The “Mixed Up” Rule Is Ina Garten’s Go-To Party Trick — And It Looks Stunning

Ina Garten isn’t just an amazing chef — she’s an amazing host, too! And any great host will tell you that the perfect table setting is just as important as the food being served. So when Ina sets the table for a party, she likes to keep one rule in mind: Matching is so overrated.  

“People think that in order to have a beautiful table setting, everything needs to match perfectly,” Ina wrote in a recent Instagram caption. “I actually think it’s much more interesting to mix things up — but you need to mix them up thoughtfully.”

To mix and match your table successfully without it looking like something you threw together last minute, Ina suggests choosing a color palette and working within the confines of those hues.

“For this table, I chose a simple palette like blue, orange, and cream,” she wrote. From there, you can pick different patterned napkins within the scheme, or even various colorful plates in those same colors, and everything will look harmonious.

And you can play with your glassware, too, as Ina said she did when setting this table. Stick with one color of glass (clear is always a safe choice) and play with shape, height, and details. 

Ina also suggests not limiting yourself to just the table, either. “I have lots of different glasses and napkins — even different chairs!” she wrote. “It all goes together and looks effortlessly chic!”

“When we toured Buckingham Palace, they made a point of explaining that the Queen preferred to mix and match too, making the best use of all of the royal collections,” one person wrote in the comment section of Ina’s post. Another added, “Artfully mixed is so much more elegant than straight out of the identical show cabinet. Love this.”

Give yourself the freedom to play around with your table setting and add some Ina-approved dimension with pops of color, mixed-and-matched glassware, and napkins that are sisters rather than twins. The resulting table will feel lived-in, welcoming, and like the perfect place to share great conversation over a delicious meal.