The Tabletop
I’ve lived in Manhattan for almost two decades yet I’ve never had a kitchen table. No chairs, no table – but that hasn’t stopped me from eating. For years, my meals were eaten either standing up at my countertop or making an indoor picnic on my kitchen floor (still to this day, this is my favorite thing to do).
For the last few years, in the center of my kitchen, I’ve had a tiny wooden butchers block with two shelves underneath that house my large cutting boards. I’ve used this block as my so-called “table”. It works well and I love to get a bit creative with it when I’m in the mood to entertain or sit down and dine with myself.
That said, the idea of a “tabletop” hasn’t crossed my mind until recently. Since many of you ask where my plates, cups, bowls and so forth are from, I thought it would be fun to create a tabletop feature to share what I love and use in my day-to-day life as well as in the videos and photos you see on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
Now, I’m an Aquarius, so I do things quite differently than the average person. I only buy one (sometimes and very rarely two) item when I like it. I don’t buy anything in a set. There are no matching plates, bowls or cups in my kitchen.
Everything is unique and that’s exactly how I like it. I tend to lean towards warm colors such as off white and cream but I have a few unique odds and ends with a touch of color such as soft pink. Over the years, I’ve gravitated towards a warm palate with my tableware – it really softens up the kitchen and the dining experience.
Below I’m sharing the items I use to line my butchers block (or a large tabletop if I actually had one) for dinner. In the image at the top of this article, you can see how I decorate the butchers block when I’m having dinner for two. I start with a piece of linen (I purchase large pieces cut from fabric stores in the Garment District here in NYC), the ends are frayed from where the seamstress did her cutting and it’s just how I like it. It feels earthy and natural.
I like to add a touch of seasonal decor from nature on top of the folded napkins as well as on the table itself. The branches were clipped from trees in my neighborhood and the greens are clippings from old Christmas trees that were laying on the street this past January. You can get creative decorating your table and it doesn’t mean you have to spend a ton of money making your dining experience beautiful. Beauty is everywhere. Find what lights you up in nature and add it to your table. Have fun with it.
Based on my image above, you can add more plates, cups, branches and so forth for however many people you’re dining with. I find that less is more so I tend to lean towards keeping everything minimal yet soft, warm and cozy.
Here are a few items I love.
My Tabletop
Glassware (Handblown Moroccan Glassware) and (Green Transparent Glasses)
Breakfast Bowls and Breakfast Bowls
Linen Tablecloths (or use large pieces of fabric from fabric stores)
Coconut Wax + Wooden Wick Candles
Large Glass Vessel or Terracotta Planters (for branches and plants)
