When you are hosting a dinner party to honor a guest, it is always a lovely gesture to have a decorative theme as part of your dining room table ornamentation. Whether it’s a slight nod to your decoration (like a favorite color or variety of flower that you know the guest of honor adores), or a well-executed theme (such as cuisine and coordinating decorations), this gesture will make your guest of honor feel most appreciated — and the other guests will enjoy your efforts as well.
Recently, my husband and I hosted a birthday dinner in honor of a dear friend, Tita, who lived in Taiwan as a child (I lived there as well). She holds a doctorate in Asian Art History, taught at Yale University and Trinity College, and sits on several museum boards. So, you can probably guess what the theme was that evening, right? Before the dinner, we informed the guests that there would be a Chinese theme in honor of our beloved guest, and that they should feel welcome to dress for the occasion if they so desired. I was pleasantly surprised when all of the guests showed up in on-theme attire. It added to the festive atmosphere of joviality!
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With an appreciation for antique Asian porcelain and art, my husband and I built upon our collection of Chinese pieces (some of which I inherited from my parents). I strive to decorate our dining room table with items that we own, so it is always amusing to shop around the various rooms at Fox Hall to see what I can find to enhance a theme. When I discovered a box filled with Mummy's unused crystal perfume bottles adorned with pagodas carved on the top, I decided to use them as soy sauce holders, placed intermittently between guests’ plates. It goes to show that you can repurpose what you have or begin to collect with the idea of repurposing in mind. These small details are what give a party character and tell a story!
We hosted a birthday dinner for another dear friend, whose house was featured on my television series “You Are Cordially Invited.” Melinda and her husband Paul have the largest privately-owned collection of Du Paquier porcelain. They even commissioned three stunning reference book volumes about the porcelain, written by the top porcelain experts of the world. As well, Melinda wrote a stupendous “Connecticut À La Carte Cookbook” for the Junior League of Hartford. Together, all four books came together to create my centerpiece. Melinda also loves her pair of real King Charles Spaniels, which tend to multiply in porcelain at Fox Hall. See how simple and delightful it was to create a table in her honor!