Entertaining + Style

9 top entertaining tips from designer Louise Olsen

Louise Olsen

Herbal liqueurs, chocolate cherries and vivid modernist vessels have pride of place at the post-dinner table of Louise Olsen from Dinosaur Designs.

Sweet or savoury

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I prefer a cheese board with muscat grapes and seeded crackers.

Favourite digestifs

Peppermint tea or a herbal liqueur such as Fernet-Branca, the Italian amaro with a menthol flavour. Or even a glass of Billecart-Salmon, a biodynamic Champagne.

Vivid vessels

We have a collection of Marc Newson for Iittala water glasses, and we always use our Stephen Ormandy for Dinosaur Designs pitcher (Ormandy is Olsen’s husband and business partner). For tea, I have some white porcelain tea cups I found in Japan.

Cutting edge

We love Arne Jacobsen’s matte steel cutlery designed for Georg Jensen. The pieces are simple and timeless. Another vintage designer I’m drawn to is Tapio Wirkkala, for his glasses that resemble ice.

Table top

We usually have multiple resin and glass vases on the table that we designed over many years. I would add flowers from Grandiflora in Sydney, and beeswax candles from Queen B for their delicate scent.

Colour play

I love working with colour. To me, it’s like music for the eyes. For spring, I’m drawn to neutral bases with coral, green and white. A blue and yellow combination can look beautiful, too.

Go-to dessert

In summer, I make fruit salads with mint or a touch of rosewater, as well as sorbet.

Dressing up

I tend to wear pieces from my own LO jewellery line – organic forms in gold and silver.

Guilty pleasure

Dr Superfoods Cherry Bombs in dark chocolate are incredibly moreish.

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