Gather Beautifully: Confessions of a Tablescape Enthusiast

“At the table, one never grows old.” — Italian Proverb

Something that I dearly love to do is set the table. Of course, growing up one of seven children (born in a span of nine years!), I wasn’t fond of laying down forks, knives, plates, and napkins. I’d much rather have been watching TV or playing outside.

But we ate at a set table every night. Perhaps that was my mother’s way of keeping order during the meal. Our elbows often bumped, but we were confined either by the border of the placemat, if we were using them that night, or by the simple expectation my parents put out that we would behave during supper.

We mostly managed to. Sometimes we’d raise our hands if too many people were talking at once. It also helped that at some point my parents came up with the idea of serving the meal buffet-style. There wasn’t the constant passing of dishes. We lined up before the meal in order of age, oldest to youngest, and served ourselves. We also said grace at this time so we could eat once we sat down. Otherwise, putting that many people through a line meant that your food would be cold if you did wait!

Every Thanksgiving we participated in the ritual of toasting, too. Each one of us was required to come up with a toast, and we would raise our silver baby cups–we were allowed to have a smidge of wine–as we toasted the Queen of England, the cook, our pets, our family, and people we loved who couldn’t be there. I’m sure there were some outlandish toasts, too. Nothing was discouraged.

So a large part of my core childhood memories took place around a table properly set. I think that’s why I set the table and make it look beautiful even when we’re eating in front of the TV that night. We live in an open concept house, so I like looking up from the living room sofa and seeing my table with its candlesticks, runner, chargers, plates, goblets, and flowers. It looks so warm and inviting, and I say, why not? People say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and I’ll agree if there’s a table in there (the new trend is to forgo an island and put a big farmhouse table in your kitchen).

But I think the table, wherever it’s placed, is the true heart of the home. I will always be drawn to it.