The Gathering Place
At the Table with Kristin Kavanagh
Some of the most meaningful conversations about home have very little to do with design. For this edition of At the Table, we sat down with Winnetka-based interior designer Kristin Kavanagh to talk about the quiet rituals that shape a family, the memories held around the table, and why the smallest traditions often become the ones that last. Kristin shared that some of her earliest memories weren’t of what was served for dinner, but of helping set the table. “Growing up, my mom always made setting the table feel really special. Whether it was a Tuesday after soccer practice or a holiday, my siblings and I were always helping set the table. It was just something we did.” That simple routine stayed with her long after childhood and continues to influence the way she thinks about home today. It’s also why she has such a love for collecting dishes. “Some are new, some are vintage, and some remind me of the very ones that I grew up seeing in my own home. Every time I set the table, it brings me right back to that feeling.” Perhaps the most memorable part of our conversation came when Kristin reflected on what those evenings around the table were really teaching. “Looking back, I realized my mom wasn’t teaching us how to set the table. She was teaching us that gathering around it mattered.” It’s a beautiful reminder that the rituals we repeat every day often become the memories our families carry for years to come. For her table, Kristin chose our Sally Floral Placemats in Nantucket Blue and Blush, paired with our James Stripe Placemats. A layered combination that feels classic, collected, and perfectly at home with her timeless approach to design. As our conversation came to a close, Kristin left us with a thought that feels especially fitting for At the Table: “My hope is that in 20 years my kids won’t remember this room because it was beautiful. They’ll remember how it felt to be here. And maybe one day, we’ll be pulling up extra chairs because everyone wants to come home.” We couldn’t think of a better definition of home.You can follow Kristin on Instagram at @kristinkavanaghinteriors.
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The Story Behind the Coastal Berry Collection
I’ve loved strawberries for as long as I can remember. Strawberry prints, strawberry baskets at the farmers market, strawberry desserts in the summer. There is just something nostalgic and happy about them. Years ago, when I was pregnant with the baby girl we had waited so long for, I bought a strawberry Christmas stocking. I remember seeing it and immediately thinking of her. At the time, I had no idea what she would look like, but when she was born she arrived with the sweetest strawberry blonde hair. Our Sally. Ever since then, strawberries have felt even more special to me. They remind me of her, of those early days of motherhood, and now of all the summer memories we’re making together. When it came time to design this collection, I kept coming back to two things I love: classic coastal summers and strawberries. I thought about berry picking with kids, baskets on the kitchen counter, Nantucket blues, striped umbrellas, salty air, and dinners that stretch long after the sun starts to set. The kinds of summers that feel simple in the moment but become the memories you treasure years later. The Coastal Berry Collection is our love letter to those summers. A little classic, a little playful, and designed for the tables where life is actually happening. I hope it brings a bit of summer to your home and becomes part of the memories you’re making around your own table. xo, Emmy
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For the Women Who Make the Table Feel Like Home
Mother’s Day always makes me think about the women who create the feeling of home. The ones who gather everyone in.Who remember the birthdays and favorite meals.Who set the table before guests arrive.Who somehow make ordinary nights feel special just by being there. And not just mothers, but all women who nurture so beautifully. Grandmothers, aunts, sisters, friends, neighbors, mentors. The women who care for people in a hundred quiet ways every single day. So much of life happens around a table. Morning pancakes.After school snacks.Long dinners with friends.Holiday traditions.Late-night conversations after everyone should’ve gone home already. Some of my favorite memories in life have happened gathered around a table. And now, building a family and a home of my own, I see even more how meaningful those spaces really are. Not because they’re perfect, but because they’re lived in. Loved in. That’s a huge part of why I started Sally Splash. I wanted pieces that could hold real life while still making the everyday feel beautiful. Things that could handle the messes and the gathering and the constant wiping down, but still help create a home people feel good in. Because I don’t think making a home feel warm is about perfection. It’s in the little things. Fresh flowers from the grocery store.Lighting a candle before dinner.Kids climbing into their same seats every night.Friends lingering at the table a little longer. Those small moments become the feeling people remember. This Mother’s Day, I keep thinking about how much beauty there is in the women who create that feeling for others. The ones who nurture, gather, host, care for, and make people feel welcome again and again. This is for them. For the women who make the table feel like home.
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The Rose Collection: Love, in the little things.
Some of my favorite Valentine’s Day memories are not the big ones. They are the quiet, tender ones. Every year, my dad would show up at school with a small bouquet of balloons and a box of chocolate. Nothing extravagant. No big production. Just him standing in the hallway with a soft smile, reminding me that I was loved. At the time, it felt like magic.
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The Gift of Gathering
Some of my favorite childhood memories start at the Christmas table. Splash didn’t just set a table. She created a feeling. She laid out placemats one by one, smoothing them with her hands, making sure every single person had a place. A real place. A seat counted and planned for. There was never a last-minute folding chair squeezed in or a “kids table” off to the side. We were part of it. Fully included. I remember walking in and seeing my placemat, my name card, my spot. Just as thoughtfully set as the adults’. My cousins and I would hover nearby, practically buzzing with excitement because being at Splash’s table made us feel important. We weren’t an afterthought. We belonged. She always made room, and because she did, we learned early on that gathering is not just about feeding people. It’s about making them feel chosen. And then there was Granddad. After dinner he would settle into his chair and pull out the paper we waited all year for. Every Christmas, he wrote a poem. We’d gather at his feet and lean in as close as we could, hanging on every word like it was sacred. Those poems weren’t just funny or clever. They made us feel seen. His stories were about family… about us. And for a little kid, there is nothing bigger in the world than feeling like the moment you’re in is the whole story. Those memories have stayed with me. They shape how I see gathering now — especially during the holidays. It’s not about perfect menus or centerpieces. It’s about preparing a place for someone and letting them feel it. It’s about slowing down long enough to notice who’s at your table. And that’s why I created Sally Splash. I wanted to make it easy to bring everyone together — all ages, all generations — without sacrificing beauty or warmth. Our placemats are elegant enough for the china you only use once a year and practical enough to handle ice cream drips and little hands passing rolls. When someone has a seat that’s ready for them, it says more than words ever could. Because a table is never just a table.It’s where memories settle in.It’s where family becomes story.It’s where belonging happens. This season, give the gift of gathering.Save a seat. Make space. Invite someone in. The memories will last long after the dishes are put away.
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The Hearth Collection is Here
For centuries, the hearth was the heart of the home. It was the place where fire warmed the room, where meals were prepared, and where people instinctively gathered. Families pulled their chairs close, stories were shared, and the flicker of the flame made everything feel softer. The hearth wasn’t just a functional space. It was belonging. Today, most of us no longer gather around a fireplace to share a meal. Homes have changed. Life has changed. But the instinct to gather remains the same. We now find that feeling around the table. The table has quietly become our modern hearth. It is where we set the things that matter: dishes that reflect our taste, candles that soften the evening, florals cut from the yard. It is where conversations stretch long after the last bite. Where children climb up on chairs that are just a little too big, and where we look across the table at the people who make a house feel like home. Home, as I’ve learned, isn’t really a place at all. It is a feeling. A softness. A familiarity that settles in the moment someone you love pulls up a chair.It’s the comfort of knowing you belong exactly where you’re sitting. It’s ease, not perfection. Presence over performance. That is the sentiment behind The Hearth Collection. Our two limited-edition colorways are rooted in that idea of comfort and connection. Buttercream reflects the inner softness of home. It feels familiar and calm, like stepping into a room that already knows you. It brings an easy, quiet glow to the table and invites every moment to unfold with comfort and ease. Brownstone carries the grounding presence of a home with history. It is timeless and structural. A nod to brick walk-ups, weathered wood, and the pieces in our homes that feel steady and true. Together, these colors bring understated warmth while still making a quiet statement. They elevate the table without asking for attention. They allow room for the moment rather than competing with it. The Hearth Collection celebrates what happens when we gather: the pauses, the laughter, the way a simple dinner becomes the highlight of the day. Through spills, crumbs, refills, and lingering conversation, the table holds the story. This season, may your table feel like your hearth.May it draw people close.May it welcome the familiar and make space for the unforgettable.And may every seat feel like the best one in the house. — Emmy ColtonFOUNDER OF SALLY SPLASH
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A Colorful Fall
There’s something about the first cool mornings of fall that makes me crave a slower pace. The air feels softer, the sun sets earlier, and suddenly the house becomes the place we all want to gather. But with that change often comes a quietness that can feel a little too gray.
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Garden Party Table Setting Made Easy
From fresh blooms to wipeable placemats, discover how to create a beautiful, effortless garden party table—and maybe channel your inner Ina Garten along the way.
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Tips for Keeping Children Engaged at the Dinner Table
Simple, thoughtful ways to help little ones feel included, stay engaged, and look forward to gathering at the table.
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