Erica Tanov
For months, every day on her way to pick up her son from school, the vibrant garlands in the window of an Indian supermarket called out to fashion designer Erica Tanov. Located less than a mile from her shop in Berkeley, Bombay Spice House is filled with colorful wares — making it the perfect spot for Tanov to start her tabletop shopping.
“It doesn’t matter if you serve Indian food or not,” she pointed out, as she headed toward the window display. At $17, the price of the 4 footlong garland initially gave her pause; but she reasoned that it would hang above the table and act as a focal point of her design. (Plus, it could be used again later.) In addition to the garland, Tanov walked out of the store with candleholders that cost $6 for a set of four.
At Roopam Sarees, just down the street on University Avenue, she purchased three yards of a $5-per-yard pink-andgold floral fabric. It became her table runner, layered beneath an embroidered, vintage scarf she discovered in a dollar bin at the Alameda flea market awhile back.
On the shelves at Milan International, Tanov found stainless steel cups with a brass trim. Since they were a bit dinged up, she was able to negotiate the price — paying $1.50 each, half of the marked price. She used the cups as vases, filling them with camellias from her garden. Tanov also considered buying canned food with colorful labels to repurpose as vases. But “the brass on the cups will bring out the gold in the fabric,” she said.
Also at Milan, Tanov picked up some small, multicolored garlands that she casually tied around the napkins. “I love a good party favor, so my intent here was that my guests would wear them as necklaces, or however they chose, during dinner and then take them home,” she said.
The fennel candy she bought — it was $4 for a 1-pound bag of the green, white, pink and yellow sugar-coated fennel seeds — were served in small goldrimmed dishes that she owned (and were less than a dollar at an estate sale). The glasses, silverware and plates were already hers as well.
The backdrop for the entire table was a piece of white linen cut from a bolt that Tanov had on hand. The napkins were 19-inch squares of the same fabric; she machine-stitched the edges in hot pink and orange to create a two-tone detail.
“The only element I had in mind (when I was shopping) was the garland from Bombay Spice House,” says Tanov. “I mostly selected things I liked and then decided what to do with them once I got home. I figured it would all come together.”
Perhaps the piece de resistance is the paper runner, which Jones bought at West Elm. The 20-inch-wide design, called Cook’s Tools, is sold in a 50-foot roll and was on sale for $23. Since the paper is meant to be cut to the length of your table, there’s plenty left over for future gatherings.
“Having a paper runner adds another layer to
Who knew that the grocery store could provide so much tabletop inspiration? Miranda Jones, the style editor at Sunset, did. Browsing the aisles at Draeger’s in Menlo Park — a short drive from the magazine’s headquarters — the ideas just kept coming to her.
Maybe a mixture of squashes and chestnuts sprinkled down the middle of the table. The small silver paper candy cups from the baking section could hold individual servings of salt and pepper. Sprigs of rosemary tied with natural twine might make simple yet elegant napkin rings.
And these were the ideas she didn’t incorporate in her final design.
The theme for Jones’ table was “autumn splendor,” she said, adding that her design was “influenced by the season.” Hence the grocery store as her primary source, mixed with objects she owned — like the Heath Ceramics dishes, wine glasses, silverware and tablecloth.
In lieu of traditional name cards, Jones opted for Seckle pears speared with little pennants made from slips of card stock and party picks from Pick On Us (“Best website ever,” she enthused). The orange hue of the West Elm napkins is carried over in the herb-filled terra cotta pots lining the center of the table; Jones’ choices included rosemary and oregano.
The tea lights in the inexpensive glass Ikea votives were nestled among fresh cranberries. Orange winter berries were placed inside a couple of empty wine bottles that hold taper candles; Draeger’s sells the berries at its flower station and the candles nearby. the table without making it more formal,” said Jones. “Plus, if you have a drippy candle like I did, it makes cleanup a lot easier.”
In the end, some of the items in Jones’ shopping basket — such as the medley of squash and a handful of turkey-shaped chocolates — didn’t make it on to the table. “It was just about seeing what worked together,” she said of the decision to buy a few extra things. “The other stuff won’t go to waste though — I’ll eat it!”
Anh-Minh Le is a Portola Valley freelance writer. E-mail: home@ sfchronicle.com