As we continue our series, let’s turn to our attention to creating an elegant serving display.

First, we are very excited about the inclusion of our new olive wood collection called Legna. These rich and elegant pieces are durable, come in a variety of sizes, and bring more of that natural element to any table.

All of our products function quite well for prepping, but they’re also attractive enough to go straight to the table for serving appetizers or incorporating into a buffet. And the Legna collection is no exception – they are perfect for serving your guests. Below, we’ve layered them with crisp linens on our natural wood table to serve parmagiano reggiano and mozzarella cheeses, hand picked apples, and pane carasau – thin, crispy, twice baked crackers. The addition of the rosemary sprig provides just enough texture and a whimsical accent of greenery. Again, you have a neutral backdrop that’s warm and elegant contrasting with the color and texture of your food resulting in a beautiful and inviting display.

Our ceramic centerpieces also work well for many purposes, including as a serving bowl for salads as we’ve used ours below. You can also use them as a place to put a hardy mum surrounded by gourds or greenery, to hold your favorite seasonal fruits, or you can partner them with the olive wood boards to serve breads and crackers. The possibilities are endless. The beauty of the piece with its swooping handles, unique shape, and artisan hand painting requires only simple solutions for its contents.

To round out your serving needs, the dual-section of our antipasto dish is used here for additions to the salad, but we’ve also used ours for olives and pits, nuts, candies, and condiments. Its versatility makes for a wonderful gift that will be used again and again.

Bringing these pieces together and layering them with beautiful linens and textures from nature places the attention on the food while still providing a festive backdrop for your holiday entertaining.

Our next in the series - Cocktail Hour

In the second entry of our lifestyle series, we worked with a few ideas on place settings. We took the idea of incorporating nature and textures and mixed it with flatware adding some fun to the place card concept.

We loved the idea of weaving herbs and floral into the tablescape as a whole. As you can see from the first photo, we took a single sprig of rosemary and the simple yet beautiful Michelangelo flatware and tied them together with a rich velvet ribbon, setting them on top of a crisp, off-white linen napkin.

It’s easy and elegant and also provides your dinner guests with a wonderful scent of rosemary.

 As shown above and for the purposes of our photo shoot, we chose to keep the beauty of the wood table as the base instead of displaying a Biancheria ivory placemat in full. But as you build your own tablescape, the placemat provides an elegant backdrop to your favorite dinner pieces.

As you build out the rest of your place setting, use natural elements mixed with different pieces to layer your table. As you can see below, the table setting we chose includes a dahlia and some eucalyptus in a small glass votive. We then used the napkins from our Biancheria Green collection and layered them in a gentle roll mimicking the curved stems on our Villa d’Este amber glassware.

Again, the focus is on elegant yet simple beauty through the mixing and layering of natural textures and patterns.

Next - Appetizer Serving Displays

Nestled in Italy's northern region on Veneto, Venice is truly a city like no other! From famous canals of shimmering waters to it's rich history, Venice welcomes travelers to explore and fall in love. 

From gondolas to canals, and amazing restaurants with the most romantic ambiance, Venice is a must see city for anyone. The scenic architecture as you drift in front of palazzos, churches, and palaces along the Grand Canal, will make you feel as though you've stepped into a painting. 

Venice is located on the site of 117 small islands separated by canals and joined by bridges. While often seen in movies and on television. Viewing this city with your own eyes is more dreamlike than you could imagine. Built on mud, the city is a modern marvel of architecture. Within it's canals are some of the world's most spectacular works of art. 

Venice Favorites:

Torre dell'Orologio— This clock tower was originally constructed starting in 1493. It displays the time, the phase of the moon, and the dominant sign of the Zodiac. 
Ca 'Pesaro—Discover a variety of modern art paintings and sculptures at this museum.
Galleria dell' Accademia di Venezia—View art from pre-19th century in one of Venice's best museums.
Campamnile di San Marco— This bell tower was erected in 1912. The views from the top of this structure are fantastic and a must see on your travels. 
Rialto Market - Your senses will come alive at the bustling market!  Select moeche (soft-shell crab) from the Pescaria or grab locally grown seasonal vegetables at the neighboring stalls. 
Palazzo Ducale - A grand Gothic palace built in the 9th century, was once the palace of the Doge of Venice. In 1923 it became a museum beloved by Venetian visitors. 

Top Venice Travel Mistakes:

Overpaying for Transportation - To save money on transport costs. Plan out your sightseeing. While the tourist travel cards are great, you can get around the city like many of the locals do... on foot.
Don't Miss Out - Venice has a great variety of places to visit. Many travelers make Venice a stop over. To truly explore the city, allow for a week. 
Overpacking - Traveling through Venice can be crowded. Pack light and save yourself some stress. 

Are travels to Venice not in your future? Bring a touch of this picturesque city home with our Veneto collection. Sharing four scenes from the famous city of canals and Carnivale celebrations, our Veneto Collection comes in a set of four to be hung or used as appetizer plates.