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’Tis the season for holiday entertaining, and we’ve enlisted the help of the most stylish hosts we know to serve up their party tricks for a holiday hosting mini-series. Dress code festive, RSVP requested. À Table!
For Alice Moireau, setting the table starts with a color. “I love to play with palettes more than actual themes—I find it amusing to mix patterns or textures and colors rather than a cliché set-up with the usual icons,” explains the co-founder of French tableware brand Table of her approach to holiday decorating.
Accordingly, you will find no glittering tinsel on her holiday table; no shiny gold foil and certainly no red-and-green motifs. For a festive dinner party at the very tail end of fall, Moireau leaned into the hues of the season: rich burgundy blooms hand-picked from her garden and branches of crimson leaves, earthy taupe table linens balanced by delicate white layers, and simple, cream-colored stoneware that lets the menu shine. There’s a hint of playfulness (spot the mushroom figurines) and lived-in charm (nearly all of her most-loved entertaining pieces are vintage finds) to round out the meal—which, in this case, was an intimate invite for her closest friends and family to her countryside home in Olivet, a couple hours outside of her native Paris. A typical dinner at her house? “It always ends up with long meals, deep conversations, and laughs around a large wood table,” she says.
Ahead, go behind the scenes of Moireau’s holiday dinner party—and shop some similar pieces to recreate her style at home. No decorative fungi required.
“I always have flowers on my tables—they bring life to the party! This time, I picked flowers from my garden that matched the table’s color palette: warm tones like deep purple, brown, and orange. My special touch are these little pieces of deco: small handmade golden wooden suns, stars, and pompoms I place for each guest as an amulet.”
“I love wearing colorful outfits that somehow match the table I’m setting; it’s been my thing since I was a kid. It feels even more festive and poetic to me this way, mixing patterns, colors, and textures. My favorite brands are Thinking Mu, SuperYaya if I want to go bold, Le Monde Beryl for shoes, and I always add on some fun accessories from Merrma Earth.”
“I always start with the tablecloth, it sets the tone. This year, I wanted to play around with a patchwork runner we created for my tableware brand, Table, made from antique French linen. I love adding artisanal pieces, like vintage ceramics I collect, and splashes of color with flowers (or some vintage decorative mushrooms). I’m also a fan of Cravan cocktail glasses, Sabre cutlery, and Christofle platters.”
What’s on the Menu
“In Olivet, we have the cutest farmers market on Friday afternoons—I only cook with seasonal products, and get inspired by what I find there.
For this dinner, I served champagne by the fire with oysters in a red vinegar and fresh currant sauce for the apéritif. Then, some finely sliced fennel with pine nuts, parmesan, and chives in a simple lemon dressing as the starter, and roasted pork with buttery celery purée, pickled white cabbage, and a turmeric and chili pear chutney as the main. For the cheese course: A selection of two local goat cheeses, Swiss vacherin, Abondance, and a sheep’s milk tomme. Finally, tarte Bourdaloue, a classic French pear tart with almond cream and a homemade crust for dessert.”
Cocktail Hour
“I like serving drinks directly from the table—it feels more convivial. My signature winter cocktail is vodka with grape juice from the market and a touch of red vinegar. I love it for its sweet yet zingy taste, plus it’s easy to make, seasonal, and very unexpected for your guests.”
Dinner Party Dos Don’ts
“Coming empty-handed. The best gifts are always something you can cook with: a great olive oil or a beautiful vanilla bean.”
"That’s my boyfriend’s job! He’s the best at reading the mood and adjusting the playlist. We often go for his mixes. (Right now, I love funk.)
“I keep it to my closest friends and family. The rest of the year I’m more open to larger gatherings—even with new faces—but for the holidays, I prefer something more intimate.”
“No mystery here: Shop for groceries two days ahead, cook everything you can the day before, and ask for help on D-Day!”
