If there’s one thing Instagram is good for it’s making you feel completely inadequate when it comes to setting the table. From blowout budgets to movie set–worthy lighting, even the most casual tablescapes look like something out of a Wes Anderson production department. But what if you could transform your next dinner party with versatile pieces that are both stylish and affordable, and—best of all—low-maintenance enough to go right in the dishwasher after the last guest leaves?
Enter Fete Home, the brainchild of Jennifer Potter and Audrey Margarite, who cut their teeth designing and distributing high-end entertaining and decorating items at Bunny Williams Home. Following its launch last October, the duo releases five signature tabletop collections centered around key themes each year—2018’s abbreviated roster saw lines arranged around chinoiserie, black-and-white minimalism, and a less-expected take on holiday—offering 23 mix-and-match pieces that cover everything you might need to pull off an Insta-worthy tablescape. You'll find everything from flatware and glasses to dishes and decorative accessories like salt-and-pepper shakers and candleholders, all at prices that won’t leave you looking for a side hustle to fund your party-hosting habit.
“We had been looking at the Warby Parkers of the world and saw a gap in affordable quality merchandise for the home,” says Potter, who notes that Fete Home cuts out the middleman (namely department stores) in favor of a direct-to-consumer model that minimizes distribution costs.
Another plus for the brand: Its collections don’t fall into any one aesthetic category. “Consumers are very smart about what’s out there,” says Potter. Adds Margarite, “They’ll go to West Elm for a midcentury style or Pottery Barn for something more rustic. We wanted to show that our aesthetic is varied.” To that end, last year’s minimalist collection features a mix of contemporary-leaning pieces like brass obelisks and stoneware plates, while the chinoiserie collection skews more traditional, with bamboo-edged dishes and tortoise flatware. On the horizon for 2019 are ranges that are inspired by color and a masculine aesthetic, among other things. “The nicest thing is that we’re designing for ourselves, as well as our customers,” says Margarite.
A close second: After company has gone home for the night, you can use these multi-tasking pieces to style out your bookshelves or coffee table. What’s better than that?
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