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It’s hard not to notice that white is a hot trend in dinnerware and serving pieces in home-furnishing stores. Clean white porcelain is a timeless and attractive choice, no matter your home décor or your favorite color palette. It serves as a blank canvas for the user’s own personality.
Today’s kitchens are informational as well as inspirational. Particularly popular this season is the pairing of bright-colored solid and print oversized linen napkins and wood or neutral textures in tabletop displays.
Everything that is added to white gives individuality to your table. Pulling in colors from your food — such as bright red heirloom tomatoes, crisp greens and veggies, lemons and dark cherries — looks like art.
A short trip around Montecito reveals an array of white choices to grace your table:
» Maison K carries Astier de Villatte handmade porcelain, made in Paris by an old French family with a glazing technique that sets the bar for all others. Although delicate looking, it’s very sturdy and has many collectable pieces.
» Hudson Grace produces a clean line of white from Italy for its stores. The exclusive line fills the shelves with serving dishes, bowls, candelabras, platters, cake and fruit stands, mugs and pitchers, and vases.
» Upstairs at Pierre Lafond features Juliska, from Portugal, and Match, trimmed in pewter from northern Italy. There are many pieces from which to choose and build a collection of time-honored pieces.
» Decorative pieces from Vietri from Italy grace the window at Letter Perfect.
» Legacy carries white dinnerware by Pillivuyt, Aynsley, Richard Ginori and L’Objet.
» Jenni Kayne Home has many wonderful choices for entertaining that add a clean and natural feel to your home.
In Santa Barbara, meanwhile, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table and Coast 2 Coast in La Arcada are also displaying white porcelain objects for food and entertainment.
Today’s idea is mixing together everything you like in your kitchen in an organic manner. The formality of fine china place settings is saved for more reserved and formal occasions.
In the season of longer days and outdoor casual living, layering fabric and placemats and fresh flowers, and serving fresh food on white makes any house look magazine-worthy.
— Judy Foreman is a Noozhawk columnist and longtime local writer and lifestyles observer. She can be contacted at judyforeman@noozhawk.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.