Tablescapes for Ushering in a New Year

With the New Year just days away, we offer a few ideas for ringing it in with gloriously festive tables laden with good things and elegant items.

For much of the world, ushering in a new year calls for celebrations where people express their hopes for better times ahead. Many of these celebrations are deeply steeped in cultural traditions that go back centuries and the different dishes and decorations used for these feasts are themselves symbolic.

We give you a list of notions that will help you usher in 2021 in great style – and with a whole lot of hope for a better future.

Grapes are Great

The fruit of the vine is a great favorite when it comes to decorating one’s festive table, particularly because grapes have long been used by different cultures to symbolize prosperity and fertility – those heavily fruited branches resembling heavy bags of gold or family trees branching out into bigger, more expansive clans. Serve up a mix of black, green, and red grapes on pure white plates or platters to show off their colors and shapes. Our PORTORO Grapefruit Service Plates from Limoges work beautifully in this case.

“Peony” Placemat and Napkin Set

“Grapefruit” Service Plate Set

Boxes and Trays Filled Bountifully

In Japan, it is customary to serve osechi ryōri – a diverse variety of celebratory bites served in lacquered jūbako [JP: lacquerware boxes similar to bento; stackable and usually come in multiples of three]. These may consist of different types of sushi or traditional sweets such as kuri kinton [JP: chestnut dumplings], ichigo daifuku [JP: mochi – rice flour dumplings – filled with sweetened red bean paste and whole ripe strawberries], and yokan [JP: sweet jelly slices]. You can mimic the osechi spirit – if not the actual array of delights – by using PORTORO Festa lacquer trays to hold an assortment of canapés, salted nuts, crisps, and pretzels. You can also use our Carlo Moretti glasses to hold cocktail picks or an assortment of garnishes such as olives, lemon slices, and fresh mint leaves for a DIY cocktail bar.

“Champagne” Cocktail Napkin and Coaster Set

Carlo Moretti Murano Crystal Drinking Glass Set

Be Bold with Silver and Gold     

In case you haven’t heard yet, Pantone has declared an urban grey and a bright yellow as 2021’s Colors of the Year. If you’re using them to embellish a spread for New Year’s Eve, make it metallic: use gold and silver ribbons to bind place settings or a mix of gold and silver candles to bring a prosperous glow into your home. Likewise, feel free to serve your champagne or prosecco in beautiful gilded flutes or bespoke goblets.

“Festa” Lacquer Tray

“Champagne” Cocktail Napkin and Coaster Set

Linens for Lavishness    

Beautiful table linens are a must for a festive tablescape, so bring out your heirloom tablecloths to add a traditional touch to your feast. For those who want a touch of handmade elegance, we suggest our PORTORO Peony Table Napkin Sets for your midnight feast along with our Champagne Cocktail Napkin Sets for your home bar.

Make it Round 

Oriental tradition dictates that every home should serve an assortment of round fruits as an auspicious and prosperity-beckoning way to start a new year. In which case, fill up your Festa Lacquer Trays with a bountiful harvest of apples, oranges, larger kinds of citrus, melons, and especially pomegranates to get the year off to a sweet start.

2020 was a difficult year for all of us, so we at PORTORO wish everyone all the best for this coming year and beyond.

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