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Table accessories

A dash of style, e few pinches of refinement and you have the perfect recipe for a successful table arrangement. But attractive crockery is not enough. Tabletop accessories are essential if you want to give a personal decorative touch to the table. Not to mention that they make service easier !

You too can treat your guests to a gourmet restaurant setting. Ice and champagne buckets are not only used for cooling. Silver buckets will also brighten up your table and reflect candlelight. And why not go the whole way and bring out your hot dishes under a cover, ideal for serving and keeping things hot? You may think it's old-fashioned bur Paola Navone has designed an ultra-contemporary version called "Aladin", a stainless steel cone with a removable quilted cotton handle.

Serving wine like an accomplished wine waiter is within everyone's reach. Wine aerators, wine savers, pour spounts and professional corkscrews will give you that expert touch.

Many table accessories are bolth decorative and useful at the same time. Designer dish mats and table ornamants create attractive centrepieces. With plate mats in the form of chocolate bars, porcelain pearl necklaces and red steel silhouettes, your décor will take on a playful air. Salt and pepper shakers in the form of ghostly duos and matching figures will stimulate creativity and add a whimsical note to your table. Mr &Mrs chin are refined porcelain figurines designed by Stefano Giovannoni in collaboration with the National Palace Museum of Taiwan.
Although more classical, pepper and salt mills can still be decorative and are making a big comeback. Oversized wood, bright colours and electric models will spice up meal time.

Fruit baskets are also a decorative table accessory. This classical table items has caught the attention of young designer. Doublas Legg used age-old techniques to create his 'Fruit basket". The fruit can be seen through a gracful, openwork bamboo structure. Godefroy de Virieu has a similar liking for traditional craftsmanship and know-how. He worked with hoopers in the Limousin in the south of France to develop his "Fruit Tree" mobile made of chestnut. His "ceramic sculpture", consisting of three ceramic plates assembled with logs to form a tiered tray, is also very attractive. The combination of white porcelain and rough wood is striking.

A retro tiered tray, perfect for scones, cucumber sandwiches and other English tea time favourites will take you staight back to a 19th century drawing room. It's also a perfect accompaniment for cocktail and aperitif appetizers. And at snack time, don't forget to add some picks. That doesn't just mean wooden toothpicks, of course. Cocktails picks, in metal or resin are sure to be a conversation opener.

With appearance and taste both being essential aspects of the pleasure of food, may we suggest that you take the time to savour these delicious accessories!

Latest news...

| Le lieu du Design is a meeting place and forum of exchange whose aim is to highlight the work of contemporary designers and promote industrial design and eco-design for businesses. 74 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine Paris 75012 | Paris Photo The 2009 edition will be focussing on the Orient in a novel exploration of photographic practices in Arab lands. Another theme addressed this year is the way the Westerner&rsquos view of the Orient with contemporary photos and orientalist images of the 19th century. | For its 4th edition, the Salon du Vintage will welcome 50 exhibitors of furniture, accessories and fashion in the heart of Saint Germain-des-Prés on 14th and 15th November. Come and buy exceptional pieces at a magical venue.

May 16, 2009 - February 28, 2010, Current Exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein
The Brazilians Fernando and Humberto Campana are the most significant designers in present-day Latin America. In addition to designs for international manufacturers of furniture, lighting and home accessories, the majority of creations coming out of their Sao Paulo studio consist of custom-made one-off objects for the home characterized by recycling of found materials, idiosyncratic combinations and a surrealistic impression. The retrospective on the 20-year collaboration between the two brothers emphasizes the artistic working method and explains how the works take shape &ndash from the first sculptures up to the interdisciplinary works of today &ndash based on prototypes, experiments and one-off pieces.

www.design-museum.de