Looking for inspiration to get set for the holidays? Turn your table into a bountiful harvest of fruits and vegetables. As you search for new twists on old traditions, you'll find everything from rainbow-colored goblets that happen to be lead-free to dinnerware and table linens whose patterns are derived from nature. Ecological concerns are nurturing a healthy appetite for some symbol of the great outdoors. While you are mixing what you have with real leaves or evergreens -- or persimmons, for that matter -- also consider an object made by hand instead of machine. And feel free to gild the lily -- or the pinecone.
The best-dressed tables are celebrating nature, the hand-crafted look and adding a glint of gold, copper or silver.
"In architecture and tableware, people are reacting against a no-decorated look," said Randi Danforth, senior editor of Bon Appetit. "They're looking for more ornament and softness. Details are important: lots of flowers, things from nature, fresh fruits, vegetables, seashells. The look can be quite baroque -- even rococo. It's actually quite romantic."
Interpreted in pattern and color in dinnerware, flatware, glasses and linens as well as centerpieces and other decorations, the details embrace a wide range of styles. Table settings are being enriched by layering, creating a veritable cornucopia of elements.
Ms. Danforth says that what is happening in tabletop design as we approach the end of the millennium parallels what happened at the end of the 19th century.
"There was a reaction against machine-made objects after the Industrial Revolution," explained Ms. Danforth.
Some of the themes and inspirations popular then are playing to a receptive audience today. For example, Pfalzgraff nods to the Arts and Crafts movement and the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, Gustav Stickley and Roycroft with one of its new patterns. Part of its Century American Bone China collection, "Marquetry" takes its name from the art of inlaying different woods to create a design. The band that circles the plates consists of warm mahogany, ebony and satinwood hues on the white bone china body; several pieces have a center motif with a geometric design. A five-piece place setting sells for $140.
The clean look of "Marquetry" will appeal to those who prefer tailored furnishings. For those who don't mind a little ebullience, there's "Volupte."
