Mix Mastery

It’s a sticky situation we’ve all faced. You want to honor family traditions by incorporating grandma’s formal china into your holiday entertaining, but you don’t have enough place settings for such a large gathering. Now you’re faced with serving up a collection of mismatched dishes and glassware that runs the gamut from traditional to modern.

Before you panic, know that even the most mismatched table can look fabulously eclectic when you keep in mind a few easy rules of thumb. It won’t look like a rummage sale, I promise! The secret is in the mix. (For more tips and secrets, visit CherylStyle.com.)

First, all the colors don’t have to match perfectly, but you will want to pair up servingware that falls within the same general color scheme. For example, dig around until all your plates fall within a complementary autumnal palette, such as dark reds, oranges, plumbs and lavenders. And don’t be afraid to add bold splashes of color such as mustard yellows, chartreuse greens and even metallics like silver and gold.

You also don’t have to worry about mixing stemware—that Champagne flute from Target can look great next to a crystal goblet. In fact, many costly and cheap elements go great together when they have something in common such as color or shape. So go ahead and really mix it up!

Finally, I like to tie it all together with a short pre-meal announcement acknowledging the cherished family member who gifted me the china.