Bringing some new ideas to the holiday table
Dear Debbie, We are holding the family holiday dinner this year and I am conflicted about how to set the table. We have a long-established tradition of using the classic white tablecloth, crystal glasses, fine china . . . you get the picture. I would like to change it up a bit but am running into opposition. Please help. Emily
Making changes to the traditional family feast is a scary proposition. We all count on seeing our particular favourites on the table, whether it’s the candied yams or a precious set of candlesticks.
But you also have the right to introduce some new items that you have discovered and love. Only time will tell if your fresh ideas will become traditions, and that’s OK. Strike out on your own and you may be sur- prised at the family reaction.
There is a trend in entertaining today. We are cutting back on what we want to buy and store, editing our possessions to suit smaller spaces and changing lifestyles.
“We have fewer things,” says Tim Gledhill, founder of Huddleson Linens, “but what we choose to acquire are quality items.”
It is possible to be chic and contemporary while holding onto a classical esthetic. Huddleson Linens has done so by producing high-quality Italian linen tablecloths, runners and napkins in designs that are edgy and sophisticated.
Bold grey geometrics on a white background, soft silvery grey swirls or lovebird motifs give you options to layer your table in new and imaginative ways. Cinta is reminiscent of party ribbons strewn across the table. It’s an eight-colour print with dinner and cocktail napkins that fea- ture a border in each of the colours so that you can mix and match. Huddleson linens are not only machinewashable, but get even softer with use.
Other popular trends from Huddleson include monograms, a special touch that personalizes your linens. You can choose initials, sayings or dates.
Their custom services allow you to be creative while purchasing the best. Gledhill reminds us that setting a table is set dressing: You are creating a mood that is temporary, you aren’t living with it day in and out, so here’s the perfect opportunity to be adventurous. Debbie Travis’s House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please email your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com. You can follow Debbie on Twitter @DebbieTravis and visit Debbie’s new website, debbietravis.com.