When Dining Tables Tell Stories

THE ONCE-HUMBLE DINING TABLE HAS EVOLVED INTO A CANVAS FOR STORYTELLING

- BY SMITA TRIPATHI

IN HOMES ACROSS India, dinner has become theatre. Plates gleam under soft candlelight, crystal glasses catch the shimmer of brass votives, and napkins are folded like origami. The food matters, yes—but it is no longer the star. The table is.

What began as a niche hobby among global design influencers has turned into a full-fledged aesthetic movement in the country: tablescaping. The term, coined by American television chef Sandra Lee in 2003—a blend of “table” and “landscaping”—refers to the art of styling a table to tell a story. It’s a visual symphony of crockery, linen, florals, and décor that aims to evoke a mood, not just serve a meal.

Tablescaping is all about storytelling,” says food and beverage curator Eeshaan Kashyap, whose label Tablescape by Eeshaan has quietly redefined the genre in India. “It blows my mind how it’s now a category of its own—people are gifting, entertaining, buying just for their tables. They want small plates, sculptural candlestands, cutlery that feels like jewellery.

Kashyap registered his brand in 2018, when the term “tables-cape” barely existed in India. Now, he designs for corporate events, destination weddings and home dinners. He is currently working on a multiple-city wedding—Bangkok, Cairo, Marrakesh— where each city inspires a different mood board of table décor and plating. “Clients now bring on board the chef, the florist, the production person and the tablescaping artist and ask us all to create magic together.”