cover image The Art of Tablescaping: Deck Out Your Table with the Queen of Theme

The Art of Tablescaping: Deck Out Your Table with the Queen of Theme

Bugsy Drake. Flashpoint, $27.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-7348802-2-9

Drake, a cast member on reality show Below Deck Mediterranean, debuts with an imaginative ode to entertaining and creating themed tables. A “tablescape,” she writes, is “the story you are telling, and it’s the journey you and your guests are taking. It’s a way to transform a simple meal into a lifetime memory.” Drake starts with basics, offering tips for choosing colors, making the best use of a table shape, and working with different textures. Then come her themed celebrations, each of which features a signature drink, color scheme, and a suggested playlist: a tropical getaway party, for example, features mai tais and a neutral, fruit-heavy table. For a glittery carnival, attendees should drink “anything bubbly”and listen to Rihanna, while a gold-heavy ode to The Great Gatsby uses pearls to create texture. Though readers may not build a table around a broken boat propeller as Drake did for a party in the Bahamas, there’s no shortage of tips and tutorials, including one on folding napkins into elaborate shapes, like the rose fold and the cascading triangle fold. Glorious full-page photos and playful typography add some visual fizz. Drake’s fun guide is sure to please hosts looking for a bit of whimsy. (May)