Listen up, Midwesterners: Frontdoor, an app for home repair and maintenance, recently published a study that revealed the major U.S. cities where renovating fixer-uppers boosts home value the most. Toledo, Ohio, took the number one spot on a top-10 list that includes several other Midwestern cities, as well as Southern and Great Plains capitals (with a dash of Eastern Seaboard in there). To analyze the data, the brand zeroed in on median size and price of homes listed as a fixer-upper on Zillow for the 130 most populated cities in the U.S. Using Kukun’s home remodeling cost estimator, it accounted for the Zillow home listing data (like the cost and added value of renovating main rooms) and local remodeling costs to see which cities came out on top.

Get this: In Toledo, you’ll get a whopping 66 percent increase in value, on average, after renovation. Actually, a refreshed fixer-upper in any of the top-five cities will net you a 50-plus percent boost. Here’s the full list:

1. Toledo, Ohio
2. Detroit, Michigan
3. Springfield, Illinois
4. Jackson, Michigan
5. Cleveland, Ohio
6. St. Louis, Missouri
7. Wilmington, Delaware
8. Lansing, Michigan
9. Montgomery, Alabama
10. Topeka, Kansas

Toledo isn’t just a place to flip houses—it’s also a great location for first-time buyers. Zillow rates it as the second-best metro for newbies among Zillow’s other choices, thanks to extremely low mortgage payments (we’re talking just 26 percent of the average local income).

The study was filled with other nuggets of real-estate wisdom. For example, you’ll get the highest return on investment—the home value you’re adding with the cost of modeling factored in—for a renovation in Miami to the tune of almost 18 percent. Charleston, South Carolina, and Los Angeles aren’t far behind in that category. On the low end, don’t expect to get as much ROI from a fixer-upper renovation in Bismarck, North Dakota, or Augusta, Maine, where renovating is more expensive.

When it comes to the renovations themselves, we weren’t surprised to read that kitchen cabinet upgrades made the biggest difference in value (an increase of about $7,000, or nearly 4 percent). But even just replacing standard lighting with energy-efficient LED bulbs will gain you a thousand or so extra bucks. 

The post Renovating Gets You the Biggest Home Value Boost in These 10 Cities appeared first on domino.

After a long day of traveling, there’s nothing quite like the serenity you feel after you finally check in to your room, line up all your toiletries on the gloriously expansive bathroom countertop, and take a hot shower (or bath, if you’re lucky). Hotel designers take extra care to ensure that their bathrooms create a calming experience for guests—which is why they’re a major source of inspiration for our own homes.

Whether you’re looking to tackle a small DIY project or a major bathroom renovation, there are tons of design tricks to steal from the most luxurious, unique accommodations around the world. Here are some of our favorite ideas.

Embrace an Open-Concept Layout

You don’t need to do more to achieve a spa bathhouse feel—you actually need to do less. Instead of throwing up glass walls and curbs around your shower, make the whole room a wet zone by leaving it open. While this will require digging into the floor a bit for proper drainage, you could end up with something as dreamy as this bathroom at Marrakech’s Farasha Farmhouse.

Bathe Yourself in Flattering Paint Colors

Part of the experience of enjoying your bathroom is, well, being naked. Beige-yellow walls reflecting off fluorescent overhead lighting is not exactly a recipe for feeling amazing about yourself, so we suggest going with a dusty pink hue on the walls and a sexy pop of glossy red, seen here in Alice in Wonderland–inspired hotel Cowley Manor, designed by Dorothée Meilichzon. 

Swap Your Quartz Counters for Colorful Lava Stone

In other bathrooms at Cowley Manor and at Montesol in Ibiza, Meilichzon introduced some shine with basin surrounds in enameled lava stone. Yes, we’re talking about the same lava rock that comes from a volcano. Except after it’s quarried, it’s cut into slabs and topped with a glaze and fired at a high heat. 

Companies like Made a Mano and Pyrolave offer tons of different colors of the superdurable material and will often let you customize your surface to whatever shade you want. 

Get Funky With Your Mirrors

Instead of installing an XL sheet of glass or two basic round mirrors, have some fun with your double vanity design. At the Ulysses hotel in Baltimore, Ash Hospitality got theatrical with burl-wood frames that look like vases holding flowers that are actually lights.

Disrupt the Check

Checkered shower tile is all the rage right now, but throwing off the scheme a smidge by putting a random black tile here, another over there, can ensure your space feels unique and timeless. Leave it to Kelly Wearstler, who designed the Downtown L.A. Proper, to remind us of this. 

Tidy Up With Mint Green

If you want your bathroom to feel neat at all times but don’t want to settle for white, lean into light shades of green. There’s something about a minty zellige or square tile and chrome plumbing fixtures—as seen in this space at Hôtel de la Boétie in Paris—that tricks the mind into thinking you can skip cleaning day. 

Go Monochromatic

In Mauritius’s Salt of Palmar hotel, the showers are done up completely in red square tile, making them a destination in and of themselves. A simple ribbed glass shower screen balances things out, so it’s not too much.

Pair Two Bold Colors

When it comes to color, why stop at just one? L.A.’s Firehouse Hotel is full of inspiring color combinations, including in this bathroom, where mustard yellow tile and tomato red cabinets are an unlikely power couple.

Put Your Tub in Your Shower

Try to name a feature more luxurious than a standing shower that also contains a bathtub. The Ace Hotel New Orleans makes a compelling case for this doubled-up bathing situation, which boasts glossy gray tile and a charcoal ceiling to keeps things cohesive.

Mix and Match

The über-cool Hotel Des Grands Boulevards in Paris made waves for its bold design—and the bathrooms are no exception. Why limit yourself to one tile pattern or color when you can have three? In this space, hexagon wall tiles ground the pale blue paint and pink checkered floor tile, making for one sophisticated room.

The post We’re Only Taking Reno Inspiration From Hotel Bathrooms From Now On appeared first on domino.

It’s a homeowner rite of passage: Within the first few weeks of moving in, after having spent most of your life savings on this house, something will go wrong. The water heater will go kaput, the basement will flood, or you’ll hear little critter feet scurrying in the attic. Cue the flying cash emoji. It’s not a great feeling—especially if you’re a first-time homeowner, as home services marketplace Angi’s latest report reveals.

In its survey of 1,000 recent homeowners, 19 percent say that unexpected costs were the most surprising thing about owning a home, and 43 percent of the youngest respondents (18-to-24-year-olds) were uncomfortable with how much they had to shell out on home maintenance. 

But while Angi found that first-timers are more likely to invest in a home project early on, 30 percent have regrets—specifically about the kitchen. Forty percent of the remorseful wish they’d remodeled the space right off the bat. Other top projects they would’ve gotten out of the way: painting, new flooring, and a bathroom renovation. If you’re in the same boat, we’re here to remind you that there’s plenty you can change about your current kitchen while you save up for a total transformation. Here are three in-between updates to consider:

Forgo Cabinet Doors Entirely

Are your cupboard fronts a style that no amount of paint can improve? In Leanne Ford’s first iteration of her guesthouse, she kept things charmingly bare bones, hanging gingham curtains in place of cabinet doors.

Board Up Your Backsplash

One day, creator Emily Jane Lathan’s London kitchen will become a bedroom. Until then, a mini makeover is tiding her over. Covering up the uneven plaster walls with tongue-and-groove MDF sheets instead of a typical tile backsplash helped Lathan keep the budget under $4,000.

Give the Hardest-Working Hardware Some Love

Fresh knobs and pulls are a game changer, but don’t overlook the inner workings of your cupboards either. Wildflower Home blogger Marynn Udvarhelyi swapped the old exposed hinges in her kitchen with hidden ones that also happen to be soft-close.

The post 40% of First-Time Homeowners Regret Not Doing This Project Right Away appeared first on domino.

Twice a year in Round Top, Texas, just an hour outside of Austin, the design world descends on one of the biggest antiques fairs in the country, stretched along 17 miles of highway. To those who attend, it’s a boon for weathered wood tables and seriously good mid-century and pristine ’70s-era furniture. In other words, for a newbie like me, shopping the Round Top Antiques Fair can be overwhelming.

Thankfully, for my first-ever trip, I was lucky enough to accompany Sheila Youngblood, the owner of the nearby Rancho Pillow, who’s been going to the fair since high school, when her grandmother started bringing her there. At her property, she presides over Feasts in the Field, an epic outdoor dinner party. Here, Youngblood, who graciously hosted me and Domino cover stars Jonathon Burford and Jesse Rudolph for a few days in March, shares all her secrets for shopping Round Top, along with her little black book of can’t-miss vendors. 

Where do you recommend first-timers start?

The most important thing you can do before you go, especially for the first time, is prepare. Scan Instagram or Pinterest, or create your own mood board and find things that you like. Look at the pages of designers whom you admire and see if they talk about Round Top or vintage. 

Then, once you’re there, move swiftly and make laps, taking photos along the way. [Once you’ve finished browsing their area], show your pics to the respective dealers so you only have one interaction where you’re telling them what you’re interested in. Ask for pricing from there. It’s nice to be respectful of their time and yours. You can make the decisions to buy or not buy based on what you find out in those conversations.

What do you always bring with you on a Round Top shopping day?

It’s the thrill of the hunt out there, and I really lose sight of time and all sensibilities. So as long as I have my phone and a backup battery, I can navigate the show pretty well. You don’t need to pack water or food—there’s always a snack you can pick up along the way. 

Can you negotiate price, and what’s your advice for doing so?

The show is changing, and it feels a little bit more like a retail show than a flea market, which is how it began. But some dealers are priced to sell and ready to move things out the door so that they can bring in more containers, even during that show. Others are pretty strict on their pricing and less willing to negotiate. It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask, but I wouldn’t hound them—either buy it or don’t. Don’t try to rewrite the rules of the game. That only frustrates us as buyers and them as dealers.

How do you get, say, a giant dining room table home?

There are plenty of shippers there that go all over the U.S. and beyond. And once you start purchasing, you never know how much space you’re going to take up in a truck. So I would finish shopping and then look at everything that you have—and then call the shipper. Just keep in mind that the shipper has to pack everything up by the end of the show. So if you come near the end, you’ve got to be really swift in setting that up. 

How many days should someone spend at Round Top?

If you can do it, come twice: two or three days at the beginning of the show, like opening weekend or just before because some fields you can get into a little bit early before it’s technically open. Then come back for Marburger, which is near the end of the fair, and it’s where shoppers wait behind tape before it opens at 9 a.m. to get into the tents. It’s like the running of the bulls.

Youngblood’s Round Top Vendor List

• Mark Dooley of Jersey Junker
• Ted Allen of Period Modern
• Michael Ouellette of Box Road near Excess I
• Jaime Roche of Knock on Wood at Excess II
• Cyril Clerc of Bader Ranch at Excess II
• Amelia Tarbet 
• Robert Massello
• Heja Home
• Shelli Alter of Dinner Party Antiques at Market Hill
• Big Red Barn (“I have several favorites. Walk every aisle!”)
• The West Place at The Horseshoe (“For vintage western.”)
• Eneby Home at The Compound (“They just completed their last show after 15 years, so go see their showroom in Nashville.”)
• At Marburger Farm: Newlyn Lowly, Pattern Mill, Upstate Rug Supply, Susan Wheeler Home (also at Excess II), The Modern Exchange, Holler & Squall, Heather Karlie Vieira, Nancy Rose at The Good Stuff, Recreo Reinspired, Circa 1700, and so many more!

The post I’ve Been Going to Round Top Since I Was a Teen—Here’s How I Find the Best Vintage Furniture appeared first on domino.

There are a few things that popular retirement destinations have in common: beautiful weather, easy access to medical facilities, a lower cost of living, and relative proximity to metropolitan areas. Realtor.com’s recent dig into the most popular cities where people are settling into retirement also sheds light on another fact—the town names often sound downright delightful. The proof is in the top 10 list.

1. Sun City, Florida
2. Green Valley, Arizona
3. King City, Oregon
4. The Villages, Florida
5. Manchester, New Jersey
6. Monroe, New Jersey
7. Seal Beach, California
8. Sun City, California
9. Laguna Woods, California
10. Whiting, New Jersey

Sun! Seals! Green valleys! No matter how far you are from the idea of retirement, it’s never too early to start thinking of a life where your professional life isn’t the headline. (On that note, know someone who’s retiring soon? Here are the retirement gifts to zero in on.) And in a world where owning a home is becoming more expensive by the day, the idea of settling into a space that you’ll enjoy for many decades ahead is enticing. Enter: aging in place. This theory is exactly what it sounds like—preparing for a life where you continue to live (and get older) at home. Ahead, read up on some tips for designing an abode intended for doing just this.

Splurge on Timeless Elements

It’s entirely possible to make a stunning bathroom hyper-functional, we promise. In fact, that’s exactly what the checkered bathroom in this Long Beach home accomplishes. Designed for a live-in mother/grandmother, the custom Fireclay tile adds some real pizzazz, while the easy step-in shower and handheld spray add accessibility. This space was designed to serve multiple generations—it will eventually become a bathroom for the family’s daughter.

Create Storage Out of Thin Air

The Austin home of 85-year-old painter Cecile Gil Martin is a masterpiece of hidden storage and space-opening tricks. Located in a senior living community, the 600-square-foot one-bedroom became a project between Martin and her son, architect Tom Hurt. Their goal was to create a home that could accommodate different levels of accessibility. The result is a network of Baltic birch and Douglas fir millwork winding throughout the space to offer shelving, drawers, and organization where there was once empty space.

The Chair-and-a-Half Fan Club Is for All Ages

When Domino chief creative officer Kate Berry’s mother had a stroke, she made it her goal to create a cozy living space that would encourage healing. Among the lush greenery, actually chic ADA-compliant furniture from West Elm, and an especially helpful faucet attachment hides a little secret: a sleeper sofa disguised as a chair-and-a-half. This hardworking piece of furniture means that Berry and her daughter or Berry’s sister can spend the night—or settle in for an impromptu movie night—without completely derailing the space.

The post These 10 U.S. Towns Are the Best Spots to Retire (Maybe Even Early) appeared first on domino.

By now, we know that having a pool or painting your front door certain colors can boost your home’s value, but a new report from Frontdoor shows that it’s the inside that counts, too. In a study that analyzed 100 of the most popular trending home features and Zillow data, researchers found that certain kitchen design choices can help you sell your house faster.

According to the numbers, the most attractive kitchen feature is butcher block. In fact, homes with those kind of countertops sell in 49 days on average, the fastest of any other design detail. Next in line comes homes with recessed lighting (52 days), a farmhouse sink (53 days), marble countertops (54 days), and granite countertops (55 days). (Yes, the recessed lighting surprises us, too.)

It’s not totally shocking that butcher block would top the list. It’s a durable surface that doesn’t require a ton of maintenance (though you should condition it regularly, as the wood can dry over time), and it’s much less expensive than stone, especially marble. Plus, if you follow Jessica Maré of Renovate108’s lead and avoid chopping on it directly (she reserves a few cutting boards for that), it will stay in tip-top shape even longer. Don’t have the farmhouse aesthetic to make it work? As you can see here, you don’t need one—the wood adds warmth to almost any space, no matter your style.

The post Sorry, Marble, Homes With This Other Kitchen Countertop Material Sell Faster appeared first on domino.

Earlier this year, a few months after our first HTH x Domino collection debuted, I was sitting at chief creative officer Kate Berry’s dining room table among a pile of fabric strips. Berry was literally piecing together the initial color combo of what would become just one of the four brand-new styles in our stripe-filled collaboration, which launches today. 

Arriving just in time for outdoor entertaining, the latest assortment—shot on location on Shelter Island in New York—spans tablecloths, table runners, napkins, placemats, tea towels, tissue box covers, and pillows (petite and standard), ranging from $38 to $325. And like the first collection, it’s the bold, saturated shades that give these designs the Domino stamp. 

“I am in love with the gorgeous color combinations that Kate and I dreamed up for this collection,” Heather Taylor says. “They each feel like a fresh take on summer classics.” And, indeed, they have warm weather baked into their design DNA: tomato and blue, lemon and sand, emerald and sky, and navy and blue. Pleated and scalloped trim abound, as do mini, midi, and maxi stripes. Berry notes that while certain shades are punchy, they are always paired with a softer hue that keeps things grounded. “There’s a balance,” she says. “For example, the yellow adds a pop of color, but the sand blends in with other neutrals.” Below, get a primer on how we’d style each option and a look at the fresh drop.

Tomato and Blue

This duo is a perennial favorite color combination of Domino editors. For a dinner party, go playful and casual with a cascade of matching heirloom tomatoes as your centerpiece, Sabre flatware, and Helen Levi’s rainbow splatter dishes. Or follow Taylor’s lead: “Swapping out my older tea towels for these summery colorways will freshen up my kitchen for the season ahead,” she says.

HTH x Domino Mini Stripe Tomato & Blue Napkins, Heather Taylor Home ($92)

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HTH x Domino Tomato & Blue Tea Towel, Heather Taylor Home ($38)

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HTH x Domino Tomato & Blue Petite Pillow, Heather Taylor Home ($125)

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HTH x Domino Tomato & Blue Placemat, Heather Taylor Home ($52)

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Lemon and Sand

“The yellow and sand runner with the scalloped edge is a forever piece,” Taylor says. “It’s so chic and happy.” Berry adds that the pinkish color balances the citron in just the right way without going too beach club. Set peachy pinwheel plates on top for another take on stripes (as long as you vary the scale, you can never have enough).

HTH x Domino Lemon & Sand Runner, Heather Taylor Home ($325)

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HTH x Domino Lemon & Sand Napkins, Heather Taylor Home ($92)

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HTH x Domino Wide Stripe Lemon & Sand Pillow, Heather Taylor Home ($156)

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HTH x Domino Lemon & Sand Tissue Box Cover, Heather Taylor Home ($45)

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Navy and Blue

“Blues are neutrals to me,” Berry states. This tonal pair lays a cool monochrome foundation that’s timeless yet of the moment. Pair it with some tomato and blue pieces—they actually share the same mid-blue tone—and add Georg Jensen Berandotte cutlery to instantly elevate basic barbecue fare.

HTH x Domino Navy & Blue Placemat, Heather Taylor Home ($52)

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HTH x Domino Navy & Blue Petite Pillow, Heather Taylor Home ($125)

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HTH x Domino Navy & Blue Tablecloth, Large, Heather Taylor Home ($298)

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HTH x Domino Medium Stripe Navy & Blue Napkins, Heather Taylor Home ($92)

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Emerald and Sky

Taylor envisions leaving the emerald and sky runner on her outdoor table all summer long. While you can’t go wrong with green on green, add some hits of unexpected lilac—the actual flowers count!—and your afternoon oysters will never look better.

HTH x Domino Emerald & Sky Tea Towel, Heather Taylor Home ($38)

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HTH x Domino Emerald & Sky Runner, Heather Taylor Home ($218)

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The post We Just Added 28 New Products to Our Stripy Collab With Heather Taylor Home appeared first on domino.

When former Infatuation editor Katherine Lewin opened Big Night in Brooklyn in 2021, it couldn’t have come at a better time. We were all mostly avoiding restaurants, and at-home entertaining was bigger than ever. 

And yet, three years and one more store location later, Big Night is still thriving, thanks to Lewin’s thoughtful tabletop curation and delightful party-ready snacks. In fact, the store has become so popular that Lewin just released her first book, Big Night: Dinners, Parties & Dinner Parties, which is part cookbook, part entertaining guide, and—most important—a primer on cheese math. 

In this excerpt, Lewin shares the 13 hosting rules she lives by. 

1. You don’t have to serve dinner to have a dinner party. Snacks can be dinner. And if those snacks run out, pizza is always a phone call away. 

2. Rather than a hard start time, give people an arrival window: “Come over anytime after 6:30—we’ll eat around 8.” This framing accomplishes a lot: It tells people they can expect drinks and snacks before dinner; it gives them flexibility if they need a little more time; and it conveys an actual deadline for them to show up by. All in one clearly communicated sentence!

3. Anything—even a store-bought thing—looks good in the right bowl. Do not underestimate the power of a great (or unexpected) serving vessel. Whip out a gravy boat filled with hot fudge for pouring over ice cream and watch the people freak out.

4. Right bowl, right size. If you’ve ever wondered why your dip or salad or cheese plate looks a little sad, consider: Does it fill out the vessel you put it in? Fit is important; don’t go too big. Your food should be wearing its outfit, not the other way around.

5. Anything can be zhuzhed. Good olive oil, flaky salt, freshly cracked black pepper, a sprinkling of chile flakes, a fistful of fresh chopped herbs, or a scoop of chili crisp can turn a meh dish into a much better one—or even breathe new life into leftovers.

6. Sometimes—most times—the best appetizers are the simplest ones: A hunk of great cheese, a bowl of olives, and a little pile of salted nuts make for a perfect starting spread.

7. If you’re serving cheese, take it out of the fridge at least half an hour beforehand. You want to be able to taste the cheese, not your fridge. These 30 minutes can be the difference between a just-pretty cheese plate and an utterly delicious one.

8. If at any point you feel overwhelmed or stressed by the menu you’ve planned to serve, delete a dish. No one will know, and you won’t be cranky and stressed.

9. CAYG: Clean As You Go. It’s a lifestyle—one that is, for me, sometimes more of an aspiration, but still. The more I tidy and wash as I cook, the happier I am at the end of the night not to be staring at a Mount Everest of mess.

10. If you can turn something into a bar, do it. A Spritz Bar, a Deviled Eggs Bar, a BLT Bar, a Bloody Mary Bar—people love a bar, they love options, and they love to customize. Everyone wants to be their own special snowflake! And hosting is so much easier when everyone becomes the master of their own destiny.

11. Don’t forget dessert. It can be as simple as fancy chocolate bars broken up and shared right on the tablecloth. It can be as nostalgic as Klondike Bars or Chipwiches or Otter Pops pulled from the freezer. It can be as easy as pastries outsourced from your favorite bakery. It can be as fancy as a three-layer cake you made from scratch—but if you’re going this route…

12. Don’t stress dessert. Only make it yourself if you really want to, and do it before the party has started. Your maximum dessert effort should be scooping it into glasses, reheating it in the oven, or making fresh whipped cream—in fact, simply add some sliced berries tossed with a little sugar, and that right there is a perfect dessert.

13. Accept help with the dishes—but only at the very end of the night.

Excerpted with permission from Big Night: Dinners, Parties & Dinner Parties by Katherine Lewin © 2024. Published by Union Square and Co.

The post I Own a Store Dedicated to Dinner Parties—Here’s What I Do to Fight Pre-Company Stress appeared first on domino.

Downsizing doesn’t mean what it used to. Sure, by definition, it’s all about consolidating the things or space you have and coming out of the process with less. That doesn’t sound like a good time. But actually, the act of downsizing—and the outcome for your new home—can be a lot of fun. In a world where housing prices are only increasing, getting creative with the space you have, no matter how teeny, is more important than ever. A recent study from tiny-home builder Clever Tiny Homes took a bunch of Google Search data for terms like “downsize house,” “tiny home,” and “small houses” and compared it to population data to find the states that are most interested in cutting back. Which came out on top? Tennessee.

With around 19,981 average monthly searches across the state for smaller homes and downsizing, this tells us that there’s probably a wealth of small-space inspiration across Tennessee—and beyond. Have you been considering a similar move? Transitioning to a smaller footprint doesn’t necessarily mean you have less to work with. We pulled three tips from people who have successfully honed in on their square footage to give you a bit of hope.

Line an Empty Hallway With Closets

If you’ve got a wall, there’s potential for storage space. One L.A. couple used sets of Reform cabinets to pack some function into their 1930s-era bungalow. Not only can it add some personality to an otherwise blank surface, but you can hide all of those winter outfits, extra blankets, and past birthday gifts you only pull out when Mom and Dad visit.

Buy Furniture That’s Easy to Rearrange

When creative Anthony Urbano moved from a one-bedroom apartment to a studio that was better suited for shooting content, he invested in a modular Bellini-inspired sofa that could be set up in different ways. Both this piece and his coffee table (which is actually a bunch of side tables placed next to each other) make his home über-flexible. Plus when he moves out, it’s likely his furniture will fit in his next space, too.

Get Clever With Dividers

Room dividers have slid out of college dorm room territory and right into the sophisticated apartment you quietly covet on Instagram. If you’re downsizing to a studio, you’ll want to section off your space into different “rooms” if you can: a place to dine, a spot to lounge, and an area to sleep. One easy way to do that is to find a sculptural screen that won’t steal from a room’s footprint. Take notes from this 260-square-foot (!) studio in New York City.

The post People in This State Aren’t About That Sprawling-House Life Anymore appeared first on domino.

Home Front is a weekly deep dive into the rising—and returning—trends, decor, and teeniest of design details fresh on our radar. Last week, Julia, Domino’s style editor, got into a very specific table styling aesthetic she’s been seeing.

Subscribe now to get the next Home Front newsletter, and read the full edition here.

Lately, the IG account I’m referencing most is Ananas Ananas, a California-based food-art studio feeding the coolest parties. I highly recommend following the duo if you’re into bread hanging from fishing line, candied cherry tomatoes suspended on metal picks, and deviled eggs balancing on upside-down plates. They’re a big reason why my saved folder, typically full of moody interiors and floral arrangements, has a new category popping up on the grid: minimal, esoteric snack tables straddling the line between art installation and all-you-can-eat buffet.

On Board

Bouquets of curly treviso, radishes wedged into whipped butter towers, and massive wheels of serve-yourself cheese are the new chips and guac. When it comes to creating your own avant-garde spread, it’s important to remember that the ingredients are the star of the show, not the vessels. This actually makes your job easier. Pared-back serveware that can be in the background is all you need. You’ll just want to be sure that your bowls, coupes, stands, and boards vary in height and size to create a dynamic landscape. But before you get your credit card out, you’d be surprised what you can do with things you already have. I’ve used an upside-down bowl as a pedestal for a plate, et voilà, a makeshift cake stand.

Of course, there are also a few new goodies I’m eyeing:

1. While I might be intimidated to serve a full-on raw bar at home, seafood towers aren’t just for shellfish. I’d fill this one with flowery chicories or assorted Italian cookies from Veniero’s in Manhattan’s East Village.
2. I find comfort in knowing that anything I put in this tinfoil-esque basket would automatically be photo-worthy, whether that’s carrots with long ruffly tops, store-bought potato chips, or a pile of prosciutto.
3. Risers instead of traditional platters, like these at Ananas Ananas’s Design Within Reach event, are the ultimate way to hop on this trend. I’d plop my snacks right on blocks from Amazon; no plates necessary.
4. A beautiful butter tower deserves a beautiful butter knife. I recently came across the Numero collection at Sabre and was struck by the curved, diagonal handles.
5. So many of the party buffets I’ve spotted include stainless steel coupes, and you can order them in sets on Amazon. I’ve seen them filled with dangling muscat grapes, a single piece of citrus, or whipped butter.
6. Yes, classy toothpicks do exist, and they’re also on Amazon. The pearlescent ball detail on these makes them like jewelry for the table.
7. While these wouldn’t be part of the snack spread, I’d still want my appetizer plates to be just as charming as the serveware. Simple with a twist; I love the bubblelike flared edges.
8. Scallops walked so zigzags could run.
9. The raised edges, clean lines, and glossy-to-matte finish of the entire Kelly Wearstler x Serax Dune collection make it a refreshing palate cleanser. I’d populate this serving bowl with a mountain of bread rolls.
10. While a basic square serving board would certainly do, the angular cuts of this ash-wood one inspire a more creative orientation of cheese, meat, or crudités.

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The post All the Cool Chefs Are Tapping Into This Table Styling Aesthetic appeared first on domino.