“This is the sense of the desert hills, that there is room enough and time enough.” - Mary Hunter Austin

When our set of black and white striped dishes first arrived in the shop, I wondered how I would style them at my own table. A simple black and white palette? Ah, but how gorgeous it would look next to worn wood. And then a vintage terracotta pitcher arrived, laced in black and white detail, and I immediately knew – we would create a more Southwest inspired setting with these pieces.

Growing up in Los Angeles, I spent time in Joshua Tree as a child, and that unique landscape has always stuck with me. I wanted the elements of this table to mimic some of those iconic elements. We sourced some beautiful pressed glass candlesticks and dishes – a touch of green to mimic the cacti. We added bamboo wrapped glassware to lend an organic feel.

Setting a table isn’t always about finding the perfect items, but rather reimagining things you already have on hand.

The finishing touch of this tabletop is really the kantha as the tablecloth – compared to a traditional linen it lends so much more visual texture. Naturally mud dyed, it is literally the earth of the setting. Our mint and olive block print napkins layered up nicely with the kantha, and brought in another small dose of color.

Finally, an addition of some sparse flowers that were right on palette and terra cotta tea lights for when the sun goes down and those desert stars appear.

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