Tablesetting is in my DNA. It's one of the places where I express and practice my creativity. Setting a beautiful table is the greatest thing you can do to show your love and appreciation of your guests. It's a way of surprising your guests with something they wouldn't have expected. And it doesn't have to be fancy or high style. It can be red and white checkered tablecloths and old chianti bottles mixed with modern glassware.

Something that people don't always understand is that you need the mix, because one thing sets off another. I find that if everything is at the same level, it's like having too many refined flavors at once. You will enjoy the contrasts as they enhance each other—the play of high and low.

I need to be able to be outside! Summer has the advantage of allowing and inviting us to go and enjoy the outdoors which we should indulge in as much as we can.

I like to entertain outside everywhere I am. It is how I grew up and it is very Italian. Whether it's on a terrace or in a garden, you can put up a folding table and some chairs and you're set.

Always find ways to mix it up: vintage tablecloths with contemporary napkins, old glassware and candlesticks mixed with new, and a collection of vases in various materials and shapes.

I often use potted plants on my table—I think there's something really warm and comfortable about that, and I’ve done it forever. I love geraniums because they remind me of my life in Italy, but I will plant anything depending on the season, from crocus to dahlias.

I also enjoy mixing old and new porcelain or ceramic dishes. Recently, I used these blue and white marbleized dishes, called Aptware, and combined them with some modern white ceramics for a dinner on a lovely blue and white Indian tablecloth.

As I love the mix, once again, I enjoy old and new here! I like vintage tablecloths and playing them against new woven napkins which work so beautifully on a table.

I happen to love pressing napkins as well as tablecloths—is that strange? It's extremely satisfying. There's nothing better than a beautifully starched, pressed napkin.

Just go and experience many different things. Ideally, watch how they are being crafted. Once you see how something is made, it completely changes your relationship with it. Talk to the people who make ceramics, talk to the glassblowers, go seek those people out. Craftspeople are very proud of what they do and are usually very happy to share their craft with anybody.

The more we know about how the things around us are made, the more we appreciate them, and then frankly, the more we'll cherish them. The more you use something, the more it becomes a part of your history and the better it gets. I like knowing the story and I feel more engaged because of this. I would feel silly if someone picked up something in my home and asked, ‘what's this?’ and I didn’t know. I always want to know.

Once you know the process of the craft and you understand what goes into it, it is no longer just a practical choice, but an emotional one too. I believe that anytime we can have an attachment to something, we have done something better in the world.

Always buy the best. I remember living in a studio apartment when I was 21 and asking my mother what type of pots to buy. She told me to buy the best pot and pan I could afford, rather than a whole set. So I purchased one deep pan and one pot and started there. Do you know, I still have it and love it. And I use it all the time, so if you buy well, you will never be sorry.

Study, study, study, read, read, read, and look, look, look! In our world, everything is so much about being acquisitive as opposed to being inquisitive. The process of learning is every bit as enjoyable as that of owning.

If you are curious about Japanese brushes, go and study them. If you want to start collecting glass, go learn about it. If you want to purchase ceramics, do the same. And then you'll understand what you're seeing. Knowledge is such an important part of the enjoyment—it's just as important to enjoy the ride.