By Clara Nanut @gour.mode 

Yes, it is true, the most important palates to please are those of your guests, but the gluttonous rush to taste the delicacies in front of you should not make you forget to take care of the mise en place and service, which is unquestionably ESSENTIAL to deserve the name gourmet à la mode.

And this is how every veritable Gou Gou will have used years of hospitality experience to mature their notorious style in the art of the Gourmode table, which must always be unique, personal, original, and surprising.

Whether it’s a pleasant 5 o’clock tea party with friends, a formal and elegant business dinner, a snack break in the garden under the shade of tree branches, a festive Christmas table, or even an informal Sunday family lunch, each table has its own stylistic code, rules, and bon ton that can be widely interpreted or, for the most reckless spirits, even broken.

In our (not) humble opinion, there must be a single fundamental trait d’union in all these tables: having a concept, an inspiration, and wanting to express them with an overflowing personality.

Telling you the story of a classic table would be too simple: for you Gou Gous, we imagined an extravagant table where we serve you 5 golden rules to decorate a gourios banquet, still warm.

Because remember, deliciousness is directly proportional to curiosity.

The tablecloth of an extravagant banquet will hardly be in pure white cotton, unless you want to give maximum expression to extravagant accessories, or unless you intend to use it as a white sheet to write and draw on with colored pastels, like a painter’s canvas.

We would rather opt for a crazy optical pattern tablecloth by La Double J, one with exquisite abstract embroidery by Casa Cabana or a botanical print one by Loretta Caponi.

For the mise en place of an extravagant table, we can leave grandma’s etiquette book in the attic.

At this table, the only rule is to play.

It goes without saying that, if the tablecloth allows us, we can certainly opt for what Bitossi Home calls La Tavola Scomposta (The Mix-Match Table), which showcases dishes with different patterns. Our favourites? Abracadabra for the holidays and Fabula for the summer.

But we want to talk about Playplates by Laboratorio Paravicini? Playful kaleidoscopes inspired by vintage cinema graphics.

For those who want to dare with unparalleled elegance, the Oriente Italiano collection by Ginori transforms a simple dinner into an extraordinary experience.

What about the chalices? Let’s start with the most unusual shapes and colors: the sets of the Botanica collection by Ichendorf will transport you to the Mad Hatter’s table next to Alice in Wonderland, while the ombré chalices by Luisa Beccaria will make you feel like you’re sipping on pure nectar of the poets.

At such an original table, every guest expects some special personalized detail.

They won’t be satisfied with a simple card with their name on, a hint of a smile could perhaps appear on their lips if the card is calligraphed and comes with a coordinated tassel, but why not go for a bread plate or napkin holder with their initials, or even better, a customized embroidered napkin?
However, if it is not an event, but a dinner for less than ten guests, the personalized gift would be excessive. A small detail such as a Gohar candy-shaped cutlery rest will be a sweet thought.

The gourious banquet is waiting to be decorated!

We recommend a diorama with flowers and butterflies and a coral branch bought at Il Segno del Tempo in Via Fiori Chiari, for an unmistakable Wunderkammer inspiration. A glacette with lion head decorations, brimming with flowers selected at the Piazzola sul Brenta market for Boutique Gourmode. A chandelier with colorful torch-on-twisted candles. Go maximal!

If all the above is still not enough, let your imagination travel towards infinity and beyond!

Collect large shells and turn them into Martini glasses or appetizer cups, dress a bottle of wine with a lace apron, wrap a candle with a silk bow, collect the most extravagant horn and mother-of-pearl cutlery, or take a look at the Cabinet de Gouriosités collection on Boutique Gourmode: silver shells and salt and pepper swans are still available, for a short time.

Gouriouser and gouriouser?