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Tables have turned: As the party season begins, table scaping steps in as the new hosting flex
Tablescaping—the art of visually styling dining tables—is gaining popularity in India, blending food, décor and immersive experiences. Designers like Egyptian Laila Gohar use food as art to create playful, interactive setups, while Indian experts such as Devika Narain, Eeshaan Kashyap and Pratiksha Kataria are shaping the trend for weddings, corporate events and private dinners.
Egyptian designer Laila Gohar, known for her surreal, large-scale food installations and immersive dining experiences, blurs the boundaries of art and hosting. Her swans are made of artichoke leaves, sausages arranged like a cake, while a long rope of braided mozzarella stretches across a banquet table. In an article in The New Yorker , she said her work acts like an instant icebreaker. “People become like children, almost. I care a lot about food. But that's not the point.”
The point, Gohar refers to, is to play with food and setting. Earlier this year, when Sabyasachi Mukherjee celebrated his 25th year as designer, everyone talked about the clothes and celebrities, but equal chatter was around and about the grazing table. The table gave food for thought—not only because of the smorgasbord but the way it was laid out with big cat figurines and assorted flora, including reeds and grass. It was a walk on the wild side.
The table has truly turned.
FEAST WITH THE EYES
As a phenomenon, tablescaping is not exactly new, says Devika Narain, creative director, Devika Narain & Co, and the person who made the Sabya table a reality. Yet the art of setting a table has lately experienced a resurgence. Narain pins the timeline down to 2020 onwards when at-home entertaining picked up. “People are keen to show off their homes. They've become a lot more house proud as a generation,” she says.
Delhi-based multidisciplinary designer Eeshaan Kashyap has been tablescaping since 2016. A trained chef, Kashyap says the business model for those in table design and food curation changed right after Covid. “The behavioural pattern for food and beverage, how we host, how we eat, how we gather, has completely changed. Somewhere around mid2021, tables became a performative sort of a platform,” he notes.
During lockdown and later, people chose to nest in new ways and table setting became tablescaping. While table setting is about function and etiquette (where the fork, glasses, napkins go, etc), tablescaping is a visual experience.
This is a busy time of the year for tablescapers. Narain, a top wedding planner and event stylist, has her table running over with demands. She calls the grazing table a breakout trend for the year: “It works well in an Indian context. We host large gatherings and a sit-down dinner is not always possible.” The other trend on the rise is thematic dinners: “Entertaining in general has become a lot more experienceand activity-based.”
Kashyap says he is flooded with calls. “Tablescaping is becoming bigger, interesting and very open-ended.”
Bengaluru-based Pratiksha Kataria who runs Tablescapes by P— which does workshops and events—calls this the busiest time of the year. In between workshops and managing private and corporate dinners, Kataria has her hands full. For her, no table is too big or too small, having set up small private dinners as well as a 90-people setting for Flipkart. She says, “The prep remains the same.”
Tablescaping for at-home setups start at ₹30,000 but there are no upper limits. It all depends on the level of customisation.
FOOD STAGE
Kashyap says people want to eat with their eyes along with their palates. “We call it the food stage. I use the word stage because it gives more focus to the table,” he says. Recently, he created a stage of salt, a stage of tequila and a stage of cheese. On the salt table, there were salt-roasted pears, salt-baked fish, different types of salt from France to India and the Himalayas. He even used salt crystallisation on candle stands and salt chunks as décor. “Food as a design vocabulary is becoming a trend in many aspects.”
For Narain, colour d renchi ng— usi ng different tones of the same shade—is in. “People are looking for some drama.” When she's styling a table, she starts with one colour palette and sticks to it.
In 2023, Vogue asked: “Do I really need to tablescape my dinner party?” The answer, according to “interior stylist by accident” Pooja Arya Sugla, is in the affirmative: “A welllaid table conveys to my guests how glad I am to share a meal with them. It not only makes them feel welcomed but also makes my food look good.” Access to interesting tableware and inspiration on social media are fuelling the trend. She swears by a big, bold centrepiece and print-onprint. “I always have unscented candles in varying heights and handmade place cards on the table.”
Unscented candles are Kataria's must-follow for all table settings, as they don't mix with the smells of the food. She also believes in not skimping on candles. “The cheaper they are, the quicker they will burn.” Her other hack? To mix occasional artificial flowers with real flowers to make the arrangement fresh.
Each professional hastheirown rulebook. Sugla ensures that the line of vision is unhindered for a sit-down table. For a quirky centrepiece, she says anything goes: foliage and twigs, fruits or veggies on skewers. For Kashyap, it's all instinctive. But he swears by elevations and layering. For the former, think tall candles or pyramid style with a tall centre and the rest cascading down. For the second, layer patterns and colours in the boldest way, he says.
Narain says she first brings out the crockery and pairs it to see what works together. She suggests creating mood boards. “Food continues to be my muse and I love playing around with different styles and shapes of serveware to create intrigue.” She has a few practical tips: select serving dishes for food and put Postits on each to know what goes where. While layering, stick to the same tonality of colours, as it will never look overwhelming. “Comfort is key when entertaining. It's important to create a feeling of intimacy and warmth that guests can sense as soon as they walk in. When you make a setting look attractive and lived-in, you evoke that sentiment.”
Kashyap's advice to the hosts: “Make it your own. A lot of times the pressure of creating for Instagram defeats the joy and purpose.” In the end even little things count. As Sugla says, “Something as simple as adding fresh flowers can make the dining experience feel more wholesome— even it if it's just for your family.”
It's time to bring something to the table.
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Source: EconomicTimes
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