The Vinson View
On the trail of the lonesome diner
When we first went into lockdown in the UK back in the spring, my diary of fancy dinners and meals out quickly evaporated, replaced by dining alone. So I started to dress up my table, even for just a cup of tea and slice of colomba at Easter. My kitchen cupboards were full of items collected over the years, many rarely used. I found that preparing the table as if it was a banquet for one made dining alone for ten weeks bearable. I appropriated many small objects not usually used on the table, such as a pair of 1980s aluminium birds by Eleni Vernadaki that I picked up in Athens last year, and I shuffled through every candleholder and every vase, since flower deliveries were my treat of the week.
In May, when I managed to relocate to Italy and was reunited with my husband Álvaro, meals were for two. At our Florence home, we have cupboards filled with crockery, flatware, stemware and decorative napkins. And talking of the latter, some years ago I got TAF in Florence to open a few closed drawers and bought up its stock of 1970s designs, including a green linen set featuring hand-appliquéd chickens (think the original Kellogg’s rooster), and also commissioned it to produce its ‘Chin Chin’ range of towel-wearing ladies clutching martini glasses for Matches Fashion. Álvaro is a seasoned vintage snuffler and, over the summer, came home with napkin sets by TAF, Loretta Caponi, Gucci and Roberta di Camerino, practically unused and in perfect condition, picked up at his favourite charity stores and markets. So now we can serve watermelon, mint and feta salad from a Bordallo Pinheiro watermelon tureen with watermelon pink linen napkins.
During lockdown, I also started watching documentaries on Youtube about Elsa Peretti, salivating over her 1980s tabletop objects for Tiffany & Co, such as her ‘Thumbprint’ sterling silver tureen, and her crystal salt and pepper basket with a pair of lacquered spoons. I also added to my collection of stag antler serving tools, by G Lorenzi, from the little remaining stock that exists, as you can never have too many (well, maybe you can).
In Florence, we did get to entertain again, and we did get to eat out again. But eating at home – whether home cooked, bought prepared from a rosticceria or deli, or from a restaurant now offering delivery – felt good. Generally, when it comes to tableware, I am keen on sets of eight or 12, but in recent months, I have found myself OK with buying for just one or two. With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, and lots of uncertainty about who can travel where over the holidays, a top table for one or two has never looked so good. *