the unattainable fantasy life of the antique tablescape

on instagram, i follow an account called @maisonfeteetcie.

in essence, they collect and source antique tableware from across europe and make everyone who follows them feel like the most unsophisticated druid for using one set of forks and knives to eat their meals. call me a masochist but i am obsessed. it makes me feel totally inferior in the best way possible.

who are we kidding though-when was the last time you used a fork , knife, and spoon in a single meal. most of my concoctions are remixes of ~slop~ eaten with the one spoon in my drawer i have hyperfixated on since the age of seven. the other ones just aren't the same.

i digress...

in today's blog, i wanted to dive a little deeper into what makes these tablescapes so addictively beautiful to look at, and why they stand as a symbol of both the shackles of class hierarchy and a distinct countercultural stance that make them seem effortlessly edgy.

you may be thinking "claire, what are you even talking about. how can a big ass spoon be edgy?"

just hear me out, okay?

as i mentioned in my deprecating bit of the previous paragraph, i truly believe that society has lost the delicious pomp and circumstance that comes with sitting down to a meal. not just dinner, not just leftovers heated up in that one stained yellow tupperware... the art of the meal! people who are much smarter than me say that we feast with our eyes, and what better way to nibble on a metaphorical appetizer than to sit down at a table dripping in solid silver utensils, doily napkins that look as though they came from the pope's baptismal robes, sumptuous tablecloths of bold ruby or woven gold, sparkling crystal that just looks like they would make your white wine stay crisply cool.

you're salivating already, right? or is that just me?

what makes maison fete work so well is that the tables they create are unlike anything we get to see, let alone eat off of in our quotidian existence. part of the fun of going out to eat is the inspiration and breath of fresh air that comes from eating off plates and forks that you haven't seen in your dishwasher a million times.

sure, they may be from ikea or world market's 2013 collection, but you haven't seen them before, and therefore each dish comes plated on a vessel filled with delight and expectation. one restaurant that executes this delight and whimsy particularly well is trixies, a food and wine bar nestled in the quaint village of ephraim, wisconsin.

everything, and i mean everything, in that restaurant is pink. pink glasses, pink napkins, pink plates, pink paper on the menus, pink toilet paper.... gotcha on that one. each time i dine there, part of the fun is seeing which pink or pink adjacent dish our food will come triumphantly displayed on. once, after licking clean a plate of moroccan chicken confit, i dared to peek under the rim of the plate to locate which beacon of blush dinnerware this particular piece came from. to my shock, surprise, (and a bit of horror), the manufacturer revealed itself. target. good ol' target. but you know what? it didn't matter! it was something new, something pink, something simply darling! that statement of pink and the newness of the tablescape lent itself to the overall affect of the meal, and i waddled out feeling like i had just dined at barbie's cooler older sister's house, who had a nose ring and drank orange wine.

maison fete creates a similar appeal in their artificially created oases of glamour and decadence. we all know that people aren't eating off of these tables for every meal of the day. but it makes you feel like you could. their tables say "ah yes, i'm going to use a different knife for butter and my kippers. i wouldn't dream of using this fork to touch anything but the single cucumber that garnishes my garden salad. this knife? while it could be used to commit a homicide, i prefer to wield it for the filet of duck." all said with an upturned pinky of course.

it is that pining desire for the opulence of the upper class of history gone by that makes their tablescapes so escapist and visually appealing. but it also makes a countercultural statement, that while others have forgone these traditions of dining tableware, there is still a time and a place for them. in a way, it pays homage and respect to the meals that you enjoy together. it makes a statement that using your best silverware or laying the table with extra care can make eating more of an experience. i think that tableware and the way you choose to treat your food has a profound impact on your relationship with it. so be countercultural! lay out your best silverware for your dominoes pizza. it might just make your day a wee bit better :)