THE PICTURE PERFECT HOLIDAY TABLE
‘If you live in a condo with a four-seat dining table, then one focal point is enough. If it’s a long dining table, then you would probably need at least two to three focal points to achieve some balance.’
The two friends and business partners were Avida Land’s featured speakers for the second installment of its Southern Living site visit and workshop involving lifestyle journalists and home and interior design bloggers. The talk culminated in a workshop wherein participants were asked to divide themselves into four groups and create table settings based on such themes as Filipino, marine, cheese and wine, and afternoon high tea.
Each group had 15 minutes to design and execute its ideas. Gourdo’s provided a diverse collection of dishes and table accessories for participants to work with. De Luna and Mendoza were impressed with each of the group’s output, but there could only be one winner, as members of the marine-themed group bested their rivals in the friendly competition.
Before the talk, Avida Land executives gave guests a preview of Serin West Tagaytay’s Tower and the newly opened Serin Project Pavilion, which features a one-bedroom model unit complete with Scandinavian-inspired furnishings and de Luna’s charming and homey table setting. The entire setup echoes the relaxed, laid-back lifestyle that’s prevalent in Tagaytay.
Mendoza’s number one tip, especially for those who have yet to accumulate an extensive range of dinnerware, is to start with white, the most versatile color that could work both for casual and informal gatherings. You can beef up your collection later by going for colored pieces.
“As long as you have basic white pieces, it’s easy to build up and add more interesting and colorful pieces to your collection,” she said. “If you have enough pieces, you could even mix them up and come up with different looks and themes with each meal you host.”
Before hitting the malls to buy stuff for the table, she also advises homemakers, including the men, to first make an inventory of what they have at home. This knowledge would become the basis for them later as they go in search of “beautiful but useful finds” for entertaining and decorating. On hoarding, Mendoza also confesses to be equally guilty in the past. Rather than be stuck with beautiful but virtually useless items, it pays to think first before heading to the cash register.
“Another basic element in table setting is to elevate,” she said, referring to the table’s centerpiece that forms the focal point of small to medium-sized sit-down dinners. “If you live in a condo with a four-seat dining table, then one focal point is enough. If it’s a long dining table, then you would probably need at least two to three focal points to achieve some balance.”
In Mendoza’s book, you can use anything charming and stable such as hardbound books, ceramic pieces, and flat, woven containers to elevate your focal point. It’s important to also have a collection of vases in different heights to help you spruce up the table. But you need not fret if you don’t have them. For “emergency” purposes, you can use empty bottles with beautiful and interesting shapes in lieu of vases. By scraping off their labels and adding a touch of whimsy in the form of, say, ribbons and colorful straws, these used bottles could instantly liven up any table setting.
It doesn’t cost a fortune to spend on a bunch of flowers and greens to spruce up your table setting. If it’s a special occasion requiring a huge amount of blooms, Mendoza advised her listeners to buy flowers by the kilo at flower markets like Dangwa in Ma- nila. It’s “okay to splurge” a bit, she said, because real blooms do make a world of difference in elevating the appearance of any table setting. And what’s her take on the use of artificial flowers and plants?
“It’s not really a no-no because there are artificial flowers that look quite real and nice,” she said. “Just avoid using the very plastic ones in tacky colors and water-repellant materials. Your best bet is to stick to light colors such as white and baby pink.”
But when does one stop? Again, that would be a matter of personal taste. Since it’s Christmas, you could probably add a bit more color, volume, and details to what you usually do to pump up your table setting’s festive factor. Don’t worry if the table setting is already on the verge of blocking diners from seeing each other. Once pictures of the arrangement have been taken and posted on Instagram, you can always lessen it in time for the actual sit-down or buffet dinner.
It also pays to invest some time and creativity on such touches as place cards and menu printouts. Place cards can prove practical and helpful, as they allow the host to control the dynamics of the conversation by seating people with similar interests beside each other and keeping those with minor differences as far apart as possible, said Mendoza.
“If you really want to go the extra mile, you could print menu cards so that guests would know what to expect as each dish arrives,” she said. “You could even put small gifts on the table for your guests like small pieces of chocolate wrapped in tulle and ribbon. Such gestures make guests feel welcome and loved. These are just some of small details you would want your guests to notice and remember long after the dinner you hosted is over.”