Disclaimer: This post is part of a larger paid sponsorship with Crate and Barrel. Opinions and creative direction are my own.
I’ve been so excited to share this one with you all—my second holiday table with Crate and Barrel!! (The first being the “olive oil tasting” Hanukkah party from December of last year.) I curated, stared at, styled, rearranged, photographed, tripped over, and—most ALARMINGLY—unboxed this whole situation all the way back in December. (People don’t talk enough about how many cardboard boxes photo shoots yield. So let me just tell you right now. It’s a lot of cardboard boxes.)
Anyway, before we get into the things on the table, a few shout-outs/thank yous are in order…first to my insanely talented friend Shilpa Uskokovic, who helped out with cooking all of the pretty dishes here. She’s amazing. And second, to the lovely folks over at The Jewish Museum, who gifted me the very special bronze Seder plate you’ll see in all of the photos ahead. I truly think it’s one of the most special I’ve ever seen. (More on that in a sec.) Finally, the most gigantic thank you of all goes to my wonderful friend Zoe, who showed up entirely unawares at the end of the day, fresh off a train from DC, seeking companionship and normalcy…and was instead forced to schlep many a cardboard box into many another cardboard box. Sorry, Zoe.
Okay. Speaking of normalcy, let’s get back to the table. Once again, the amazing Crate and Barrel team let me take the reins and do things my own way. Which was just the coolest. I wanted to create a Passover “world” that felt fresh and springy, with that perfect balance of celebration and solemnity that, to me, defines Passover. And I felt like the sophistication of everything on the table made it pretty easy to do that. If you like anything you see here, you can shop the whole thing over on crateandbarrel.com and in stores around the country.
I’ll be doing deeper dives into all of the smaller projects on the table over the coming weeks, but just to touch on some of the things you might notice here: I threw together those matzo place cards with royal icing, clean rubber stamps, and black food coloring gel “ink.” So easy! I don’t know why I never thought to use royal icing before. Yes, you can make it dairy-free. And the flower-shaped matzo balls are a twist on last year’s heart-shaped matzo balls. (By the way, I only recently started spelling it “matzo.” Apparently I am the only one who ever spelled it “matzah.” It’s been an adjustment.)
Okay. Phew!! Without further ado…you can scroll for more pretty pictures, or stay up here for a sec to shop the table. Links to all of the accompanying DIY tutorials and recipes coming very soon! As always, if you’re feeling inspired by any/all of this, send me a note on Instagram—I’d love to hear from you.
Sending you love, gratitude, and excitement for this new season of ideas. ❤️
Shop the Table
Aspen Metal Grey Runner
I love the grey here. It’s sophisticated, stately, and yes, even springy! I know that seems a little counter-intuitive, but I really don’t think bright pops of color are needed to evoke that Passover seasonality. Instead, here, the lushness of the greenery and mostly-white florals against the grey of the runner feel like stepping into a clean, fresh oasis—and to me, that is spring, too. There’s also a nice formality to it. Just lovely all around.
Aspen Coupe Dinner Plates
I adore the simplicity of these crisp white magic oversized porcelain STUNNERS. Admittedly, this is a lot of noun-like adjectives to process at one time. But it’s true! These plates are so elegant and yet totally understated.
Form Pedestal Cake Stand
In terms of quite literally “elevating” things, I can’t think of a better way to do that than by slipping a cake stand beneath your Seder plate. …Okay, in all honesty, this is something I did absentmindedly back in 2020 because I simply needed to make use of more of my table’s surface area (ah, quarantine Seder—how strange you were), and by lifting the plate up and off the table, I could push certain dishes beneath it and really maximize my space. But it also does serve to highlight the Seder plate in a really beautiful way, and provides such a nice focal point for the whole table.
Bronze Seder Plate
As I mentioned, this very special bronze Seder plate was a gift from my friends at The Jewish Museum Shop, and I absolutely love it. The exterior is patinated and hammered; the interior is a shiny bronze. It’s simply gorgeous and it gave me a chance to use the word “patinated.” Win-win.
Oregon Water Goblet
If you’re planning on making those bitter herb-inspired ice cubes (full tutorial coming soon!), I’d recommend a glass like this one—it’s stylish and footed and generally lovely, but most importantly, it’s smooth and clear enough to allow whatever you’re putting inside to shine through.
Emmett Antique Brass Candle Holders
These are much larger in person (well, I suppose that’s sort of a subjective statement, but there you have it). Anyway, I loved that because they really allow you to make a statement. They’re almost like set pieces. And of course the variety of sizes is fun, too. You might recognize them from my Hanukkah table!
Oregon Wine Glass
Another classic glass from the Oregon collection! Just easy and pretty, in case you’re searching for a new set.
Laurel Round Glass Vase
An oversized vessel with just the right amount of drama. Love this piece! While I’m here, a side note on the florals: Particularly on Passover, I love bringing in a ton of greenery and “reaching” leaves and stems into my arrangements—they remind me of the bitter herbs on the table.
Peak Ice Sphere
Okay, time to talk about those ice cubes. Mine are filled with edible flowers and a few sprigs of parsley (again, a nod to bitter herbs), and I made them using this here ice tray. I’ll share a full tutorial in the coming weeks, because there are some tips and tricks you should be aware of before setting out on your ice-making journey. (I know—seems easy enough, but in order to see the flowers, you’ll want to boil the water first and do a few other unexpected things. I’ll explain soon.)
Isabel Halley Matzah Plate
I can never get over how stunning this matzah plate is. It’s handcrafted here in New York by ceramicist Isabel Halley, and it just has the prettiest texture and silhouette.
I should add—though I’ve definitely shared this here before—that Passover has always been my favorite holiday, if not my very favorite night(s) of the year. And truth be told, I have never not celebrated it at my family’s home—which made putting together *this* table in our New York City apartment that much more fun and challenging. It’s actually not super easy to put my own spin on the Passover traditions I knew growing up, just because I’m so in love with this holiday and all of the feelings it evokes, and I don’t really like the idea of changing a thing about the look or feel of our family’s holiday table. I just want to preserve it in time and keep it exactly the way it is. You know.
But as with every holiday, there’s so much we can do to update and elevate our tables without having to disregard any of the time-honored traditions or memories we’ve created there. This is something I’ve learned through my blog, actually. I’ve really come to believe that adding something new or putting a twist on older traditions can even be a way of highlighting their importance, not disregarding it. It also doesn’t have to be an either-or situation: You really can have the old with the new. For my family, that annual “new” is usually a few new dessert recipes, a special new centerpiece crafted by my mom, simple decorative touches—maybe a new runner, etc.—paired with all of the beautiful “old”: the haggadot we’ve been using for years and years, the linens we bring out for every major holiday, the Seder plate that’s been in our family for years, and so on.
So there! Hope you found some inspiration here. Again, links to all of the accompanying DIY tutorials and recipes are coming very soon! And also again, I hope you’ll send me a note on Instagram if you love something you see here—I love staying in touch with all of you over there.
