How To: Set a Patinated Table
Patina is a mark of time: a sign of use, a layer of memories. This season, celebrate a patinated holiday and set your table for time well spent in good company.
FRAMA has always embraced the beauty of objects as they age — the candle half-burnt, the chair that signifies comfort to generations. These are not imperfections, but the true designs of life that lead to new heirlooms and traditions. This holiday season, discover our guide to setting the table — to encourage new traditions and future memories.
Setting the table for guests is one of the most seminal and commonly shared moments of the holiday season, across traditions, cultures, and generations. With that ubiquitousness can come pressure to have everything just so, and in the process, to lose track of why we’re setting the table in the first place: to create a space for family and friends who mean the most to us. To keep the focus on life’s essentials — rather than a perfect table setting — we’ve put together a guide to ideas that bring a beautiful setting to life without fussing over what’s not ultimately important.
To start, arrange your larger furniture to create space for guests, shifting the tone of your interior from its day-to-day focus to something celebratory. Large freestanding storage like the Ratio Chest makes a perfect plinth for flowers, food that’s resting, and an ideal closed storage container to keep private items out of the way.
As for a table and chairs, any seating you have can be gathered around your dining table of choice. Creating a mismatched collection of seating adds a playful tone to the table, and makes a fun conversation starter among guests (which chair will you get!). The Petit Rond Chair, Folding Flat Chair, and Chair 01 offer a material balance when placed side by side, bringing an ebullient energy to the table.
For presentation of beverages or hors d’oeuvres, getting creative will also lead to an aesthetically pleasing result. A classic white tablecloth can cover smaller tables or even stools to present hors d'oeuvres or drinks, and even a bare stool like the Petit Rond can offer an extra surface for unexpected items. The Ratio Trolley is a more intentional option for keeping anything a guest might want close to the table: drinks of every ilk and additional napkins or silverware. All of it can be beautifully presented within the cart’s design and easily moved to where it’s needed most.
As for the table setting itself, flowers are a timeless decoration (and hopefully brought by your guests!), but edible decorations can be considered to reduce the need for purchases that lack practical use. Winter citrus, for example, makes a beautiful decoration that can be used for food and beverages after guests have gone. The same approach can be taken with dry goods like preserves or other seasonal fruits and vegetables that you may not have room for in your kitchen cupboards — put them on display! These will bring color and an intimate feel to the table without requiring planning or additional materials than what you already have at home.
Ceramic plateware is particularly suited to festive meals, given its natural tone and ability to create a backdrop for elaborate, colorful cooking. Otto Ceramics offer various sizes to serve generous family-style dishes in addition to small sides. An 0405 Pitcher of wine continues this presentation of generosity and abundance, as does using 0405 Wide Stem Glasses for dessert and dried fruits, nuts, or seasonings throughout the meal, and Light Towels as napkins for the occasion. FRAMA x Ole Palsby Cutlery in matte stainless steel presents a serene, minimalist pairing for a table with numerous textures at play.
The last, but most important, consideration at the table is the right lighting: to set a warm, flattering tone that allows guests to find comfort for the night. Ornament and Fundament Candle Holders can serve as additional table settings in and of themselves, introducing geometric shapes and visual dialogue at the table. To expand this warmth into the space, hang another on a neighboring wall as a design piece in addition to another source of soft lighting.
Ease around the table welcomes curiosity and celebration of all shapes and sizes. Whatever the surface being gathered around, simplicity is the essential approach to festivities that take stock of what’s most important — and the willingness to always pull up a chair for one more.
