I haven’t set a table in weeks. Not a real one, at least. I’ve researched and styled online many for clients (thank you AI), but none for myself.
No plates out, no flowers, no last-minute candle switch five minutes before the guests arrive. And I miss it more than I expected.
Because for me, setting a table has never really been about the table. It’s the moment before, the quiet decisions, the small edits, the instinctive layering of things that don’t obviously belong together until they suddenly do.
Lately though, life got in the way and I haven’t had the space for it. So instead, I’ve been collecting one. Not physically, but mentally. Image by image, reference by reference. A table that doesn’t exist yet, but already feels familiar.
I keep coming back to stone. A stone table. Not polished, not perfect, something slightly uneven and almost cold at first. Or nothing at all. Just the table as it is.
I think I’m craving that kind of restraint, not minimal exactly, more a way to focus on the materials and the shapes. I’ve been wanting to avoid an overly styled table and let beautiful pieces speak for themselves, without overcrowding the view.
Lately, I’ve been obsessing over Japanese cutlery makers. There’s a precision to each piece. Almost sculptural, without ever shouting for attention. They sit on a table with a kind of quiet confidence.
Granted, they might not be the easiest to use, some of the forks especially, feel a little different from what we’re used to. But I have to admit, I’d pick style over comfort on this one.
One artist I keep coming back to is Nikke Misae (image below) based in Kyoto. Trained in jewelry, she only began focusing on cutlery a couple of years ago, which somehow makes sense when you look at the pieces. There’s that same attention to detail, that same sense of proportion.
I’ve never liked tables that are too perfect or too polished. If everything feels too matchy, it starts to flatten. So here I want to add contrast. Something sharper.
The cutlery choice is very refined, almost tailored, so I wanted something to clash. I came across the work of Cas Driessen while browsing, and I loved his stoneware pieces, especially the grey stoneware with white glaze, touches of ultramarine blue and gold.
There’s something very grounded about them, slightly raw, layered in texture, with this quiet tension between matte and gloss. They feel made to be used, not just looked at.
Metal and stone. That’s the materials on the table for now. This is where softness comes in. It could come from linen but I find glassware is less expected and a great way to introduce a different texture.
Something slightly frosted, almost diffused. Not fully transparent and not completely opaque. It softens the edges of everything around.
Usually, flowers come at the end.
If it’s for one of my tables at home, I either have a very specific idea in mind, which is rare, or I go to the florist and see what’s available. I don’t have the flowers in mind, but I know the bud vases, or the vases, I’ll be using.
I had saved these sunflowers a long time ago and always wanted to use them on a table. This feels like the right one.
A touch of yellow. No vases, only frogs to hold them in place. Again nothing superficial, just the flowers. It brings warmth. Something the table needed.
Can you visualise it? What would you add?
I’m realising it was never about the table itself but about building it, piece by piece, looking for the objects, discovering new artisans and new ideas.
Thank you for being here and stay cosy until next time, Jx
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