Last weekend, to celebrate my birthday, we decided to have a bunch of friends over to our house for cocktails before heading out to dinner! I had a ton going on that weekend (including a plane ride to New York the next day), so I wanted to do something low key, but to still feel like it was a special occasion.

So, obviously, I broke out my new Noritake china ^[1]! The thing I love most about this china is that it’s gorgeous, but also hearty — it could go straight into the dishwasher at the end of the night. For someone planning to entertain with minimal cleanup effort, that’s *seriously* crucial.

The china in this post is based around the Colorwave pattern in graphite ^[1], which is absolutely gorgeous! (It also perfectly mixes and matches with the slightly more formal patterns in last week’s post, if you’re curious!)

I love, love, love the square pattern — it’s so unique and cool-looking, and totally different from any other place setting I’ve seen. But don’t feel like your square plates can’t mix with round ones — an accent plate can be a bread plate or a salad plate or dessert — wherever it looks best on your table! Having fun with it is the most important thing. When you combine good friends, good food and a gorgeous table setting? Impeccable.

Palais Royale champagne flutes ^[2], Colorwave Graphite place settings ^[1], Rockford glasses ^[3], Metaal serving platters ^[4].