Beautiful mealtimes

Not earth shattering, but the most warm & fuzzy things in life aren't...





A simple trick I use in my home; and have wherever in the world I've lived, is to create ambience on the dinner table with the use of coloured napkins. "Don't ever say serviettes!" my chic expat aunt whispered to me as we sat down for dinner with guests at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. (I was 12; and granted the "serviettes" were linen.)





Husby thinks my love of paper napkins is a bit naff (surely, too would my chic aunt, if she were still on earth). I have some gorgeous new ones awaiting an evening meal tomorrow; splendidly blue, with a happy looking, though not comical, lobster and sea shells depicted. The ambiance, therefore, is indulgent island living.





In Qatar I didn't splash out on homewares, not through lack of choice, but because we didn't know how long we'd be there for. Instead, I loved changing the energy with paper napkins, usually bought from The One at Landmark. On my birthday, I brought home blue-and-white striped napkins with lifesavers, anchors and starfish printed on them. Their summery energy reminded me of more carefree days than those we were having. In February, pink and red heart printed napkins made every evening a Valentine's meal. I was hankering a trip to Florence in June, and olive-and-tuscany napkins accompanied the Italian style dishes made in the weeks beforehand...


It's excellent feng shui that something so small and neccessary can create such good energy on a table. After buying these new lobster print napkins today, I visited the website of the lovely company responsible for their presence- paper+design (from Germany, and don't you adore german interior decor?) Now, i'm already planning mystic October meals to accompany their Halloween range! Quorn, anyone?



Chic or not (my verdict: deliberately naff, like a velour tracksuit worn by Victoria Beckham), coloured paper napkins firmly remain one of my favourite feng shui ways to create the energy of a meal.


(though we may be turning high-brow; in Florida i couldn't resist acquiring some stunning linen napkins, with a tiny pineapple embroidered in the corner.)


When you shop next for your dinner table, ask youself- what sort of energy does your table-setting create?



"A benevolent, uncomplicated world - that is what we all long for. Playful, the lightness of being. Imaginative, colourful and honest. Let yourself be captivated. Become a child again. Wonder at the beauty of a flower, the flavour of a cherry, the smell of grass, the wealth of shapes and colours."


-from paper+design corporate website