Heather’s Wish List 2025
This year we have really embraced entertaining, and just when I thought I should let go of the stuff I registered for two decades ago (two sets of a dozen chargers, one in stainless steel and one in wicker!), I’ve started using it all, and I am ready to expand my collection!
Let’s break this down by category, shall we?
Linens
I love linens, and would love a special tablecloth. The palette in this patterned one (shown on table at left) is perfect for my dining room, and I love the simplicity of the embroidered stars in red on the one shown at bottom left. My table just barely seats 8, but when we squeeze in we can’t fit rectangular placements; these round woven ones from rentrayage would do the trick!
Serving
I have collected a number of lovely bowl over the years, but my platter game is not as strong. I would love hand-made ceramics and vintage offerings, maybe a little silver throw in? For online orderability, I’m a fan of this damask stoneware option from Cabana and this lovely Italian serving plate from Nicola Fasano. I’ve also been poking around for good-looking tongs, which would make one-handed self-serve smoother than a pair of utensils. These brass and green tongs from Lulu Powers could dress up or down, and I love that the green essentially matches my cabinets!
For drinks service, I’m in need of an ice bucket or a counter-top beverage cooler (or both!) The lacquered bucket from Matilda Goad is very fun and a bit of a splurge. I love the scale and modernity of the chrome cooler, and it would work for any event I can think of.
Tabletop
Last time I hosted a dinner party I craved more color on the table. Enter colored glassware! I love the simple sophistication of the Moroccan Beldi glasses in amber and, quite the opposite, the rustic uneven vibe of the kiliim wine glasses. This would be an either-or situation, to pair with my clear glass water goblets and wine glasses.
I have a wide collection of cloth napkins and would like a new set of napkin rings. Since I already have a vintage wood set from Dave’s grandmother and a set of cowrie shells I bough on sale in New York in my twenties, I like the idea of something metal. These brass ones are embossed with a dove that makes me think of Georges Braque. They might clash with the vintage silver shell place card holders, but they could enter the picture for different events.
Finally, I don’t really burn candles too often but I do love the sculptural presence of candlesticks, especially this type of cast bronze floral. I’ve seen a couple of versions recently, but these from Slow Roads are just the right balance of rustic and refined.
Cooking
We recently ran out of two of my favorite flavor staples. Our friends the Bahats introduced us to Truff before you could get it everywhere, and though I’m not much of a truffle fan, the umami nature of this hot sauce is the bomb. Lakeshore Drive is the perfect spice blend (so perfect, Dave often gets my the large bag for my birthday!) I use it most mornings on sauteed zucchini with an egg on sourdough. So good.
Books
Okay, these books are not for or about entertaining, but it would not be my annual wish list without a round up of the books I am hoping to find under the tree!
Linked: one, two, three, four, and five! This list is laying bare my style crush on Dara Caponigro (former creative director of the original Domino, current creative director of Schumacher), my commitment to favorite designers’ later books, and a persistent interest in the emotions that make us human.
And finally….I couldn’t help but add this Stephanie Odegard table, bottom right. Rachel first spotted this at Zachary and it is SO special! The top, in my favorite palette, is patterned through small-scale mosaic. It’s hard to pin down the style, and it would work pretty much anywhere. Do I techincally have space for it, at home OR at the studio? I do not. But I dream of it nonetheless!
Cheers to birthdays, the holiday season, and a year of embracing entertaining as my new hobby!