The Wicklewood Blog

‘Something was missing from the London events scene,’ say sisters Alice and Jemima Herbert, ‘wow-factor table settings for smaller events that could be ordered to your home, as easily as you might rent a party dress or order groceries.’ The pair, who both live in West London and have backgrounds in luxury, launched their business, Lay London, in early 2020, to offer rented tablescapes to discerning London hosts. The business has since evolved to offer tablescape styling, bespoke tablescapes and even an online store.     

‘Colour and textiles is where my eyes were first drawn into interiors,’ says Jemima, ‘then when I started to appreciate how things are made and the detail in architecture, I wanted to enhance the aesthetics of my day-to-day space,’ a love of interiors was born - ‘I’m a sentimental hoarder,’ she says, ‘my most precious possession is a very pretty little hand-painted bureau our dad gave me when I was too young to appreciate it. Now it sits on a landing outside my bedroom and makes me think of him every time I see it.’ Alice describes her interiors style as ‘graphic, vibrant, layered,’ with a particular penchant for green, white and pink colour schemes, which, as it happens, ‘look great on the table too, especially in springtime with lots of pink and white blossoms – sweet peas, peonies and hydrangeas.’  

Self-confessed maximalists and fans of print on print, it’s immediately evident from the tables Lay London creates that their philosophy on colour chimes with Wicklewood - the bolder the better. ‘We’re big colour enthusiasts,’ they say, ‘it makes us happy, so transposing this onto the table when friends or family gather at home was a natural step.’ 

Lay London’s top tips for beautiful tablescaping… 

Start with a great tablecloth 

The one item worth investing in to bring your table to life – we love floral and chintzy prints and a vibrant, printed cloth really makes the table sing for its supper…