The past few years have been rocky for dinner parties. In 2020, they were forbidden gatherings. In 2021, open-air restaurant streeteries felt a little more appealing than crowding people into your home. Things began to feel more normal in 2022, but having been homebodies for so long, we were still getting used to flexing our dormant social muscles.
In 2023, however, the dinner party is back—bringing with it reimagined tabletop trends.
“We have seen a shift to frequent entertaining within the home and throwing dinner parties more than just at the usual holiday periods two to three times a year,” says Paula Serna, trade and interior design manager for ABC Home. “This drive for a more personal tabletop lets [people] display their personality in a variety of seasonal stylings.”
Read on for the tabletop trends that are dominating dining, according to Serna and other design pros.
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A New Narrative
Most noticeably, says Robin Standefer, one half of AD100 and AD PRO Directory firm Roman and Williams, the prepandemic trend for perfection and minimalism has lost its luster. “We’re seeing a shift away from the bland uniformity of a single designer or schema on a tabletop and witnessing a shift to narrative and abundance through a mix of materials,” she says. “People are increasingly interested in the origin of their tableware and in acquiring collections driven by an interest in where they come from and who made them, leading to more diverse, distinct, and timeless collections.”
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Chef Olivia Muniak, known for her Supper Club brand collabs (Goop, La DoubleJ, and MyTheresa are clients), recently launched her own dinnerware collection. Though it admittedly veers more minimalist, she agrees that there’s plenty of room to play when it comes to tabletops. “Overall, maximalism is the trend, from English country to colorful, playful ’70s motifs to not-so-quiet luxury,” she says. “I love seeing the celebration, detail, and design that is going into tabletop collections.”
Embracing their personality, today’s table settings are full of character, via a mixture of glazes, materials, and patterns. “Overall, lots of hand-painted looks, bejeweled or gold trim, and scenic floral motifs,” Serna says. “We are seeing a return to embracing old-world style and sophistication, but this time with an emphasis on modern colors and organic materials. Think about the floral elegance within Ginori 1735 Oriente Italiano tableware or our very own abcDNA Glacier for one of a kind crystallized color.”
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Embracing Imperfection
The aversion to uniformity also means people are paying more attention to the craft behind each item, Standefer says. “Clients are more understanding of what it takes to make each individual piece and are shifting away from factory-made dinnerware and glassware,” she explains. Instead, they’re embracing “handmade collections, some of which have levels of detail that could only be achieved by hand, and some of which have imperfections that are a beautiful hallmark of the process.”
Standefer points to RW Guild artist Yukiko Wada, who uses a thin tool with a needle-like point and a mixture of clay and porcelain powder to paint delicate, raised, three-dimensional florals on her tableware before firing it—an elaborate and time-consuming technique also used by Naoki Asano to create his subtly colored porcelain pieces.
Cheerful Whimsy
No longer eschewed in favor of play-it-safe neutrals, bright hues are more than welcome on this year’s tabletops. Glassware, in particular, is embracing its colorful side. “Colored glass is really having a moment,” Muniak says. “Although I’m not a fan, what I’m most excited about is seeing more brands reviving designs I’d associate with vintage glassware, like etched glass, cut crystal, and beautiful ornate designs and shapes.” (Case in point: Kimiko Yasuda’s elegant crystal cut vessels, which are part of RW Guild’s Holiday collection.)
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Color also reigns supreme in ABC’s recent collaboration with Rentrayage, a sustainable lifestyle company that designs dinnerware, napkins, and tablecloths out of existing, recycled, and regenerative materials. Again, imperfections and a touch of happenstance is welcome. “These upcycled materials are a bit unusual,” Serna says, “but giving a second life to discarded matter is something to be celebrated on your tabletop, especially during the autumnal season.”
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Tabletop Jewelry
Why limit your accessorizing to your outfit when it can extend to your tablescape? “‘Jewelry’ for the table is on the rise,” Standefer says. “Think iron winding candlesticks, like our Lily Candlestick, and sculptural napkin rings or placeholders, like those from designer Jack Boyd, who incorporates engaging, organic shapes into his cast silver pieces.” RW Guild’s first collection of flatware, coming this fall, was also designed for both function and embellishment.
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Michael Mazzoni, founder of Mireille, embraces his grandmother’s ethos that table decor should be both authentic and audacious. The brand works with different designers to rethink conventional form and material, blurring the line between function and art. “Tableware must offer a renewed experience with original materials and unexpected know-how,” he says. The brand’s Équilibre napkin ring by Parisian jeweler Christophe Lote and hammered gold Pure carafe by French designer Flavien Delbergue, for example, could easily adorn the table as objets d’art .
Muniak is also a fan of table embellishments. “Creative little trinkets, risers, precious dishes, towering taper candle holders, all to add more style and impact,” she says. “Make a bowl of olives appear like an ancient Roman feast.”
