Holiday Table settings

House Beautiful sent the white PB place setting seen in all of the images to 15 different taste makers. Above you can find my favorite settings. I love the versatility of white china, I use my set from Crate and Barrel everyday including during the holidays. Do you have a favorite set of china? Which is your favorite setting?

MINNIE MORTIMER

Fashion designer, Los Angeles

"I like to mix masculine materials with feminine silhouettes, high- and low-priced pieces. It seems an odd combination, but I like the brown place mat with the busy plaid. Instead of matching brown napkins, I found embroidered white linens that make the setting feel fresh. The napkin rings are just garden twine. I filled my horn-handled silver mugs with hydrangeas from my garden, and one of my daughter's Tiffany silver baby cups with hard candy. Silver creates a pleasing contrast to the white ceramic. The leaf charger is actually a serving platter. I would serve a winter soup in the teacup."

MARTHA ANGUS

Interior designer, San Francisco

"I have an all-female office, so we're very into girly, pretty things. Our table started with scraps of de Gournay wallpaper left over from a showhouse project. I used them to cover a classic Parsons table, topped with Plexiglas to protect the surface. The green is seasonless, and it doesn't fall into the trap of old-hat red and green. Vermeil flatware seems fresh and different. I lived in France for a few years, so I tend to set a table in the European style, with the flatware face-down. The napkin folded neatly on the plate is the darkest aubergine imaginable — a background for the individual menu."

LAURIE FRANK

Art gallery owner, Los Angeles

"I would say my style is steampunk-ian. I am a retro-futurist with a love of old libraries and cabinets of wonder. I wanted to do a centerpiece of bubbles to set off the white china, so I found a battery-operated bubble machine and an iron basket in which to insert it. I covered the basket with silk flowers in lilac, fuchsia, and tile green. I have an art gallery, so I set my table in front of one of Owen Schmit's abstract paintings. Ultimately the painting and basket worked, but the bubbles didn't photograph. The little gold slipper serves as a place card — the guest's name is inside."

JAN BARBOGLIO

Home furnishings designer, Dallas

"I seldom choose color or floral arrangements. Instead I select artifacts my children or I have collected. These pieces have a richness of spirit, a softness of age, and a story. I mix pieces from my home collection with sterling and crystal. Here, engraved goblets are perfect for wine or hot chocolate — with etched tequila shooters being essential. My Ballin embossed chargers reflect my family's north Mexican heritage — artillery belts are as common a motif as Saint Nicholas. As night fades into morning, to the ring of holiday bells, the Guardian Angel and Santa are given as a gift, or recuerdito, to each guest."

VICTORIA AMORY

Writer, Palm Beach

"The idea here is to keep the colors calming and soft. I love using two colors on a table. It has a bigger impact and creates a stronger story. I've mixed white with gray, silver, and crystal to create this glimmering holiday lunch. All whites — and all off-whites, for that matter — go together, regardless of provenance, style, or age. And I like mixing ivory, china, and pottery together with crisp linen napkins. It always looks fresh and new. Simple white and green flowers add a touch of freshness and height to the center of the table."