Sleep is fundamental to helping us feel better, and good quality sleep is even more important. At Neptune our decades of expertise in crafting quality furniture, such as solid oak bed frames, meant that when it came to making our mattresses, we knew we could only work with the best in the craft.â€�ÌýÌý

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Partnering with Harrison Spinks, whose mattresses prove how true luxury can be both responsible and supremely comfortable too, was an easy decision for us. ‘They are a fifth-generation Yorkshire business that believes in doing things the right way, a sentiment that is very important to us at Neptune,â€� says Sophie Miller, Neptune product developer.ÌýÌý

Makers of beds since 1840, the Harrison Spinks factory sits in West Yorkshire, with the 300-acre farm just 18 miles away. It is where, as well as tending to the sheep, they grow the natural hemp fibres and linen flax used in the mattresses. The home-grown use of natural materials is what sets the company apart and was a key reason for us working together on our new Dewsbury mattress ³¦´Ç±ô±ô±ð³¦³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô.â€�â€�Ìý

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We spend a third of our life in bed, andÌý¾±³Ù’s in this knowledge that Harrison Spinks prioritises materiality and sustainability with every design. ‘In addition to using wool from our farm, we are the first bedmaker to partner with British Wool to use 100% traceable British wool, so we know exactly where ¾±³Ù’s sourced. We also use our own home-grown hemp, as well as sourcing from a co-op of other local farmers,â€� explains Rebecca Mayes, our account manager at Harrison Spinks. ‘Every mattress is built on the belief in doing things the right way. And for us, that means caring where everything comes from. ±õ³Ù’s why we grow natural comfort filings on our farm, weave our fabrics in-house and make our own award-winning springs.â€�â€�Ìý

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Over 20 pairs of hands are involved in the making of just one mattress, including hand side-stitching, tufting and edge-taping. Ensuring that craft and traditional making techniques are honoured, Rebecca explains how the home-grown fillings are delivered to the nearby factory, scoured and cleaned before becoming the unique filling pads: â€�They are then generously layered with our own-design springs to provide the ultimate in comfort and support.’Ì�Ìý

And ¾±³Ù’s this attention to craftsmanship that aligns Neptune and Harrison Spinks so well. Rebecca explains, â€�By handcrafting our mattresses, using home-grown natural fillings and in-house manufactured springs, we can ensure everything is done with integrity and built for longevity.â€� °Õ³ó²¹³Ù’s the answer to sleeping well.â€�Ìý

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Explore our mattress collection in-store or online.

According to neuroscientists, it is our senses that connect us most directly with our environment, through touch and sight as well as smell, helping us make good decisions and create lasting memories.

This layering of senses is also important within the home, from the comforting tactility of solid oak furniture and visual delight of a harmonious colour scheme, to the scent of baking or fresh laundry. There is even growing evidence that suggest we can be influenced to linger a little longer by the presence of pleasant odours, while various aromatherapy scents, such as lavender and peppermint, are said to improve our mood and wellbeing.

When creating our new candle collection, we took inspiration from the British countryside and the memories and emotions associated with being in nature, resulting in five distinctive scents: The Vegetable Patch, The Rose Garden, The Lavender Field, The Wild Meadow and The Herb Garden. Working with one of the world’s leading fragrance houses, we created candles made from a blend of soy and rapeseed wax, which hold and release essential oils slowly and effectively when burning. These natural fragrances often contain aromatic compounds released by trees and plants known for their relaxing properties, and inhaling these scents can help to lower stress levels and promote a sense of calm and well-being.Ìý

±õ³Ù’s commonly agreed upon that the scents of nature have a positive effect on our mood. ‘These subtle scents in outdoor environments, such as an April dawn in the countryside or the heat of the day in a city in August, are mutable and can shift in the space of five paces,â€� says Lizzie Orstrom, fragrance writer and founder of . ‘I really believe that even if ¾±³Ù’s totally unconscious, we are constantly navigating and assessing places and ourselves based on this response to scent.â€�

Most of our emotional associations with a scent are created in childhood, which is the most vivid period of our lives for memory, and can influence how we introduce scents into our homes. ‘One of the most interesting things about scent is that it elicits a visceral or emotional reaction before we have a linguistic response,â€� adds Lizzie.Ìý

As with mood lighting, a soft scent of thyme or lavender, both of which feature in our new candle collection, can have the same calming effect as dimming the lights or turning on a lamp, creating an ambience throughout the home. ‘Connecting the senses is a great idea, especially thinking about colour, light and touch,� explains Lizzie. ‘That might be harmony between the senses or creating an element of surprise, such as a more vibrant scent you associate with joyful childhood memories being used in your serene living space.�

From the earthy scent reminiscent of a grandparent’s vegetable garden, to the joy of receiving a fragrant bouquet from a loved one, welcome the outdoors in with scented candles and relive those precious memories.

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Meet our new scents...

The Vegetable Patch

This fresh scent is reminiscent of walking amongst a summer vegetable garden. Top notes of ripe tomatoes and green leaves keep it sweet and uplifting, while being grounded by an earthy base of oakmoss.

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The Rose Garden

A soft floral scent which captures the aroma of a blossoming rose bush at the heart of a traditional British garden. This scent has top notes of rose with a touch of soft violet and grounded by a musky base of patchouli.

The Lavender Field

Lavender’s recognisable herbal scent brings moments of calm into the home. Spicy top notes of pink pepper blend with aromatic lavender, grounded by a musky base of patchouli.

The Wild MeadowÌý

A truly floral scent reminiscent of a meadow in full bloom, with bees buzzing and grasses swaying. Soft notes of wildflowers and sweet petitgrain blend with an earthy wood base for a light summer scent.

The Herb Garden

An instantly refreshing scent that captures the essence of freshly chopped herbs on a spring day. Cooling peppermint, thyme, and basil combine with a touch of green galbanum, grounded by earthy accords.

Discover our new home fragrances in store now or explore the full collection here.

What is it about the dining table that puts it at the very heart of our homes? Is it its sheer size that makes it dominate? Or its position in a key reception room rather than out of sight and out of mind? Is it the activities that happen upon it, or does history have a hand to play in how it's earned its position as one of the home's hardest working heroes?

The dining table dates to way back when. The ancient Egyptians resurrected makeshift pedestal tables using rock and stone to banquet upon. And, over in early Europe, the Romans feasted on handmade tables in luxurious marble, bronze or hewn timber.

These ancient empires fed the dining table's growth. A love of lavish entertaining cemented its use as the place where food is served and shared. Though it wasn't all a case of formal dinners and sumptuous spreads. The rise of the round table is said to have started with the Romans too - for less grandiose occasions where nobody was designated as head of the table and everyone had equal status, easily able to make eye contact with one another.

Closer to home still, Britain played a role in the table's evolution. During the feudal period, tables were at the heart of court life, with a grand rectangular table positioned in a castles great hall for master and guests to gather and feast. Medieval monasteries honoured the ever-stretching refectory table and accompanying benches - a custom still adhered to in today's historic institutes, from the dining halls of Oxford and Cambridge colleges to London's Inns of Court.

The typical refectory table would have been grand in scale and rectangular in shape (with a removable top - to be followed by the invention of the draw-top table in the 16th century where drop leaves and runners first started to appear).

It was timber in material (oak and elm were most common, though walnut and cherry were not unusual), and trestle-based in design, though the round table wasn't forgotten. In fact, Winchester Castle in Hampshire remains home to one of the few surviving examples of an original round table from the Middle Ages. Away from the pomp and ceremony, it formed the base for regular home life.

Families were typically much bigger back then and so the table needed to be able to comfortably fit everybody around it. Lower-class families had kitchen tables (often placed in the living room as the table for everybody to use as they saw fit), whereas those in the middle and upper classes were upgraded to the more stately dining table. Either way, the table's reputation was confirmed as the home's gathering point, be it for food or family affairs.

Of course, as the centuries ticked by, variations in design ensued. Italian-made tables of the late-17th and early-18th centuries observed marquetry and rare materials as a taste for the ornate took hold. Indeed, Charles II was presented with a silver-clad table by the City of London to mark his restoration as King of England. And more recently, we welcomed French bistro table renditions, born on the 19th-century café scene where pavement space was at a premium.

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The dining table today

Modern-day masterpieces haven't changed much from those of old. Most bear a heavy resemblance to the long-stretching refectory table, the charming bistro sets made for two à la France, and the iconic round table where knights once gathered.

The most notable evolution? The table's forever extending function. Sure, food still fills its tabletop, but today's dining table's notion of sustenance is more a case of nurturing togetherness and a sense of community. Homework is done upon it, arts and crafts too, and family debates and important discussions are held at it. The dining table is the new desk - no stranger to laptops, cables and paperwork in place of plates, cutlery and napkins. It's where we work from home. It's the new boardroom table from which you 'dial in'. Indeed, food writer and chef Prue Leith paid £1,100 at auction for food author Elizabeth David's old bleached pine kitchen table for it was "where she cooked her omelettes and wrote most of her books."

Yes, the dining table is a workhorse and a powerhouse, a piece of furniture that serves to please as much as it does seat to feed.

Shop our collection of dining tablesÌýdesigned to last a lifetime, providing a timeless backdrop for gatherings year after year.

With a job that entails a lot of time looking at wonderful British homes, I’ve noticed that, as they’ve become increasingly decorated, there’s been a desire to extend the way we curate our living spaces to bring personality and comfort to our bathrooms. There’s been a shift away from contemporary or spa-style schemes that favoured sleek, hard surfaces and neutrality, and instead, the current mood is more relaxed and layered, ensuring we create personal relaxation zones to linger in.

Some may note that this harks back to the ethos of the great twentieth-century decorators such as John Fowler or Nancy Lancaster, who extended comfortable country house style into the most functional of spaces. However, there’s also something playful and current about this approach too. Practical and unique, today’s best schemes combine clever, multi-functional designs � such as Neptune’s new Ophelia footstool � with antiques and artwork, speaking about the personality of those who use them whilst ensuring they function beautifully.

Create your relaxation zone

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Artwork in above photos: A Beautiful Kind of Freedom 1,

‘Floors and walls take up the most surface area in a room, and floors can be incredibly impactful,� says interior designer Natalie Tredgett, who recommends building a scheme by starting with the rug: ‘There are many options for paint colours, wallpaper and fabrics that can complement a chosen rug, which is easier than trying to find one to match an existing scheme. By starting with the rug, you can avoid the need to opt for a plain colour, allowing for a more cohesive and interesting design.�

In an already decorated room with pale, calming tones on walls and furniture, a rug can be the perfect vehicle for adding personality to lift the room without introducing visual clutter. ‘In a neutral space, a rug really can add texture, depth and interest,� agrees interior designer Laura Stephens. Her advice, when choosing a rug, is to bear in mind that it needn’t require a statement-making design to have an impact: ‘Sometimes, a subtle border or motif on a rug with a plain background is enough to give interest and colour to a scheme without dominating it.�

Neptune’s latest collection of rugs gives a classic heritage look a contemporary twist. The rich colours and ornate motifs of traditional Persian and Turkish rugs have been tempered � with repeat patterns and softer shades that modernise the look � without cancelling their character.

As for the correct size and placement of a carpet, Stephens advises choosing one of a generous enough size to ‘ground� pieces of furniture ‘so that they don’t appear to float around a big floor space�. ‘Rugs are particularly effective in a larger or multi-use space to “zone� specific areas,� she adds. ‘For example, in a kitchen-diner, a rug under the dining table can define that space.�

Far from being an after thought then, a rug can be the decorative glue that holds a scheme together.

ÌýMeet the new season rug solutionsÌý

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This season includes five exciting rug collections � the Arran, Calan, Fara, Moray and Rona � all inspired by traditional Persian rugs, featuring a mix of geometric, Aztec and mixed motif patterns. In soft shades of rust, blue, cream and orange, they bring an element of subtle colour to a room. The rugs are handwoven in India by expert weavers on authentic wooden looms and use the best natural materials such as jute and wool.

For added luxury underfoot, there are also two new plush, cosy rugs made from New Zealand wool � the Laith and the Munro � to add more texture and warmth to bedrooms and snugs. In calming, neutral shades and with a tactile bobbled texture, they work perfectly with any colour scheme.

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A calming sleep zone, a personal retreat, a practical dressing area, and plenty of storage. The average bedroom has many functions to fulfil, which makes a good spatial layout an essential first step. ‘Bedrooms inevitably have large, sometimes unwieldly, pieces of furniture to fit in,� says Neptune design director, Fred Horlock, ‘so always try out furniture in different layout combinations before deciding where to position large pieces.� Aside from the bed (of which more shortly), storage can tend to dominate a bedroom, which isn’t ideal. ‘Storage is often visually “hard�,� explains Fred. ‘If you don’t have discreet fitted storage, then invest in a beautiful wardrobe and drawers that you’ll enjoy looking at, even if it means rotating your clothes and storing off-season outfits in another room.� An architect will look at a bedroom footprint analytically and might suggest dividing the room with either a floating or full wall to create a separate dressing area which keeps the storage and clutter away from the sleep zone. If this isn’t an option, look to other ways you can utilise the room’s architecture. ‘Timber elements bring a warmth to a room, so consider exposed rafters or wooden floorboards softened with rugs,� advises Fred. ‘And retain period elements like fireplaces where you can, bringing in freestanding furniture that feels like it belongs next to the original features.�

When it comes to bed frames, Fred suggests four-poster styles suit larger, high-ceilinged rooms � though the new Walton four-poster bed will work in a smaller space thanks to its lower silhouette. A timber frame suits a more traditional or cottage vibe, while a shapely, upholstered headboard like the Clemmie can work as a decorative focal point, drawing the eye upwards. ‘Treat the wall behind the bed as an extension of the headboard, be it with panelling, wallpaper or paint,� adds Fred. ‘Decorating it to complement the style of the headboard will help widen the feel of the room while anchoring the bed securely and helping to make the room feel calm.� Applying symmetry to the space will enhance that feeling of harmony so important for a good night’s sleep. You can achieve this by framing the bed between two windows or chimney recesses but also by using bedside tables and lamps on either side of the bed for balance. ‘Keep window areas clear,� adds Fred. ‘That morning light is important so place heavy storage pieces on the opposite side of the room. A large rug under the bed will help the space feel wider and, if you have room, ground the bed with a sofa or footstool at its base.� Finally, multiple layers of lighting are all-important in the bedroom. Fred suggests incorporating low-level bedside lamps and wall sconces which cast a diffused glow to keep the room feeling relaxed at night. For dressing, include some task lighting with a brighter, daytime light which will feel refreshing. And there’s your dream bedroom: practical by day, restful by night.

Three ways to sleep

Small main bedroomÌý

Large main bedroom

Ernest Gimson. Not a name as familiar as that of his contemporary William Morris, but no less influential in the Arts and Crafts Movement. Indeed, his designs received an accolade from the architect W. R. Lethaby that any designer, past or present, would surely welcome. Gimson’s furniture, wrote Lethaby, was ‘one kind of “perfect�, that is, it was useful and right, pleasantly shaped and finished, good enough but not too good for ordinary use�. In other words, everything that the Arts and Crafts Movement stood for. What’s more, Gimson lived what he preached. He took lessons in making traditional ladder-back chairs from a Gloucestershire chair bodger (and trained local Sapperton villagers to become craftsmen in the furniture workshop he established with his fellow designers the Barnsley brothers), he used regional woods whenever he could, and he incorporated exposed pins and dovetail joints into his pieces. All principles we’ve also considered when creating our solid oak, cushioned armchair, Casey.

Designed in our Wiltshire studio, the ergonomically elegant Casey takes the spindle design of the classic Windsor chair and re-imagines it for contemporary homes as a comfy, cushioned armchair. The armrests slope very gently upwards at a ‘just rightâ€� gradient, while the back reclines gradually for a relaxed seating position. The feather- and foam-filled cushions are designed for comfort and support and are available in fabric or leather upholstery. Exposed fox tenon joints echo that honest and plain, crafted approach, while the softly tapered curve of the arm helps the chair feel lighter and more contemporary for today’s interiors. Over a century on from the Arts and Crafts Movement, ¾±³Ù’s exciting to see modern British designs that honour the craftsmanship of the past while embracing the way we live now. The Casey offers the comfort of an upholstered armchair but, thanks to its exposed timber frame, enjoys a slimmer footprint, leaving more room for an inviting, generous seat. Crafted, practical, comfortable and timeless, just the way Gimson, Morris et al intended us to live

Landing on your chosen shades is the first step in putting together a scheme, but the key to success is considering how to apply those colours. The rule of thumb used by the designers at Neptune is the 60:30:10 ratio � a base colour (usually a light or dark neutral) that represents sixty per cent of the scheme, one or two complementing accent colours which account for thirty per cent, and the final highlights (usually a bolder or brighter shade) making up the last ten per cent.

It was this ratio that guided our autumn palette, a contemporary take on the refreshing colours of the early twentieth century that balances warm neutrals with sophisticated soft shades and touches of strong colour. This decorative shift came about as a reaction to the darker, more sombre shades of Victorian interiors, with the new era celebrating cheerful and fresh palettes using warm whites, sage and olive greens,Ìýmustard, terracotta, soft blues, and deepest pinks. Interpreting these colours for today’s homes means dialling up the whites to pale beiges, introducing colourful hues with enough black in them to feel refined rather than sweet, and adding a shot of energy with our new orange-brown shade, Bracken.

THE NEUTRAL BACKGROUND
Sixty per cent

Pick a warm, pink or yellow-tinged white or cream as your base colour. You could try:

Salt, a creamy off-white with a comforting warmth
Silver Birch, a pale creamy-grey, almost an oatmeal shade
Driftwood, a classic putty colour that feels calm yet cosy
Orkney White, a fresh, soft white that adds subtle warmth

THE MID-TONED LAYER
Thirty per cent

You could take two routes here: a softer palette of Cactus, Flax Blue and Lead Light; or a darker one of Constable Green, Navy and Clove. Both work well with the warm neutrals. You could consider:

Cactus, a deep, relaxing green with a gentle grey coolness
Flax Blue, a hazy blue with a touch of grey that’s muted but deep
Lead Light, a soft khaki; an earthy brown with a hint of green
Constable Green, a rich, inky green that feels enveloping
Navy, a deep, dark blue that feels fresh against white
Clove, a sultry natural shade hovering between deep plum and soft brown

THE FINISHING TOUCH
Ten per centÌý

Bracken, a vibrant, warm orange-brown that brings energy
Blakeney Blue, a fresh, true blue with an underlying warmth

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Glassware styling tips

Glassware adds a decorative element to a tablescape, too.
Here are our top tips for styling your collection.

No.1

Position your glasses where the light (or candlelight) will catch them for extra sparkle (a preparatory wipe with a microfibre cloth will remove any cloudy spots or fingerpritns)

No.2

Mix and match styles - old and new, clear with coloured, and tall with short - for an eclectic look that feels more informal.

No.3

When not in use, group a collecttion of sparkling glassware on a smart tray on a sideboard for a curates display that retains a relaxed look.

Initial spark

Auction houses are a great source for design inspiration. While researching period sofas, Neptune design director Fred Horlock spotted an antique design that required further investigation. The distinct features nodded to the Edwardian period, with an elegant sloping frame in pale oak, single-cushion seat, and minimalist proportions. The exposed frame embraced a 360° approach to design, allowing the sofa to be placed in the centre of a room � a traditional layout of the period. The design meetings that followed were offshoots from this original concept. But how to reimagine a vintage style for twenty-first century living? Focus was put on harnessing the pared back aesthetic and creating deeper proportions for comfort, while retaining the traditional shape and exposed woodwork to highlight craftsmanship. The result? A sofa made to be admired from all angles.

Testing the waters

After finalising the shape of Eliza, designers in our Wiltshire studio came together to produce digital drawings and miniature prototypes. This stage in the journey sparked discussions around the precision of leg angles, the height of the back, and the level of cushioning for the seat. It meant many iterations of the design, especially for the legs. How decorative would they be? Would they be reminiscent of traditional carved legs or be more streamlined? Eventually, the team decided on a more modern, sleek silhouette which would suit any style and period of home.

There was a moment of hot debate over seat cushions too. All our designs are upholstered by hand using the same reliable methods that have allowed antique sofas to survive for centuries. We use serpentine springs to ensure balanced support exactly where ¾±³Ù’s needed. Seat cushions are then filled with feather-wrapped foam for the optimum balance of comfort and resistance. But how many seat cushions to use? The final look of one long seat cushion (juxtaposed to two back cushions) was agreed upon as it provides even comfort, with the cushion filling spread out across the whole frame, so no one sinks in the middle. It also mirrors those historic references that had first caught Fred’s eye. Using pliable balsa wood, our in-house designers then created miniature sofa models. From legs and frame to cushions and exposed details, each piece was carefully constructed so the team had a real-life visual to work with and evaluate from all angles. A miniature sofa, fit for a dollsâ€� house, if you will.

The final product

Seeing the sofa materialise in three dimensions allowed the team to make final evaluations. A blend of modern engineering, innovation and traditional craft influences all our design processes. We’re never just behind a computer screen â€� the craft element at every stage of the design is what makes each product special. And the result? Eliza’s exposed oak rail frame and elegantly turned oak legs seamlessly combine comfort with considered details for a sofa that’s designed to be at home in any space, while using kiln-dried tulipwood for the internal frame guarantees strength for years to come. Not one to be tucked away, the final piece is tribute to our pride in craft and design. Each piece of Neptune furniture is built with the sustainable philosophy that ¾±³Ù’s destined to become a much-loved antique of the future, and Eliza is no exception.

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Explore theÌýÌýEliza Sofa

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Artwork in above photo:ÌýGreen Grapes,Ìý

The Victorian naturalist and philosopher Henry David Thoreau once opined that ‘God created ferns to show what he could do with leaves�. A little overblown, you might think, but actually his praise was � for the era � rather restrained. From around 1830 until 1910, society on both sides of the Atlantic was gripped by ‘pteridomania� � better known as fern fever. Appreciation for this large family of plants was seen as proof of intellect, even virility. Frond-like motifs and references appeared in art, interior decoration, literature, and even on custard cream biscuits. Wordsworth enthused about the ‘brilliant and various colours of the fern� in the Lake District; Ruskin painted them in Perthshire. Enthusiasts � particularly women � travelled to Devon to collect rare specimens and then housed them in ‘Wardian cases� (invented in 1829 as a means of transporting live plants, but later a fashionable means of displaying them) and custom-built ‘ferneries�.

Bracken is probably the most iconic fern species â€� the one with triangular arrangements of delicately branching fronds. ±õ³Ù’s a very old (ancestors can be found in fossils dating back fifty-five million years) and large plant, growing up to two metres. Like most ferns, it doesn’t flower or generate seeds but instead reproduces with spores, like fungi. This method has evidently proved extraordinarily efficient: it has colonised almost all temperate and tropical regions of the globe and can quickly dominate a habitat. ±õ³Ù’s bracken that you’ll see unfurling tender new fronds on verges and in woodland during the spring. Come October, bracken puts on a spectacle like no other: emerald leaves sliding softly through a suitably autumnal minor scale of gold, copper, russet, rust, chestnut and dun. Because of how widespread bracken is, such displays can cover landscapes as far as the eye can see.

The colour itself is an evocative one. ±õ³Ù’s why Neptune has chosen to name its new seasonal shade Bracken. Orange softened with a touch of brown and mustard, it immediately recalls the changing of the seasons and autumn foliage, of course, but other things spring to mind too. The joy of late autumnal sunshine, pumpkins, Halloween, the glowing embers of a bonfire, and hot, spiced drinks gripped between gloved hands. A brighter, more vivacious cousin to perennially popular terracotta and clay-pink shades, ¾±³Ù’s comforting, inviting and liveable, with a bold, contemporary edge. It feels subtly Victorian too: an off -beat allusion to all those Pre-Raphaelite redheads, Aesthetic Movement ‘art coloursâ€�, and the work of William Morris and his contemporaries. Exactly the kind of colour, in short, of which Henry David Thoreau would heartily approve.

Considered table settings are no modern convention. King Louis XIV was the first monarch to offer place settings for each guest. Until then, drinking cups had been shared between diners. By the eighteenth century, table settings had become extremely elaborate with a focus on symmetry and uniformity. Unsurprisingly, the Victorians formalised the etiquette, especially the placement of cutlery, driven by the desire to express wealth and status.

Thankfully, today, life is more relaxed, but the basics of table settings haven’t changed that much. There are some cultural differences � the French lay placements with the tines of the forks facing down (apparently to show the silversmith’s hallmark on the underside), and the Americans always place the napkin on the left whereas in Britain its position is optional. But despite our differences, appreciation of a well-laid table is universally shared.

At Neptune, the focus is on tableware that feels comfortable to use and is beautiful to look at � simple, artisanal crockery from Portugal in organic shapes and soft earthy colours, pure linen tablecloths and napkins, and well-weighted cutlery. Glassware designs range from chic cocktail glasses to refined wine glasses and casual tumblers.

Happily, creativity rules when it comes to a beautiful table setting. Mixing patterned and plain china, arranging inventive and unexpected centrepieces, using a mishmash of candlesticks � anything goes. Colour is a useful starting point and will help establish the mood of the tablescape. And while there are the traditional rules for setting plates, cutlery and glassware, there’s also plenty of scope for individuality and self-expression. Ultimately, a pretty table setting is not just the stage for meals but a platform for making memories with loved ones.