When the table is cleared, a Ralph Lauren Fowler chess set appears. The board is inlaid with leather, its playing pieces plated in gold and nickel. It was made entirely by hand. The game itself is secondary. The object is there to be occupied, to keep guests engaged while the real work of hosting happens out of sight. It is one of several pieces in a new al fresco edit from Net-a-Porter that suggest a shift in how we think about entertaining.
Dinner parties are rarely remembered for the food. The company and the conversation are what linger. According to Brigitte Chartrand, Net-a-Porter’s Chief Buying & Merchandising Officer, there is a “growing appetite for personality in the home.” She notes that customers are investing in elevated tableware and decorative pieces to mix with timeless staples, creating a more personal approach. These are not items for a glass cabinet, but future heirlooms intended to be used and talked about.
Glass with Intent
The approach begins with aperitivo hour. The Milanese label La DoubleJ, in partnership with Venetian glassmaker Salviati, produces rainbow-hued sets of tumblers and wine glasses. Chartrand says these designs “bring an element of fun” to the occasion. The spontaneity of the moment is reflected in the glassware itself.
A different philosophy guides Laguna-B. Its late founder, Marie Brandolini d’Adda di Valmareno, was once gifted a collection of antique goti de fornasa, the imperfect cups made by Murano artisans from glass scraps. She designed her first pieces from her family’s palazzo, guided by what she called a “pure game of chance.” This idea of imperfection underpins the brand’s collections today, including the striped Berlingot line, which is based on one of Brandolini’s original 1996 designs.
Generational Craft
For the table itself, the selection at Net-a-Porter spans heritage brands and new voices. From Vienna, J. & L. Lobmeyr has been making museum-worthy glassware for more than 200 years. Once a purveyor to the Imperial Court of Austria, its pieces are now in the collections of MoMA and the V&A. Run by the family’s sixth generation, the house believes that “traditional knowledge facilitates innovation.” Each crystal piece is mouth-blown, cut, engraved, and polished by hand, passing through at least 18 hands before it is complete.
This sense of history is also present in the ceramics of Astier de Villatte. The Parisian house, founded in 1996, produces its signature white ceramics in a traditional workshop, with each piece individually stamped by the artisan who made it. A recent collaboration with the label Sacai is inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gilded accents.
Personal Significance
As the evening continues, other details come into focus. Cushions from House of Lyria, a newcomer to Net-a-Porter, are handcrafted to order in a Tuscan workshop. Its creators, Riccardo Bruni and Nino Cerruti, compare their process to that of a chef. “Yarns,” they explain, “become ingredients in an ever-evolving recipe.” Wool and cashmere blankets from Missoni or scented candles from Loewe Perfumes in scents like Pistachio and Oregano set an olfactory tone.
The smallest objects can carry the most weight. A sculptural candlestick trio by Fourth Street was made exclusively for Net-a-Porter by its founder, Rukaiya Daud. Like her brand’s signature egg sculptures, the design is meant to be interpreted. It “invites its future owner to assign their own personal significance, whether playful or profound.”
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