Ready, Set, Gorgeous

O, The Oprah Magazine | From the Winter 2005 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

Credit: Bob Hiemstra, styling by Catherine Leithold

Traditional holiday hues brightened with a shot of turquoise set a mood that's grand but not fussy.

A multiple-pattern place setting doesn't have to be raucous, as with these exquisite, pared-down takes on traditional Asian designs. Turquoise-banded plates ($46 to $64, Raynaud's Jardin Céleste) modernize the classic holiday color scheme of red and gold.

Gold fretwork charger ($100, Mottahedeh); sterling-silver bamboo flatware ($80 to $190 per piece, Tiffany & Co.); rose-colored wineglass ($180) and crystal butterfly serving as a knife-rest ($140), both by Baccarat; blue silk napkins ($22 each, ABH Design); tablecloth is Shima by Rubelli (Bergamo Fabrics).