If your dinner parties could use a jolt of the absurd, pull up a chair.
Welcome to Someone Buy This!, a monthly shopping column featuring the fun, the frivolous, and the practical from a very discerning shopper.
After dinner at my place recently, a friend asked me to help her make her dining table "more freaky." This request was preceded by another question that I decided to take as a compliment: "Where do you find all this weird stuff?" She meant my zoo-inspired glassware, a dip bowl with a little island at the center and other strange little things that make sitting at my dining table feel like you’re at a Julio Torres special. My friend was working with the basics: matching plates, neutral linens, sensible glassware, etc. It was all fine, she said, but it felt a little blah.
If you too are taking a look at your tablewares and thinking that they read a little too flat, here are my picks for a freaky dining table setup that will make your guests do a little double take when they sit down. The goal here isn’t perfection or even cohesion, just to sprinkle in a little personality and, ideally, have at least one object that makes someone say, "Wait…what is that?"
La Maison Inondée Bowl
These whimsical dishes turn eating into an adventure. The smaller bowl is perfectly sized for children and can also serve as a nut dish. The larger size makes a striking centerpiece for fruit. Smaller size is stackable. Dishwasher safe.
Starting small, this bird-shaped citrus squeezer from Gohar World is a nice way to dip your toe into dining table freakdom. It has a job, yes, but it’s also the kind of thing guests will instinctively pick up and inspect mid-conversation. And if dessert is involved (it should be), serve it with the Maison Balzac’s equally strange hand-shaped cake server. This manicured hand is ready for cake, pie or a high five.
Maison Balzac Hand Cake Server
There is nothing more generous than a hand offering a piece of gâteau, so we created a ceramic cake server in the shape of an elegant hand — with red painted nails, of course!
Gohar World Lemon Squeezer, Bird
Fit for a single wedge of lemon, this bird squeezer makes a fine tabletop accompaniment for seafood, salads – and beyond.
Ichendorf Milano is a great brand to look at for fun tabletop accessories. They partner with tons of designers to make incredibly beautiful glassware. It’s whimsical without tipping into kitsch, which is a hard line to walk. In their best collection, called Animal Farm, each piece has a handmade animal baked into it, whether it’s a flamingo pitcher or, my favorite, a poodle glass. I love these for dinner parties. No one ever loses track of their cup! There are lots of Ichendorf Milano imitators out there, and this is one of those times where the dupe doesn’t come close to the charm of the real thing.
Ichendorf Milano Jug Flamingo
Color Clear Pink Material Glass Manufacture Hand-made and flame-worked Dimensions H. 27 ⌀ 23/13
Sophie Lou Jacobsen Petal Plate
The Petal Plates are a colorful collection of hand-made plates, entirely made in NYC. Available in two sizes, they can be used on their own as serving dishes, combined into a set of dinner plates, or paired with the smaller size to create striking color combinations or color blocked pairings. They also work beautifully as decorative catch all bowls.
Plates are another easy place to introduce a little chaos. The petal plates from Sophie Lou Jacobsen ripple outward like a flower in mid-bloom. They look especially good layered over embroidered linen tablecloths from Oeuvres Sensibles, which can be custom made for your number of place settings, your favorite foods or even a custom message. Vintage napkin rings add another unexpected note. You can find tons of these on Etsy and eBay. Mine, a set of painted wooden shrimp, are always a big hit at holidays and dinner parties.
Oeuvres Sensibles Dalí's Dinner Tablecloth
This hand-embroidered tablecloth draws its surrealist spirit from the dreamlike world of Salvador Dalí, whose work has inspired Sarah since childhood.The lobster pays homage to him, as do his famous mustache, while the lips — inspired by his iconic Boca sofa — appear here as decorative elements on refined tableware. Antique doilies and a napkin embroidered with Dalí’s name are sewn directly onto the tablecloth, making it a unique and singular piece that playfully works on multiple levels of trompe-l’œil.
Vintage Hand-Painted Wooden Shrimp Napkin Rings Set w/ Caddy & Candle Holder Coastal
The product is a set of hand-painted wooden shrimp napkin rings, featuring a coastal charm theme with a beachy, whimsical, and nautical vibe. The vibrant orange and red colors add a touch of kitschy vintage flair, perfect for all occasions, including seafood boils and beach parties. Made of wood and hand-painted in the Philippines, this set includes a caddy and candle holder, adding a quaint and festive touch to your dining table or kitchen decor. Ideal for those who appreciate folk art and rustic craftsmanship.
This set comes with eight napkin holders. A napkin holder caddy that holds four. And one candle stick holder. All in great shape. Barely used.
Finally, every freaky table deserves a centerpiece with a sense of humor. The egg chandelier from Gohar World is the most absurd thing I’ve seen in a long time. This one is not for entry-level freaks! Imagine serving upright deviled eggs in this.
Gohar World Egg Chandelier
A wrought-iron egg chandelier. Put all your eggs in one basket with this one-of-a-kind centerpiece, inspired by the wrought ironwork seen throughout Laila and Nadia's neighborhood in Cairo. Iconic.
Ultimately, the trick to a freaky table isn’t buying the strangest thing you can find—it’s choosing a few pieces that feel a little mischievous. Start small, build up over time, and eventually you become everyone’s favorite stop for dinner and a really fun person to gift shop for.
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