Topping it all off

WHO says the holiday table has to be traditional? This season, stores are rolling out new tabletop pieces that look distinctive enough for a special occasion but are still versatile enough to set out long after New Year’s has passed. Sparkling metals, exotic animal prints and colorful ethnic accents are trends that have filtered all the way down to discount stores. The budget-conscious, every-day’s-a-celebration place settings shown here were designed with selections from sources as diverse as Ross, Distant, West Elm and Zero Minus Plus at Fred Segal in Santa Monica.

For a bonus table vignette with a goth-glam, lounge-lizard vibe, look for the photo gallery to this story at latimes.com/home.

-- David A. Keeps