COOKING & ENTERTAINING WITH STYLE : The Mix Is In

Brush the cobwebs off the boxes in the attic. Raid grandmother’s china closet. Polish up the Victorian silver teaspoons that Great-Aunt Emma brought back from the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. What’s new is old and what’s old is news--that is, if it’s married with contemporary designs. The best-dressed tables sport eclectic looks; shapes, textures and patterns are paired with an eye toward subtle surprise. The era is inconsequential. Old hammered silver and 1940s-era stemware are right with a one-of-a-kind plate handcrafted in 1989. Antique Imari never looked better than when set atop a contemporary French charger and accessorized with chintz and ivory. Crisp plaid moire subtly accents a very patterned English country weekend dinner plate. Curving, clean-lined stainless flatware mixes easily with ornate Victorian silver and a lush, textured shawl from Indonesia.