The World at Your Table: Inspiring Tabletop Designs

For her second Rizzoli book, well-known interior designer, consummate hostess, and world traveler Stephanie Stokes presents inspiring tables set with irresistible items accumulated on her far-flung journeys that will help you create imaginative tabletops.

The World at Your Table features transporting tablescapes set with evocative, eye-catching, and exotic items this adventurous spirit has gathered over the years. To enliven her tabletops, Stokes creates experiences in miniature using china, glassware, linens, candlesticks, and cutlery from such widely different destinations as Japan, Cartagena, Budapest, and London.

Each conjures the spirit of a particular place: Palm Beach’s tropical lushness, Provence’s remarkable charm, Portugal’s artisanal refinement, and so much more. By pairing her travel photography with the featured tables, she illustrates how incorporating the treasures collected on one’s travels can capture, express, and spark fresh memories at home.

Throughout, Stokes discusses the design principles that inform her choices—from color palettes to indigenous materials. There is also a section on storage. This enchanting tabletop survey is for those who love design, entertaining, and travel—and the idea of incorporating beloved things purchased from far and wide into impressionistic tabletops.

Stephanie Stokes, a former photojournalist, created Architectural Digest’s column “Designer Travels.” In the 1980s Stokes started her interior design company; many projects have been published in published in AD, Traditional Home, and House Beautiful. She also authored Elegant Rooms That Work. Judith Nasatir is a lifestyle writer. Foreword writer Melissa Biggs Bradley is the founder of Indagare, a members-only, boutique travel company, and the author of Safari Style. Mark Roskams specializes in photographing architecture and design.