s a lovely bonus). Depending on their color, texture, and movement, fresh florals can add a jolt of visual intrigue and build on the depth you’ve been slaving over.
“A centerpiece often completes a monochromatic statement,” says Stark. “Color and flowers, though, can also be used effectively in contrast to your table setting—like the hot dahlias juxtaposed against cool tableware here. A vibrant, unexpected punch of color says ‘opposites attract.’” Translation: a little rebellion goes a long way.
While certain prints get a bad rap, don’t write off any ‘dated’ patterns just yet. Take plaid, for instance. When complemented by a range of casual shapes and marbleized waves, the straightforward print suddenly takes on fresh meaning—like a lumberjack who got invited to a gallery opening.
“Plaid has certain connotations—school uniform, lumberjack, even Scottish Highlands—but it can feel less rigid when paired with the flowing forms of marble, batik, and other materials that show either the heartbeat of the artist’s hand or the natural imperfections of organic elements,” suggests Stark. Plaid: officially rehabilitated.
Want more table decor ideas? (Of course you do.)
We Found the Easiest Way to Elevate Your Tablescape (lazy but luxurious)
Our New Collaboration Will Make Your Tabletop #SODomino (hashtag blessed)
Unexpected Holiday Tablescapes We Found on Pinterest (a rabbit hole, tbh)
Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories—including house tours, before-and-afters, and DIYs—and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City, where ‘restrained’ is not in her vocabulary.
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