Sandy Chilewich, a New York-based designer known for her iconic placemats, first became fascinated with textiles when she cofounded hoisery company Hue in 1978. Today, her Chilewich range continues to evolve into new products and several of her designs are in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Chilewich joined staff writer Jura Koncius recently on The Washington Post's Home Front online chat. Here is an edited excerpt.

Q: What are the basic components of a properly set table?

A: One component I'd suggest you rethink is the typical floral arrangement positioned at the center of the table. Fruits or nuts or flowers can work as the purely decorative part of your table setting. It's much more beautiful and a lot less expensive to break up your flowers and put them in small vessels around your table. During the holidays, a beautiful container with a composition of fruit (whether fresh or dried) and nuts can easily take the place of flowers.

Q: Are the days of having everything matched over? How does one think about mixing and matching without everything looking messy or cluttered?

A: I would say the days of everything matching are over. For me, they've been over for a long time! There's a great way to be cohesive without being matchy-matchy. You can be cohesive with tonal color combinations. Shades of blue, for example. You can be cohesive in bringing out the color of your plates by adding a vase with flowers in that same color somewhere on your table.

Setting your table is an opportunity to be creative and experimental. It's nice to have that opportunity, whether at a daily meal or a celebration, and to not get caught up in worrying about what's the right or wrong thing to do. Don't be afraid to loosen up! Dressing your table is similar, and maybe easier, than dressing yourself. There are some people that are matchy-matchy in the way that they dress, but most people today are much more experimental. I think we need to treat things on the table more like you would an accessory (such as a scarf or a necklace) when you're getting dressed. Think of it as a personal choice, rather than worrying about "rules" to follow. Experiment!

Q: Do you think cloth napkins are necessary for entertaining? Are tablecloths more appropriate for holiday meals if you are using fine china versus a Chilewich table runner?

A: This is an interesting question. Tablecloths used to define "fine dining," and this is a concept that I thought was ripe for shaking up. I don't think they are necessary for entertaining.

Even at the White House (during the last administration), at the Nordic State Dinner for 350 guests, they ended up taking the tablecloths off and using the custom table runners I designed - the weave was called "satin" and our new "interlace" placemats are an interpretation of that. There's an elegance and a formality to both of those designs that is ideal for holiday entertaining.

As for cloth napkins, I like them and use them all the time, often with napkin rings. If you're using napkins made of a natural fabric such as linen, try not ironing them. (Who has time for that?) It creates a softer, relaxed look. And it's a gift and a comfort to your guests: a reminder that they're using a natural fiber.

Q: I favor a modern aesthetic, and my only place settings are white square plates. How can I keep the modern look but also have a festive and inviting table for Thanksgiving?

A: I am also a modernist at heart, but that title doesn't mean that you're not creative. A table setting still begs for design, and a square white plate is a perfect foundation for other objects on your table, be it in color or texture in your table covering, napkins, containers, or how you deal with your flower arrangements. A simple white square is a great starting point.

For example, if you like the geometry of your plates, you can counter that and bring out the beauty of that square by putting it with small round or rectangular containers. Play off the shape you're using. Don't let it constrain you - think of ways to enhance and complement it.

Q: I am considering supplementing my dining table with a plastic folding table to accommodate guests at Thanksgiving. Any tips for dressing it up and pulling the tables together visually?

A: I'm assuming that the folding table is not as nice as your regular table. In a case like that, where there's a big visual difference between the two surfaces, what I think would be really smart-and in general, I'm not a great fan of tablecloths - would be using tablecloths to make the foundation more uniform. The base should be somewhat harmonious - so for example, a traditional white tablecloth on both surfaces, and then on top of that, you could be experimental, layering placemats and table runners, for example.