Black & Gold Table Setting

I have always loved cute bowls, pots, china cups and pretty crockery. When I had my first flat near Paris, whenever someone was coming for a visit, I would give my table setting some thought, get all my favourite plates, pretty cutlery and fancy glasses out. My friends would always say I was playing tea parties. You tend to grow out of a lot of things as you become an adult.

Playing with dolls: no thanks!

Cuddling teddies: nope, thank you very much, I’m allergic to dust!

Messy play: no way, Jose!

Playing tea parties: Yes please, every time!

In fact, my children have an impressive amount of tea sets, from china ones to cute retro metal ones, to wooden ones. Friends and family who know me really well know that nothing would make me happier as a little surprise than a pretty new bowl or a few mismatched bits of cutlery. I simply stopped playing tea parties and moved on to food photography, which is basically playing tea parties for grown ups. The difference is the food is real and I get to eat it after taking lots and lots of photos of it! Boom!

For my first sponsored piece of content as a Wayfair Home Expert, I couldn’t have dreamt of a better assignment: styling a black and gold table setting, using their Viners gold cutlery together with Seltmann Weiden black and white plates.

Black and gold is such a timeless, glamorous combination. It never fails to impress. The sleek combination works beautifully for celebrations throughout the year, like special anniversaries, birthdays, an autumnal dinner party, Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

The cutlery, by Viners, is made of titanium coated stainless steel, which makes it ten times more resistant to scratching regular stainless steel. Thanks to the coating, tarnishing, corrosion and rust should not be an issue. I absolutely love the 16-piece set, with its shiny ends and matte handles.

The porcelain china plates by Seltmann Weiden, with their uneven black rim, are unique and of high quality. I will definitely be using them as props for my food photography soon. Watch this space!

Right, what comes to my mind when setting a table?

It has to be quick, simple, effective and elegant.

Because of the feel of the grandeur the gold and black tones bring to mind, I wanted my table to look dramatic, without making my table setting feel claustrophobic. I never go over the top. The food is always the star of the show for me, but a few pretty bits and bobs always help give the right impression, don’t they?

I started by getting Ivy from my garden and drying it thoroughly. I went for a crisp white tablecloth, spotless and freshly ironed. I folded the black napkins so they could hold the cutlery into place in the centre of the plates. Wine is my start ingredient here, with a lovely Côte du Rhône which beautifully complements the cheddar, strong goat’s cheese and Reblochon cheese. The champagne is ready to be served with desert.

I hope you like the table I created!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Wayfair. As always, all photos and opinions are my own.