High or low?

Can you tell the difference?

High $2,965

1 PITCHER Stainless steel antique-silver drink pitcher, Pottery Barn, $79.
2 PITCHER Oji Masanori white porcelain Jicon pitcher,  Mjölk, $110.
3 BAKING DISH Curtis Stone rectangular stoneware baking dish, Hudson's Bay, $40.
4 CHARGER Stainless steel antique-silver charger, Pottery Barn, $35.
5 DISHWARE Porcelain essential dishware, Crate and Barrel, $70 (per 16-piece set).
6 DISHWARE Porcelain eclectique dishware, Williams-Sonoma, $16 each.
7 GLASSWARE Tempered glass Picardie glassware, Williams-Sonoma, $93 (per 24-piece set).
8 TRAY Round porcelain tray, Elte, $45.
9 CREAMER Porcelain, Elte, $65.
10 CUP Oji Masanori porcelain fluted facet rock cup,  Mjölk, $45.
11 FLATWARE Sori Yanagi wood-handled stainless steel flatware,  Mjölk, $275 (per 4-piece set).
12 MUG Jennifer Graham ceramic dot mug, Distill Gallery, $35.
13 PLATE Masanobu Ando ceramic handmade flower plate,  Mjölk, $95.
14 NAPKIN Stonewashed linen napkin in Puffy, Elte, $18.
15 DINING CHAIRS Glossy polyamide Giuseppina dining chairs, Art Shoppe, $459.
16 BOWL Renaud Sauve porcelain tea light bowl, Mjölk, $350.
Low $462

1 PITCHER Gluckstein-Home hammered water pitcher, Home Outfitters, $50.
2 PITCHER Distinctly Home stoneware vista pitcher, Hudson's Bay, $30.
3 BAKING DISH Stoneware Homestead rectangular baking dish, Crate and Barrel, $25.
4 CHARGER Galvanized iron shindig charger, Crate and Barrel, $12.
5 DISHWARE Porcelain Ophelia dishware, Kitchen Stuff Plus, $30 (per 16-piece set).
6 DISHWARE Dolomite Timber dishware, Urban Barn, $99 (per 16-piece set).
7 GLASSWARE Home Essentials Soho glassware , Kitchen Stuff Plus,  $20 (per 18-piece set).
8 DINNER PLATE Handmade glazed stoneware Black City dinner plate (used as tray), CB2, $11.
9 CREAMER Maxwell & Williams ceramic Cirque creamer, Hudson's Bay, $6.
10 VASE Jennifer Graham ceramic tumbler vase, Distill Gallery, $35.
11 FLATWARE Forged stainless steel 127 flatware, CB2, $70 (per 20-piece set)
12 MUG Stoneware Ungdom mug, IKEA, $5 (per set of 4).
13 PLATE Value Village, $6.
14 NAPKIN Linen Uno in Carbon, CB2, $8.
15 DINING CHAIRS Vintage oak dining chairs (spray painted), The Barn (905-822-6574), $48.
16 SOUP BOWL Handmade glazed stoneware black clay soup bowl, CB2, $7.
Tabletop accessories: High

1 BAKING DISH Curtis Stone rectangular stoneware, Hudson's Bay, $40.
2 CREAMER & SUGAR Stoneware celeste, Crate and Barrel, $50 each.
3 FLATWARE Cast-pewter Alton flatware, Williams-Sonoma, $137 (per 5-piece set).
4 POURING BOWLS Renaud Sauve porcelain pouring bowls,  Mjölk, $120 (per set of 3).
5 BOWL Stoneware cantine bowl, Williams-Sonoma, $30.
Tabletop accessories: Low

1 CEREAL BOWL GlucksteinHome ceramic studio glacee cereal bowl, Hudson's Bay, $12.
2 MEASURING CUPS Sophie Conran porcelain measuring cups, Hudson's Bay, $30 (per set of 4).
3 SPOON silver, Value Village, $3 (per set of 4).
4 CREAM & SUGAR ceramic set, Marcelina Salazar, $64.
5 BAKING DISH Stoneware homestead rectangular baking dish, Crate and Barrel, $25.
Mason jar vases
Vancouver-based Heyday Design’s cast-porcelain Mason jar-style vases remind us of making strawberry jam with Mom – without the muss and fuss. They’re a nod to nostalgia with a cottage-style touch.

1 Small cast-porcelain Imperial Crown Jar, Heyday Design, $42.
2 Small cast-porcelain Canadian Jewel Jar, Heyday Design, $36.
Table linens
There’s something delightfully upper crust about linen napkins (as kids, who didn’t use them to dramatically dab the corners of our mouths like we were dining with the Queen?). But we grew up to learn that fancy doesn’t necessarily spell formal, and table linens like these, in muted earthy stonewashed shades, simply prove our point. Embroidered detailing is a dressier option (think: ladies who lunch in the country), frayed edges are fashionably relaxed and undone (fitting for a lunchtime lobster bake at a picnic table) and the hemstitch is classic cottage casual (we’re picturing tea at an English country estate). We’d love any excuse to use these napkins in all the situations that require them.

1 Embroidered linen, $3.
2 Embroidered linen, Value Village, $2.
3 Linen fabric (cut and washed to make frayed edges), Designer Fabrics, $16 per yard.
4 Stonewashed linen in Putty, Elte, $18.
5 Cotton Frayed Edge in Platinum, West Elm, $4 each.
6 Linen Uno in Carbon, CB2, $8.
7 Linen Festival, Elte, $17.
8 Cotton Linen Hemstitch (dyed blue), Pottery Barn, $16.
Flatware
We’re not promising that fashionable flatware like this will make your meals taste better, but it will make the words “great taste” apply to more than just the food you serve. We love the atypical shapes, mixed materials and matte finish of these flatware sets because they add a country-chic charm to a tablescape that can go glam when the occasion arises.

1 Matte black-polymer-handled Aero, Crate and Barrel, $70 (per 5-piece set).
2 Surat with stainless steel handles in gold satin finish, Crate and Barrel, $35 (per 5-piece set).
3 Forged with stainless steel handles in bronzed matte finish, West Elm, $34 (per 5-piece set).
4 Sori Yanagi wood-handled, Mjölk, $275 (per 4-piece set).
5 Oji Masanori brass-handled Ihada, Mjölk, $75 per piece. 
White dishware
White on white on white: We’re drawn to the clean, crisp look like moths to a flame. This unadorned dishware keeps the feel casual, while the textured tin backdrop adds interest.

1 Porcelain dishware, IKEA 365+, $40 (per 18-piece set), mugs, IKEA, $3 each.
2 Porcelain Essential, Crate and Barrel, $70 (per 16-piece set).
3 Vera Wang for Wedgwood Naturals in Chalk, Bed Bath & Beyond, $66 (per 4-piece set).
4 GlucksteinHome bone china Quincy Pinstripe, Hudson's Bay, $24 (per 4-piece set).
5 Stoneware Gabriella, Pottery Barn, from $10 per piece.
6 Porcelain Ophelia, Kitchen Stuff Plus, $30 per 16-piece set.

Open shelving
The juxtaposition of simply shabby with unquestionably chic is casual yet compelling. Try it with shelving: Pair a rough-hewn board with ornate  wrought iron brackets, or try it the other way around and pair a sleek white shelf with weathered – but still beautiful – brackets and capture that quintessential cottage style.

1 Cast-steel bracket, in heat-treated black finish, Lee Valley Tools, $19. Melamine shelf, available at local building centres, prices vary.
2 Powder-coated cast iron bracket, House of Antique Hardware, $10 USD. Whitewashed barnboard shelf, ReBarn.ca, $4 (per linear ft).
3 Cast-steel bracket with black oxide finish, Lee Valley Tools, $17. Lack shelf in White, IKEA, $20.