Guest Picks: Setting the Chinoiserie Table
Think outside the typical holiday theme and deck the table with Asian-inspired pieces
I'm sure many of us will be entertaining family and friends over Thanksgiving and the upcoming Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa holidays. Add elegant and chic chinoiserie touches to your tabletop with these products for a truly memorable table setting. Best of all, there is no need to replace your china — just add a few chinoiserie tabletop accessories.
— Beth from Chinoiserie Chic
— Beth from Chinoiserie Chic
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Pagodas are a very hot trend in interior design. These hand-painted red and gold pagoda salt and pepper shakers are great additions to the chinoiserie table. They would work beautifully with simple white china and linens.
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Peacocks are a classic chinoiserie touch. This beautiful set of peacock salt cellars is made of pewter and comes with matching pewter feather spoons. Fill them with your favorite gourmet sea salts.
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Light the candles on your dinner table with matches from this very elegant plum blossom matchbox. Fill a vase with pink spray orchids for the centerpiece.
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Place cards add such an elegant touch to a dinner party. These blue and white chinoiserie toile ones are classic.
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If you follow my blog, you know that I love elephants. These place card holders come in gold or silver. Very well priced, they are perfect for a wedding, bridal shower, baby shower or elegant dinner party.
by Kneen & Co.
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Singerie is a French term for monkeys aping human behavior. These gold, engraved place cards with a monkey holding a parasol are a charming example. They would be a lovely finishing touch to a fancy chinoiserie tabletop.
by Kneen & Co.
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This hand-painted crystal chinoiserie flower vase is an ideal height for the dining table. Orchids or parrot tulips would be wonderful floral choices.
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Faux bamboo is an iconic chinoiserie element, and this pewter flatware would be a very chic choice for your table. I love pewter flatware; it is an elegant and modern alternative to silver that doesn't require polishing.
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This set of silvered faux bamboo napkin rings will add a bold sculptural note to your table. These would certainly dress up simple white napkins.
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What could be prettier for your chinoiserie table than this set of turquoise glasses etched with cherry blossoms? They would also make gorgeous votive candle holders.
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Joe Nye's marvelous book Flair is a gold mine of inspiration for setting the chinoiserie table with style and creativity. I refer to it constantly for inspiration.
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Dress up your Chinese takeout (or any meal) with these very chic, reusable plastic chopsticks in coral pink. I have these and love them! They're so much better than those ghastly free wooden ones.
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These pagoda napkin rings are great favorites of mine. Available in silver, gold or clear, they will be the focal point of your table setting.
by Neiman Marcus
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I much prefer place mats over tablecloths — they have a more modern look and are much less trouble. These chic raffia ones have a Greek key border and are available in four colors for a great look.
by Neiman Marcus
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This charger plate is made of wood with a black finish and would be a dramatic addition to the chinoiserie table. Chargers are a brilliant way to dress up white china.
by Neiman Marcus
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This Reed & Barton stainless steel flatware is made to look like bundles of bamboo. It's very chic and dishwasher-safe, and they don't need polishing.
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| Iomoi has come out with a collection for Matouk, and it is delightful — much like this set of four linen cocktail napkins with monkeys and umbrellas. You need to check out the entire collection that beautifully captures the joy and whimsicality of chinoiserie. |
by Tiffany & Co.
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This bamboo crystal bowl by Tiffany & Co. is a classic. It is a lovely addition to your own table and also makes an ideal wedding gift.
by Tiffany & Co.
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The Cirque Chinois collection from the Tiffany & Co. Paris Studio is absolutely sensational with its chinoiserie vignettes. Check out the level of detail on the entire collection of dinnerware.
by Ralph Lauren
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If you love blanc de Chine, try this lovely bamboo pitcher from Ralph Lauren Home. It is just perfect for iced tea or lemonade, or you can use it as a vase.
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This hot pink Kate Spade vase is a perfect height for the dining room table because it does not obscure your guests' views. Group several together and fill each with a spray orchid for a stunning chinoiserie centerpiece.
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The Kate Spade vase is also available in kelly green — use it with the hot pink one for a preppy chinoiserie table centerpiece. What a way to dress up white china and linens!
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These mirrored "Bird in Covered Cage" place mats are the ultimate in luxury for that Hollywood Regency chinoiserie look. They're very glamorous.
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This is another set of beautiful mirrored place mats for a very glamorous table. I have a set of them, and the way they reflect the light from candles or a chandelier is gorgeous.
by Jill Rosenwald
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This super-chic cocktail tray and dip bowl set with a Greek key design is lovely for serving. If you aren't familiar with Jill Rosenwald's beautiful handmade pottery, you are in for a treat.
by Leontine Linens
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For the ultimate in luxury, invest in a set of Leontine linen napkins embroidered with an Asian-inspired monogram. These are true works of art and are of heirloom quality.
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These incredible and stunning dragon napkins are available in six color combinations.
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Add some lovely antique or vintage chinoiserie plates like these to your china collection. Check out 1st Dibs, eBay, Etsy, antique stores, auctions, flea markets and estate sales. You don't need an entire set — look for a few salad plates, dessert plates or bowls to mix and match with your existing china for a modern and eclectic look.
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This is a stunning book on setting the table with lots of chinoiserie inspiration. It would be a great book to give as a gift.
by Michael C. Fina
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These gold-plated pagoda napkin rings are like jewelry for a truly elegant chinoiserie table.
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One of the most beautiful collections of chinoiserie china is by Alberto Pinto. The attention to detail and colors are stunning.
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Creative Candles are my favorite candles. They're available in 44 sophisticated colors, so you can select the color to coordinate with your chinoiserie table setting. With lengths up to 39" and long burn times, these will become your candles of choice too.
by The Pink Daisy
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Mottahedeh's Blue Dragon china is a timeless classic, yet it still has a bold and modern feel. You will never tire of this wonderful blue and white pattern.
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by The Pink Daisy
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| Mottahedeh's Imperial Blue is another great classic, and it mixes beautifully with the Blue Dragon china. Every color of tablecloth, napkin and flower looks great with blue and white china. |
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These linen cocktail napkins are embroidered with chinoiserie blossoms and bees in lovely colors.
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This place mat with a green bamboo trellis pattern is a chinoiserie classic that will give white china a clean and modern chinoiserie look.
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Meissen Black Ming Dragon is a very sophisticated choice of china pattern with its hand-painted dragons in black and gray. It is also available in red and in green.
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This is my wedding china — Wedgwood Chinese Tigers in green — and I still adore it. Although it is discontinued, you can still find it on eBay and at replacement china online stores.
by Beth Connolly
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These salt and pepper shakers fit together to form a pagoda — very fun!
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These Lightfoot House placemats from the Colonial Williamsburg Collection are also in my own collection. They're classic blue and white, elegant, chinoiserie and easy to care for — just wipe them off.
Next: More Asian-inspired ideas for every room in the house from Beth of Chinoiserie Chic
Next: More Asian-inspired ideas for every room in the house from Beth of Chinoiserie Chic
Comments
pigtown design beth... you've outdone yourself!
19 months ago · Like
Susie Q Design Studio Love the peacock salt cellars. Very pretty!
19 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on Nov. 10, 2011.
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