RED CHINOISERIE

This design was inspired by the sometimes romanticised Eurocentric view of the Orient. Red, yellow and green are said to be considered lucky colours in Eastern cultures, and we decided to play with these tones.

Red is a wonderfully evocative colour, having long been associated with dining rooms, as seen in works such as Henri Mattise’s Harmony in Red.

This GP & J Baker toile fabric was the starting point of this tablescape. We turned the textile into a made-to-measure table cloth and matching table napkins. Some people refer to this revival of chitz as Grandmillenial Style a term that was coined by Emma Bazilian.

TABLEWARE

For the tableware, we then used clear Vidro glass chargers and Richard Ginori white bone china plates to set each place at the table. With a print as busy as this toile, its nice to pare things back by balancing them with simpler pieces, in white or neutral tones. The cutlery used are from Tramontina, and the glasses are a mix of vintage glasses and Reidel.

DECORATIVE ELEMENTS

For the decorative elements on the table, the vases are from Mandaue Foam, glass candle holders from Landmark and green tapered candlesticks from Firma. The lime dendrobium orchids are from El Dorado Farms. I chose to juxtapose lime green orchids to contrast with the red, hoping they were bright enough not to be too Christmassy. Although, this tablescape would not be out of place at a December dinner. I then matched the lime grosgrain bow from Wrap Shop around the table napkins to the flowers.

I will often use white plates and clear glass or crystal when the table cloth is busy to balance the composition of the table, and give the other details some literal white space to for a visual. I love the idea of matchimalism, and when it comes to colours, the items on your table should echo and mimic each other’s tones. That way, they have a cohesive conversation with each other despite being full and busy.

TABLE VIBES

We lit Cire Trudon Nazareth and Ernesto candles in the entry hall. Nazareth is my favourite winter candle. On Spotify, Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie and the Banshees, China Girl by David Bowie and Princess of China by Coldplay feat. Rihanna.

With the exception of Richard Ginori plates, all of these can be sourced in the Philippines.