Issue 08 — Hosting Essentials: Glasses, Dishes, Lighting & Beyond

Pieces to enhance every meal occasion, including solo ones. Plus, some funky numbers to brighten your collection.

Bienvenue a part deux, the sister to Issue 07 — Kitchen Essentials. While the kitchen tools I recommend lean utilitarian, these hosting essentials live on the cross streets of beauty and functionality. Building a cozy table is art, like set design. The lighting, the music, it all matters. Whether you’re keen on hosting or not, curating your space simply for you has the ability to make ordinary meals feel a lot more special.

Issue 07 — Kitchen Essentials: The Complete List

There’s a fine line I straddle between practicality and dreaming in this arena. I obsess over global kitchen design, hunt down museums that house the history of pieces used to set a table, can ID an impressive amount of flatware designed by artists, and consistently sink my teeth into anything home design. If money and actual use weren’t a consideration, I could write this issue as a dreamscape of inspired pieces that have me in a chokehold listening to their siren song. Instead, for this issue we steer in a more practical direction.

Glassware

— Mugs & espresso cups: Few things are cooler than an eclectic mug lineup where each one carries it’s own story. The chaos of this is good chaos. Nothing needs to match or follow a theme. Each day’s energy calls for a different mug. Some highlights within my own lineup are the studio mug from Heath that was engineered to drink coffee and hold a cigarette (or a paintbrush) in one hand, mugs made by friends, and souvenirs from places I’ve loved. Imagine sipping a cappuccino out of this wonky babe, or this Service Projects cup & saucer set I’ve been seeing around town. Buy one at a time, and let them all serve a unique purpose.

— Drinking glasses: The method I recommend here is first acquiring one larger set (10+), all the same design, and then peppering in unique sets of 4, 6 etc. as you find them. Your large set should be versatile enough to work with water, iced coffee, juice, or bubbles (and maybe bonus: aperitivo or wine). It’s been years and yet I still keep coming back to the Marta tasting glasses. You can’t beat a $1.95 price tag, and while they aren’t the biggest vessel for a large glass of water, they make all other libations feel elevated. More options: Duralex Le Picardie, Ichendorf Milano Deco set, or any handblown recycled glassware that’s hearty.

— Wine & apéritif glasses: My preference is when this follows the same mixed path as mugs but with more structure. When they are all a bit different, but make sense thematically. Everyone likes a different style (stem or no stem, big or small, thick or thin), and different drinks call for different glasses. Skip expensive paper thin ones you could crush with a tipsy toast. Instead, opt for hearty ones like these or these that will last. Coordinate colors and styles so they all flow in a table setting, but don’t drive yourself crazy. It’s often nice to just use good drinking glasses as wine or cocktail glasses. But I do have a few vintage coupes for martinis and champagne.

Lighting: Candles, Incense & Warm Bulbs

While I urge against scented candles burning in eating areas, incense are a perfect way to clear the air post-meal.

— Scented candles: Candles that live in your dining area/on a table where food is consumed are best unscented so as not to interfere with the food experience. But because we’re here, I love scented candles and have always felt that they make for the best gifts. I think of the gift giver every time I light one, and love an excuse to try new brands and scents. The ones I’m into right now are the Malin & Goetz Otto candle (which I first experienced in the Still Here store on Elizabeth), and Nette’s Queen candle (which I think my sister put on my radar). Both of these quickly fill a living room, but are a bit too potent for a small bathroom. For bathroom spaces I love reed diffusers, unscented candles that can be lit in lieu of overhead lighting, and/or a good home spray. While living in Arizona, we discovered the magic of creosote — a medicinal herb that grows roadside and has a distinct earthy, fresh scent when it’s wet (a rare occurrence in the Southwest). If you’re ever in the area, grab a bundle and keep it by your sink or in your shower.

— Dining space candles: There’s something very seductive about drippy wax, and something very sad about how hard it’s become to find candles that actually drip. While I love beeswax, they tend to be drip-less. In Paris, many restaurants stick drippy taper candles into the tops of wine bottles and let them build a wax cast with time. Freeeeeesh. That said, taper candles need to be done correctly so they don’t feel precarious. A lot of box stores sell tall skinny taper candle holders that feel like a wedding layout where I’m struggling to talk through the candle jungle and I’m concerned about bumping one. Wider pillar candles, smaller votives, or short tapers with a simple base are a much better route. Introduce color! In the summer I collect large beach shells to use as jewelry trays and ash trays, which would also work well housing smaller votive candles. Lower lighting = cozier space.

— Incense: Lighting incense and opening a window are the best moves post-meal to clear out food smells as you transition to something sweet. There are incense papers like Carta d'Armenia by Santa Maria Novella or Ponsant, which are excellent for travel. Lighting one in an Airbnb as you pop open the first bottle immediately sets the mood. There are stick incense, my current favorites being Astier de Villatte and Daihatsu made on Awaji Island. And there are cone incense like Incense Of The West that smoke more and burn inside small vessels like ceramic teepees. I’m not big on burning sage or it’s smell, it feels like it should only be used for ~spiritual cleansing~ and is admittedly a bit overdone. Which brings us to palto santo. A pleasant smell, but needs to be sustainably harvested and feels pretty mass market these days. Better to find a scent or style that’s uniquely yours.

— Electric lighting: Warmer hues rule. As do dimmers, if you can swing it. Or pure candlelight for extra romance! Lighting should never feel harsh or too bright. Swapping out florescent overheads for sconces, floor lamps etc. can instantly transform a space. Colored lighting can be funky fresh if executed well — especially in bathrooms. Carefully drape silk scarves over bright lamps to filter and soften. Seeing a lot of buzz around Tulip Shades, which I think are genius for rentals. I’ve also always loved big rice paper lanterns, which don’t need to be hardwired.

Flatware

— Flatware sets: In another less practical life, I would have sets like this Jean-Marie Patois Esotismo, or this one inspired by an iconic chair design, or this hammered brass collection by Alexander Calder.

For this issue’s sake, I’ll remind that flatware is used daily. Poorly made sets will rust and bend. Good flatware is with you forever. A great collection can be built with thrifted stainless steel pieces like this mismatched butter knife collection. If you’re buying new, Sabre and Languiole are French classics, Mepra are Italian-made and playful, Mono and this Soho Home set are more modern and clean. I personally gravitate toward traditional design with an understated twist, like this Corby Hall set. Stay away from gold and black sets, or any wood handles. They’re trendy but not timeless and won’t wash up well.

— Small spoons: For late night ice cream, stirring your tea, tasting sauces while you cook. I have a mixture of stainless steel, shell and glass, and keep them out on the counter in a cup. These are fun!

— Chopsticks: I like to have both stainless steel and wood ones hanging around.

— Serving spoons, salad tongs etc etc: Less of an opinion here. I use my kitchen utensils for serving, but find that flatware sets often come with a large serving spoon or two.

Dishes