Kylie Dorotic balance aesthetics and functionality AT MY TABLE Three design aficionados share their interpretation of world’s hottest interiors trend — tablescaping

at my table

The biggest trend in global interiors is the art of tablescaping – the creation of your own abundant, exquisitely set and insouciantly mismatched table. We invited three of our favourite entertaining aficionados – Alyce Tran, Pip Vassett and Victoria Collison – to share their tabletop styles and sources

FLOWER GIRL Alyce Tran welcomes her guests with a beautifully set table and cushioned Thonet chairs.

ALYCE TRAN

GIRLY BRUNCH

Alyce is a former corporate lawyer whose love of a party table inspired the launch of affordable tableware company In The Roundhouse, with her friend Brooke Bickmore.

What is your idea of a perfect table? One with a lot of colour, something special my guests haven’t seen before, and really delicious food ready to be served.

Name one thing you can’t stand at your table Oh, it’s got to be bottle caps on the table.

What is the greatest extravagance for your table? Always plenty of flowers!

Do you have a starting point for creating a great table? Naturally, my starting point is always deciding which plates I would like to use on the table, then I work from there.

How do you collect your tableware? It’s a process. I like to continually add interesting pieces in different shapes and colours, but I figure I can always get things to match based on colours working together.

What is your favourite colour palette? White, pink and green.

With flowers on the table, do you like them high or low? Definitely low, so you don’t have to get rid of them to have a conversation! intheround.house

OPPOSITE Ciao Bella green-bordered and Grazie Mille purple-bordered bone-china plates, $29 each; larger Ciao Bella plate, $35; small pink-bordered and green-bordered side plates, $80 for set of four; white shell bowl (containing strawberries, part of a party box), $189.95 for the set; scalloped-edge placemat, $129.95 for set of four; napkins in Multi Colour, $49.95 for set of four; and tablecloth, $150, all from In The Roundhouse. Volute glass platter in Pink (containing nougat), $129; Coucou carafe in Clear, $129; and Grand Galet candleholder in White, $49, all Maison Balzac. Wave glasses in Pink, $69 for two, Fazeek. Hay ‘Flare’ candleholder in Pink, $45.95, Finnish Design Shop. Two-tone pink/green and pink/blue candles, $35 for set of two, P Johnson. Egg-shaped glass candy dishes in Pink Punch (top) and Milky Rose, $383* for set of two, Helle Mardahl. Aeyre eight-piece ceramic and stainless-steel cutlery set in Pastel, $99, Reliquia Collective. Penny Round double-piped velvet cushions in Lilac and Ice Grey, $79 each (with inserts), Castle. Champagne coupes in Green and Clear, stylist’s own. PREVIOUS PAGE Branch resin vase in Shell Pink, $140; Skipping Stone resin vase in Blood Orange, $170; Liquid resin vase in Snow Swirl, POA; Pearl resin vase in Blood Orange (also above), POA; and Pebble resin vase in Shell Pink, $150, all Dinosaur Designs. Other items (as before).

PIP VASSETT

RELAXED LUNCH

Overseeing her homewares brand, In Bed, Pip has minimalist tendencies that extend to her own table, where handmade pieces and natural style rules.

What is your idea of a perfect table? One with an abundance of good food, wine and people!

Name one thing you can’t stand at your table Any stiff table linen or napery. I prefer a natural setting, in case you couldn’t tell.

What is the greatest extravagance for your table? Usually the wine, but also a few beautiful statement pieces such as our Walk In The Park bowl stand or our Henry Wilson brass candleholder.

Do you have a starting point for creating a great table? Probably the time of year and the guests. For summer with friends, it would be about grazing plates and being inside with all the doors open. For winter, we’d light the fire and create a cosy atmosphere with candles and slow-cooked dishes.

How do you collect your tableware? I’m lucky because I can source our brands and buy them for our store, then steal them for home!

What is your favourite colour/material palette? It’s always earthy – terracotta or clay, undyed linen, timber and hints of brass.

With flowers on the table, do you like them high or low? Low but abundant. I love lots of flowers, but no one likes peeking around vases to have a conversation. inbedstore.com

Lagos del Mundo glazed stoneware plates, $160 for set of four; glazed stoneware bowls, $190 for set of four; hand-blown glass tumblers, $75 for set of four; Walk In The Park ‘Swamp Totara’ pedestal bowl, $440, and platter, $170; Henry Wilson ‘Almendres’ brass candleholder, $245; Tara Burke speckled vase in White, $190, and black vase (on console), $370; and linen tablecloth, from $110, and napkins, $40 for set of four, all from In Bed. Small green vase, $38.50, Wingnut & Co. Muller Van Severen cutlery in Brass, POA, Spence & Lyda. Louis Poulsen ‘PH 4/3’ pendant light, $1160, Cult. The Magician artwork by George Raftopoulos, clear vase and large white vase, all Pip’s own. OPPOSITE Tara Burke stoneware mini-vase with Gold Lustre (next to speckled vase), $100, In Bed. All other items (as before).

VICTORIA COLLISON

GARDEN-INSPIRED DINNER

A longstanding fashion editor of Vogue Australia, Victoria now sources decorative objects for her pop-up stores and website. Her love of fashion, interiors, design, art and travel are all combined in one serendipitous tabletop for Inside Out.

Describe your table-decorating style? I love planning a table, whether that’s a relaxed setting outside in the courtyard or a more formal table in the dining room. I actually prefer dinner, as to me it has more of a sense of occasion – especially when it’s candlelit. I love entertaining in a low-key way, as it is a bit like planning a photoshoot (gathering all the elements to see what works best). I like to mix vintage and contemporary pieces, for a more individual look as opposed to anything too generic. My table setting often ends up being more ‘set’ as it’s the process that I enjoy.

Can you share your style inspo? I get inspiration from many sources, such as artworks, films, design books and, most of all, from travelling. I am not locked into any particular style. I love mixing up styles, including decorative English, Mediterranean and Deco.

What is your idea of a perfect table ? There should be a lot to look at. Flowers are all-important. I like more romantic ones as opposed to anything too sculptural.

Name one thing you can’t stand at your table Gold cutlery – and tricky napkins.

How do you collect your tableware? Mainly when travelling – flying home with candlesticks, bowls and jugs on my lap. I love going to antique fairs and markets, seeking one-off pieces. I have some antique English pieces from my mother and uncle that I love to mix with more contemporary items. I go for an eclectic mix.

What is your favourite colour palette? More often than not, green is involved. This table is a pale grey/lilac cloth with forest green napkins and dark red/deep purple flowers. Or I like a dark cloth with pale flowers. And a plain colour in the dining room; a colourful print outside. victoriacollison.com

Handpainted green-bordered ceramic plates by Gavin Houghton, $220 each; Bobble side plates (on plates), POA; Carron small footed bowl (containing blueberries), $155; green swirl bowl (containing figs), POA; French 20-piece stainless-steel cutlery set in Dark Green, $128; Murano glasses with dots in Green, $34 each; Murano glass bottle with stopper in Green, $100; Puglian candlesticks, $185 and $295; Italian ceramic acorn vase, POA; lacquered taper candles in Forest Green, $10 each; 19th-century French linen napkins in Green, $280 for set of seven; Swedish linen tablecloth, $310, all from Victoria Collison. Glass bud vase (part of a set of six), $113*, Petersham Nurseries. Astier de Villatte ‘Rocaille’ vase, bowls (containing plums) and plate (with cake), 1940s English wine glasses and cake stand, all Victoria’s own. Vintage picture frames from Arezzo antiques market in Italy. OPPOSITE (top right) Vera Wang ‘Grosgrain’ silver cake server (part of a set with cake knife), $139, Wedgwood. All other items (as before).

INSIDE

raw power A renovated Sydney semi enjoys the full designer treatment

Interior designer Chloe Matters loves using natural and tactile materials to set the tone in her projects. She practiced what she preaches in the main bathroom of her family’s Federation home, pairing a rugged Tadelakt plaster wall finish with pristine white surfaces and shadowy black detail. It sets a simple, clean and classic standard for what Chloe has accomplished throughout.

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