Photographed by Irving Penn
Truth be told, I’m useless in the kitchen—boiling water for tea and making toast is about as advanced as I get. What gets me excited is the kitchen-adjacent art of table setting; it allows me to get creative with place settings while making use of some of my many vintage finds, which range from monogrammed linen napkins (most not with my initials) to the cornhusk dolls I like to add to our Thanksgiving table. Now that they are back in the attic, it’s time to start dreaming about a holiday table, from centerpieces to name cards. The results of my dream shopping on eBay are below. Some of these suggestions are tried and tested, others are on my wish list. Happy tablescaping.
Seasonal Centerpieces
An effective and easy way to make a good first impression is with a conversation-starting centerpiece. I remove them when the food is served and replace them after the table is cleared, as a kind of souvenir of a shared meal.
Expertic
vintage Erzgebirge angel choir carousel
Rising heat from the candles makes these carousels spin. I have several medium sized ones; they can be used at either end of the table, or alternatively one acts as centerpiece and the other can be placed on the sideboard and keep turning during the meal. In the past, I’ve put mini candle-less versions on the center of each plate as a favor.
Lexim
vintage brass angel candleholders
Multiples make for good centerpieces. My suggestion would be to nestle these ladies among Christmas greens and ribbons running down the center of the table.
Swedish straw Gävle goat
When these traditional Christman critters have done their duty on the table, they make good guardians of an unlit fireplace.
Table Linens
Dare to be creative with your table linens: Almost any kind of textile can be repurposed as a table cloth.
1930’s baskets quilt top
Taking a page from Gloria Vanderbilt, who used crazy quilts as curtains and upholstery, I’m proposing a quilt top as a table cloth. This one is unfinished so it has less bulk and a more even surface. It would look marvelous with red plates set on it.
vintage 62” crochet tablecloth
The holiday spirit must have skewed my vision, when I look at this crochet tablecloth all I see are snowflakes. Drape it as-is over a white table, or layer it over a colored fabric.
vintage French monogrammed napkins
You can never go wrong with a linen napkin; they iron beautifully and if you have the patience you can try to find ones with your own initials. I like to secure folded napkins with decorative ribbon. Any excuse to tie a bow . . . .
Place Settings
You don’t have to limit your holiday tablescape to red and green or gold and white. I’m a big fan of placing unusual dessert or salad plates on top of the dinner plate—and they don’t have to match.
One year I used our daily blue-and-white plates with Royal Copenhagen Christmas plates on top. My father-in-law had given us each one with our birth year on it, making things personalized.
Sèvres
19th century antique porcelain plates
Capture some of the wonder of the season with vintage ABC children’s plates, or opt for something sassier, like a Christmas cat. Either option could be placed atop this gold-rimmed china.
antique hand-painted glasses
My mother-in-law taught me to add color to a table setting with glassware.
Wedgwood
Sarah’s Garden holly basket plates
Some people have a set of holiday-themed china. What I like about this Wedgwood Sarah’s Garden set is that it feels wintery rather than specifically Christmas-y and so can be used for more than one occasion.
Personalize
For me, the best part of setting a table is decorating the place settings with trinkets placed at the center of the plate or just above it. If you like, these pretty objects can be offered as favors.
Dated objects are great for personalization. You can match them to a guest’s birth year if you like (see the Royal Copenhagen plates above).
I have some of these at home. They look as cute on the table as on the mantle or window sill.
Einar Nerman postcards are one of the niche things I collect. He’s a Swedish graphic artist best known for the illustration that he made for Solstickan matches in 1936. A selection of these would look charming on a plate.
West Germany
vintage heart shaped glass ornaments
I’d tie these to napkins with a pretty bow. Alternatively, they’d look lovely hanging from the arms of a chandelier.
These enchanting silver pin cushions would make marvelous place cards. Stick a name card through with a hat pin secured in one of these charming creatures.
Presented by eBay, Vogue’s vintage and pre-loved partner.
