What joy to team with Wedgwood this season to create a series of table settings at home with Vera Wang Wedgwood’s new Vera Jardin dinnerware that pushes tabletop designs to new heights. Yes, with the pendulum swinging to more layering, more complexity, more happiness, and more nature in décor and entertaining – creating a table setting is an aspect of design that’s fun and accessible for everyone. And, we’re here to help with tips on how to draw on nature and the colour white with Wedgwood’s new nature-inspired collections like Vera Jardin, pictured. All photography by Abbie Melle.
Here’s how to create a conversation-starting setting which adds theatricality without descending into gimmicky for a sophisticated aesthetic that will wow you and your pals these holidays, and beyond!
Whether you’re staging lunch or dinner for two or twenty – Wedgwood’s new Vera Wang Vera Jardin dinnerware is for keeps.
Beautifully made, understated and simple, the glossy white china is embellished with a gold-foil botanical pattern based on the designer’s personal collection of botanical art. It’s beautiful. It’s natural. It’s original.
Inspired by Vera’s recent visit to the lush surroundings of the temples in West Lake in Hangzhou, China, the pieces allow you to create a table that lets you be who you want to be. You can grab a branch of blossom from the garden for the table. Or a bunch of leaves that echo the tableware patterning.
And when your guests finish their meal they will notice the delicate, gold and bronze floral patterning. The motifs, just like nature, vary from plates to bowls to mugs, which will keep your spirits up and you from looking too safe.
The designs are an endless source for a table of excitement that works in any country, any city, any climate. They offer a way to live, beautifully. Everyday.
L-R: Dish from the Vera Wang Jardin Serving Set, $99.95; Vera Wang Duchesse Crystal Goblet set of 2, $149; Stack of Bowls from Vera Wang Jardin 4-Piece Place Setting $129; White Folia Bulb Vase 23cm $129; Vera Wang Duchesse Crystal Wine set of 2 $149; Dinner Plate from Vera Wang Jardin 4-Piece Place Setting $129; Cutlery from Vera Wang Harrow 16 Piece Cutlery Set, $199, www.wedgwood.com.au
L-R: Dinner plates and smaller plate from Vera Wang Jardin 4-Piece Place Setting $129; Vera Wang Duchesse Crystal Wine set of 2 $149; Vera Wang Duchesse Goblet Crystal Wine set of 2 $149, Sugar and Creamer from Teapot from the Vera Wang Jardin Beverage Set $199, www.wedgwood.com.au
In a world that’s flat in screens, we need these sensory table landscapes that draw on nature. And the colour, white, which Picasso said was the most intellectual of all colours – helps, too.
L-R: Small Plate from Vera Wang Jardin 4-Piece Place Setting $129; White Folia White Folia Rose Bowl 13cm $99.95; White Folia Bulb Vase 23cm $129; Vera Wang Duchesse Crystal Wine set of 2 $149; Vera Wang Duchesse Goblet Crystal Wine set of 2 $149; Dinner Plate from Vera Wang Jardin 4-Piece Place Setting $129; Small Plate and Bowl from Vera Wang Jardin 4-Piece Place Setting $129; Teapot from the Vera Wang Jardin Beverage Set $199; Cutlery from Vera Wang Harrow 16 Piece Cutlery Set, $199, www.wedgwood.com.au
Try teaming the plates with textural rattan placemats in brown and napkins in washed natural linen. Choose sparkling glassware like Vera Wang Wedgwood’s Duchess and you can’t go past her silver-plated cutlery, Harrow. You can update your base set of Vera Jardin, every couple of seasons with timeless vases such as Wedgwood’s White Folia (choose from different shapes and sizes), or the brand’s snazzy Hummingbird teacups and plates that are colourful and uplifting, inspired by the garden and environment.
And although you can put a washed linen tablecloth beneath Vera Jardin setting or a white linen cloth for something more formal it looks equally good with a natural timber table for a casual, relaxed lunch or dinner.
Get inspired for your table-setting ideas from your own garden and natural surroundings. Grab a branch from outside. Get leaves from a tree. A bunch of fresh flowers in the spring. Stick them in vases all around the table for height and depth. Start with a plate, a bowl and get going.
Don’t mix-and-match everything on your table. If every single thing is different, it’s overwhelming. We like the idea of Vera Jardin mixed with rattan placemats in brown and napkins in washed natural linen. Teamed with sparkling crystal glassware such as Duchesse goblets and perfect cutlery like Harrow.
And although you can put a washed linen tablecloth beneath Vera Wang Wedgwood’s Vera Jardin setting or a white linen cloth for something more formal it looks equally good with a natural timber table for a casual, relaxed lunch or dinner.
The one thing to watch out for is overindulgence. Be disciplined. You can’t throw everything you love into a pile. And keep it light-hearted.
There’s nothing like a wonderful lunch or dinner party to make you feel happy. And if you do a table that’s a little irreverent and whimsical, it sets the mood. You’re saying, ‘Let’s go for it.’
Hummingbird 15 Piece Tea Set $4499, www.wedgwood.com.au
- Vera Wang Wedgwood Vera Jardin Beverage Set, $199
- Vera Wang Wedgwood Vera Jardin 4-Piece Place Setting, $129
- Vera Wang Wedgwood Vera Jardin Rim Soup Plate 22cm, $39.95
- Vera Wang Wedgwood Vera Jardin Serving Set, $99.95
- Vera Wang Wedgwood Vera Wang Jardin Teacup & Saucer. $39.95
- Hummingbird Teacup & Saucer, $399
- Hummingbird 15 Piece Set, $4,499
- White Folia Rose Bowl 13cm, $99.95
- White Folia Bulb Vase 23cm, $129
- Vera Wang Wedgwood Duchesse Goblet Pair, $149
- Vera Wang Wedgwood Duchesse Wine Pair, $149
- Vera Wang Wedgwood Harrow 16-Piece Cutlery Set, $199
L-R: Vera Wang Duchesse Crystal Wine set of 2 $149; Vera Wang Duchesse Goblet Crystal Wine set of 2 $149; Small Plate and Dinner Plate both from Vera Wang Jardin 4-Piece Place Setting $129; Hummingbird 15 Piece Tea Set $4499; White Folia White Folia Rose Bowl 13cm $99.95; White Folia Bulb Vase 23cm $129; Cutlery from Vera Wang Harrow 16 Piece Cutlery Set, $199, www.wedgwood.com.au
VERAWANGJARDIN; HUMMINGBIRD; WHITE FOLIA; VERAWANGDUCHESS; VERAWANGHARROW; WEDGWOOD.COM.AU
