Designer Sophie Lou Jacobsen has a rather relaxed approach to the holiday season—a notion not hurt by the fact that she heads to the French countryside every December. (Jacobsen’s parents are French and currently reside there). She grew up celebrating in a mellow fashion but, as her career choice might imply, now loves to host. “It's definitely eclectic and there's lots of colors,” she explains of her festive tablescapes. Below she’s sharing all her tips and tricks for laying a delightfully personal and eclectic tablescape, along with a few insights as to what she’ll be gifting her loved ones this holiday season. Oh, and why You’ve Got Mail is the best movie for the current moment.
When I say holiday season, what's your gut reaction?
“I guess it's twofold. Obviously, my first reaction is warmth and coziness and family time. I just think of holiday parties and lots of food and good drinks and being with people. So it's all very, very nice feelings. Separately, running a small business that's product based, the holiday period is also the hardest and most stressful time of the year. But that's fine.”
Are you traveling anywhere this year or do you like to stay at home?
“No, I'm traveling. I almost always go to visit my family for Christmas. They all live in France. My parents recently bought a farmhouse in the southwest of France. So we usually will spend Christmas there with just my parents and my sister and her family. She has a little two year old now, so it's really, really nice.”
Are there any traditions you have from growing up or that you've developed later in life that you like to keep alive during the holidays?
“We're not a very traditional family and also, I grew up with a very small family. It was generally just my parents, my sister, and I. We celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve because my dad comes from a Danish family and that's how they celebrate it there. So we would do gifts on Christmas Eve and then have a really nice meal. We usually have a bottle of nice sparkling wine to start. It's just all food- and drink-based basically. One of our traditions is that we will watch one or two movies together.”
Photo: Jen Steele
What are your thoughts on holiday decor? How do you decorate? What's the color palette you? What are your thoughts there?
“Lots of nice candles, lots of flowers, simple and classic table decorations. Christmas trees, I [prefer] on the colorful side. When I think of holiday decor, it's lots of winter branches and lots of candlelight.”
Do you like to host during the season?
“I love to host. I live in New York and I don't have a very big apartment, so it's not like I can do a ton of hosting. But around this time of year, I really love to throw a holiday party. I've done it a couple years now where I just invite friends and do a buffet. Something that I've done in the past is a Scandinavian style smorgasbord. Christmas food—lots of smoked fish and whipped cheeses and pickled herring and things like that, which is really fun. As many dinners as I can host, I will, but they're generally on the smaller side.”
Tell me about the tablescape when you host something like this.
“Just full of food, family style or buffet style. Generally, we'll pack it as full as possible and make sure that everything's out in dishes. Nothing's in any kind of packaging. Obviously I design and produce tableware, so I'll use a lot of my own glassware and plates and things like that. But also, I think it's nice when it's not too formal and perfect—just a mix of a lot of things. I'm actually not very good at meticulously planning a tablescape, so I'll just put it together with whatever I have and make it look nice. It's definitely eclectic and there's lots of colors. But I try to just collect things that I like in my home so it'll all end up working together.”
What's on your current tablescape? What's on the mood board or dominating the Instagram saved folder at the moment?
“At the moment, a lot of metalware. That's something that I am drawn to right now. So, more on the traditional side, whether that's silverware or candle holders or napkin rings. I'm definitely attracted to this sort of traditional table tableware aesthetic, but mixing it with playful and fun [elements] to make it more personal and contemporary feeling. There's definitely a lot of silverware on the mood board and embroidered linens, lots of floral patterns.”
Photo: Jessi Fredrick
And then are you particular about a playlist when you have a holiday gathering? What's your approach there?
“I'm a big fan of the NTS online radio station. They have a lot of really good infinite mix tapes that you can choose by mood. And I'll generally put on their ‘Poolside’ or ‘Island Time’ mixtape. But they have lots of different moods and it's the easiest thing. All the songs are always great and it goes on forever and you don't have to think about it.”
And then when you host, how do you like to dress for the holidays? Do you lean into the festive spirit or are you in all black?
“I love to lean in. That might be all black, but I definitely like an occasion to put on a dress that I never have a chance to wear or do my makeup and put jewelry on. I'll tend to get dressed up even on Christmas Eve with just my parents and my boyfriend and nobody else is dressing up but I want to.”
Do you have any favorite movies to watch this time of year?
“Yes. It's not really a holiday movie, I guess, but around this time of year I always watch You've Got Mail. It's my favorite autumn/winter cozy New York movie. But in recent years, [my family and I have] watched My Fair Lady [on Christmas day]. And another one that we watched recently was The Leopard—these cult classics that are just really beautiful, visually stimulating. Often we'll watch French movies because my parents’ classics are French classics. It's a mix of the rom-coms and then more beautiful classics. Also, it's a good time to watch an epic movie like Dr. Zhivago or these four-hour long movies that you never have time to watch.”
Any go-to host or hostess gifts?
“I think glassware is great. I really think that having a lot of beautiful glassware makes a table. And it doesn't all have to be matching. Having different styles for the different types of drinks that you're going to have throughout the night—I find that people are just a little bit more excited when they're drinking out of a special glass. And then other tabletop things like pitchers and vases. I think decorating a table as a hostess is just such a fun thing to do and to have lots of options and choices and to be able to switch things up just keeps things interesting. I personally find that you can never have too much of that stuff.”
What are some things you're giving to close people in your circle this year?
“I'm always very behind with gifts, but one thing that I really love gifting is nice bath wear, like towels and bathrobes and these cozy things that seem like a luxury, especially in the winter—things to make the dark, cold months a little bit more special and cozy. Also with my boyfriend, we've gotten into the tradition of gifting each other pajama sets. So last year we gave each other a set from Tekla. And I think this year we might do it again, but the flannel version. So that kind of thing—blankets, anything that just makes the dark, cold winter months go by in a more pleasant way.”
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"My first reaction [to the holiday season] is warmth and coziness and family time. I just think of holiday parties and lots of food and good drinks and being with people."
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