The tables are set
March 4, 2006 | 12:00am
Theres something special about throwing a party. Maybe its because the idea of gathering friends in our homes to celebrate is as universal as our need for food. Whether its for brunch, lunch, merienda or dinner, you can indulge your inner hosts whims and creativity to throw one hell of a memorable party.
So we asked two home store proprietors and a finance-executive-turned-interior designer to set tables for us and we were in for a surprise.
Forget ostentatious displays of Limoges or Waterford, of crystal flutes and expensive centerpieces. What we got instead are three different tables that surprise and delight. These are tables that reflect the designers aesthetics, and even more so, the times we are living in.
When we asked Pineapple and Cereo Candle Exchange owner Leah Puyat to set a contemporary table, her mind immediately went on a spin. What is contemporary today? How do people live their lives? What is real to the majority of urban professionals? Like it or not, the answer is solitary dining.
"It dawned on me that theres so much hurly burly in everything that sometimes your true luxury is quality time alone," Leah says. "Youre so tired, and cooking takes so much out of you that you end up living the fats-food life. For me, thats contemporary life. Thats the reality of things, but it doesnt have to be just a sandwich in a cardboard box. I wanted this table to be real but special."
Leah put together a pair of nesting tables and filled them with everyday things that make solitary dining extraordinary. First, she put things that people living alone love: books, personal accessories, and nice Christian Tortu plates from Cardinal Ceramics ("Were so lucky we dont have to go to Galleries Lafayette in Paris or Takashimaya in New York to get them!"). She put flowers and candles, a box topped by a pewter figurine of a frog, a calligraphy set that she got from a friend (no, she doesnt do calligraphy her penmanship is atrocious according to her but she uses it to write her notes and when writing on her journal), trashy novels (like The Two Mrs. Greenville by Dominick Dunne, a veritable blast from the 80s). And finally, the food: a triple burger from Burger Machine, french fries and a soft drink.
Most people dont set up their table if theyre eating alone let alone a burger. Why should they? "They owe it to themselves. Its not just being with others thats special, its also being with yourself. Setting the table should not be just for affectation. Food and dining is so enriching you should honor and give it importance. Even if its just a cheap burger, you add flowers on the table and put the food in a nice plate, then it adds richness and texture to your experience, an opportunity to give yourself the importance you deserve even if youre alone."
The biggest mistake people make in setting the table, according to Leah, is just not doing it. "When I eat alone, even if its just on a tray, I set the tray. Its not a major effort, you just need to put some thought into it. And its so easy now the food courts offer great, inexpensive food; there are flower ships everywhere; you can pick up a candle at home stores."
Leah adds with a laugh, "I asked my friends, Is it sad that Im setting a table for one? But, really, I love being alone. I dont think a lot of people will believe it, but I do. I love hosting dinners and seeing friends, but I also enjoy my alone time. I guess I wanted to portray that it doesnt have to be sad and pathetic and your cats are going to eat you when you die." And like Martha Stewart always says, Leah adds, "With the population explosion, its a good thing, right?"
A former chief finance officer in Indonesia, Joby Belmonte now makes a living out of designing other peoples homes. And the one thing his experience with his home store Urban Effects, which had a great eight-year run in Parañaque and then Makati, taught him is that peoples lives are never in so much order that everything matches and they shouldnt.
"You have things that your mom or grandmother will give you, something that you buy from your travels around the country or abroad, something you buy from the mall," Joby says. "And you should use them together. Its good to mix everything and to not be perfect."
For his setting for four, Joby went back to his roots: Filipino. "I think our old pieces have more character than the new ones. I also like it when they show signs of their age." Believe it or not, this interior designer doesnt throw a hissy fit when guests put down their cold glasses on his wooden table without coasters (he doesnt use coasters) or when a cigarette butt burns the tabletops finish.
"Gusto ko nga may mga marks ang furniture to give it character. If its too perfect, your guests will feel like its a showroom or a museum. If it shows signs of really being used, they feel they can relax."
For him, the most common mistake people make with their setups is putting tall centerpieces that the host removes when guests sit down or leaves alone that guests have to crane their necks to see each other when talking.
"It becomes simply decorative and I dont like taking away stuff from the table when you sit down. Its nice to have a low flower arrangement or candles. The table itself has to be convenient for the guests to talk and eat. And also you dont have to match everything. In a set, a pair of plates may break, so combine the remaining ones with another set. Play around the theme, play with colors."
Known for his modern eye and skillful hands at creating an impact with whatever hes doing, Kish owner Ito Kish created a setting thats as minimal as you can get and as natural two things that dont always go hand in hand.
His table is actually a bench one that he designed for the public seating areas of Greenbelt 3 a white, fiberglass paisley-shaped bench that serves as a low table. Set for two, the only color on the table apart from black and white is blue simple blue glasses. The rest of the colors and drama come from nature itself.
"I decided to use an outdoor theme because how minimal more can you go with nature or as natural as possible and as simple as possible," Ito says. "Its a no-clutter, no-fuss table."
And thats one mistake that people often make when they throw a party at home, he says. They create such a beautiful and crowded table that when food comes, they have to rearrange the setting because theres just no space for the food. Yes, as idiotic as it seems, hosts sometimes tend to forget to leave space for the plates and food. "Thats why with this setting theres so much space for the food. People overdo it sometimes, they over-decorate."
His must elements for a great table? "Candles because they set the mood. Flowers and they have to be aromatic so that your guests or guests sense of smell is stimulated even before the food comes. Also there should be a specific color theme so to create an impact before you even sit down to eat."
Pineapple is located at the ground floor of Greenbelt 3; Kish is located at the second floor of Greenbelt 3; Joby Belmontes interior design firm BiG may be contacted at 811-3284, 0918-927-0429.
So we asked two home store proprietors and a finance-executive-turned-interior designer to set tables for us and we were in for a surprise.
Forget ostentatious displays of Limoges or Waterford, of crystal flutes and expensive centerpieces. What we got instead are three different tables that surprise and delight. These are tables that reflect the designers aesthetics, and even more so, the times we are living in.
"It dawned on me that theres so much hurly burly in everything that sometimes your true luxury is quality time alone," Leah says. "Youre so tired, and cooking takes so much out of you that you end up living the fats-food life. For me, thats contemporary life. Thats the reality of things, but it doesnt have to be just a sandwich in a cardboard box. I wanted this table to be real but special."
Leah put together a pair of nesting tables and filled them with everyday things that make solitary dining extraordinary. First, she put things that people living alone love: books, personal accessories, and nice Christian Tortu plates from Cardinal Ceramics ("Were so lucky we dont have to go to Galleries Lafayette in Paris or Takashimaya in New York to get them!"). She put flowers and candles, a box topped by a pewter figurine of a frog, a calligraphy set that she got from a friend (no, she doesnt do calligraphy her penmanship is atrocious according to her but she uses it to write her notes and when writing on her journal), trashy novels (like The Two Mrs. Greenville by Dominick Dunne, a veritable blast from the 80s). And finally, the food: a triple burger from Burger Machine, french fries and a soft drink.
Most people dont set up their table if theyre eating alone let alone a burger. Why should they? "They owe it to themselves. Its not just being with others thats special, its also being with yourself. Setting the table should not be just for affectation. Food and dining is so enriching you should honor and give it importance. Even if its just a cheap burger, you add flowers on the table and put the food in a nice plate, then it adds richness and texture to your experience, an opportunity to give yourself the importance you deserve even if youre alone."
The biggest mistake people make in setting the table, according to Leah, is just not doing it. "When I eat alone, even if its just on a tray, I set the tray. Its not a major effort, you just need to put some thought into it. And its so easy now the food courts offer great, inexpensive food; there are flower ships everywhere; you can pick up a candle at home stores."
Leah adds with a laugh, "I asked my friends, Is it sad that Im setting a table for one? But, really, I love being alone. I dont think a lot of people will believe it, but I do. I love hosting dinners and seeing friends, but I also enjoy my alone time. I guess I wanted to portray that it doesnt have to be sad and pathetic and your cats are going to eat you when you die." And like Martha Stewart always says, Leah adds, "With the population explosion, its a good thing, right?"
"You have things that your mom or grandmother will give you, something that you buy from your travels around the country or abroad, something you buy from the mall," Joby says. "And you should use them together. Its good to mix everything and to not be perfect."
For his setting for four, Joby went back to his roots: Filipino. "I think our old pieces have more character than the new ones. I also like it when they show signs of their age." Believe it or not, this interior designer doesnt throw a hissy fit when guests put down their cold glasses on his wooden table without coasters (he doesnt use coasters) or when a cigarette butt burns the tabletops finish.
"Gusto ko nga may mga marks ang furniture to give it character. If its too perfect, your guests will feel like its a showroom or a museum. If it shows signs of really being used, they feel they can relax."
For him, the most common mistake people make with their setups is putting tall centerpieces that the host removes when guests sit down or leaves alone that guests have to crane their necks to see each other when talking.
"It becomes simply decorative and I dont like taking away stuff from the table when you sit down. Its nice to have a low flower arrangement or candles. The table itself has to be convenient for the guests to talk and eat. And also you dont have to match everything. In a set, a pair of plates may break, so combine the remaining ones with another set. Play around the theme, play with colors."
His table is actually a bench one that he designed for the public seating areas of Greenbelt 3 a white, fiberglass paisley-shaped bench that serves as a low table. Set for two, the only color on the table apart from black and white is blue simple blue glasses. The rest of the colors and drama come from nature itself.
"I decided to use an outdoor theme because how minimal more can you go with nature or as natural as possible and as simple as possible," Ito says. "Its a no-clutter, no-fuss table."
And thats one mistake that people often make when they throw a party at home, he says. They create such a beautiful and crowded table that when food comes, they have to rearrange the setting because theres just no space for the food. Yes, as idiotic as it seems, hosts sometimes tend to forget to leave space for the plates and food. "Thats why with this setting theres so much space for the food. People overdo it sometimes, they over-decorate."
His must elements for a great table? "Candles because they set the mood. Flowers and they have to be aromatic so that your guests or guests sense of smell is stimulated even before the food comes. Also there should be a specific color theme so to create an impact before you even sit down to eat."
BrandSpace Articles
<
>