I am obsessed with plates and I buy a lot of them. My husband makes fun of me but I do think there could be worse obsessions. You can create such a different feel at your table with each setting, the colors and patterns. 

I love old as well as new. There are so many beautiful creators right now. I love Malaika, Cabana, Carolina Irving and Daughters, ZDG by Zoe de Givenchy, Casa Lopez. And there are endless vintage plates at auctions and flea markets.

It’s okay to play with pattern…to mix it up with your tablecloth or placemat. It can be like a collage… layered with colors and textures. And as a creative exercise, go wild. Don’t be afraid. Have fun with it. 

I also feel different style and colored plates should be seasonal. They are like clothing or footwear…we change those out as the seasons turn…so why not change our plates!

Where and how you entertain — how you gather as a family or with friends — can help guide you. I like to have family dinners around my kitchen table so it is important for me not to be fancy and that they can go straight into the dishwasher. And I buy where I can replace. Your kitchen plates will break and chip so for me I don’t want them to be one-of a kind or precious.

If I’m entertaining, it is mostly in my dining room. I will typically be more formal there. In the springtime or fall, I’ve been using my recently purchased Dior Mason plates with painted flowers and birds. It was a splurge, but they give me that warm fuzzy feeling every time I use them.

When the winter comes around, I will use my blue and gold plates I’ve had for 20 years and my husband’s beautiful red and gold plates he inherited for holiday time. They are for me about heritage and tradition. It’s fun to change it up sometimes, but tradition is a wonderful source of comfort.