Summer table in full bloom – enjoy alfresco moments with Nuria Val
Nuria Val is the co-founder of the plant-based beauty brand Rowse.
SOMETIMES, SETTING THE TABLE can be much more than just arranging plates and glasses or cooking a dinner. For Nuria Val, it's a ritual of intention, atmosphere, and presence.
As the co-founder and creative director of the natural beauty brand Rowse, Val is known for her instinctive and effortless sense of style. That same thoughtful simplicity flows into her hosting: embracing authenticity, seeking the connection, and slowing down to savor every moment.
Soft curves of the Dapple dining table by Ferm Living bring a natural, inviting presence to any outdoor setting.
In collaboration with Ferm Living, Design Stories had the chance to sit down with Nuria Val to discuss her soulful approach to table setting. We spoke about intuition, atmosphere, and the quiet power of small details: how a twig of rosemary or the glow of natural light can turn a meal into a meaningful moment.
Come gather around the table and be inspired to create your own!
For Nuria Val, setting the table and bringing people together is about connection, not perfection or performance.
What does a beautifully set table mean to you?
“A beautifully set table speaks of care and intention. It shows that someone took the time to create a meaningful moment. For me, a set table expresses generosity; it’s an invitation to slow down, to share, and to be present. It makes you feel at home without a word being said.”
“A beautifully set table shows that someone took the time to create a meaningful moment.”
Can you recall a moment when the table setting changed the meal's energy?
“I once set a very simple, rustic table outdoors just after a light summer rain, using fresh branches, linen, and mismatched ceramics. It was so understated, yet so beautiful, and something about the freshness and simplicity of the table transformed the whole atmosphere.”
For Nuria Val, a table is where beauty, shared moments, and handmade details meet. Drinking glasses are Ferm Living's Ripple and Boya.
The table setting often comes together by following a quiet sense of intuition. The plate is Ferm Living's Erena dining plate.
With the elegant conical shapes and soft glaze, the Erena series brings a touch of Mediterranean warmth and timeless sophistication.
Do you follow specific rules or go by instinct when setting a table?
“Intuition leads everything. I rarely plan a table in advance. I move things around, add something spontaneous, and follow a rhythm I can feel more than see. I also love weaving in seasonal vegetables and plants as part of the setting.”
How does the landscape around you shape the way you set a table?
“Living in Spain, especially near the sea, I’m surrounded by warm earth tones, rough textures, and incredible natural light. These elements always find their way onto my table: raw linen, terracotta, sun-bleached wood, and simple wildflowers. There’s a relaxed elegance in the Spanish landscape that I try to echo.”
Nuria Val lives in Spain, surrounded by warm earth tones and stunning natural light.
She often mixes linen and other natural materials to ground each table setting with warmth and texture.
Have you ever designed a table around a single detail or object?
“I once built a whole table around fresh lemons and sprigs of rosemary. I loved their simplicity and vitality. The colors, the scent, the texture. It felt so alive and grounding.”
Val believes that the smallest details hold the greatest power.
Is there a detail so subtle that only you notice, but you include it anyway?
“Always. I often tuck a sprig of something aromatic – rosemary, thyme, or a single olive branch – near each plate. It’s a tiny detail, almost invisible, but it creates an atmosphere through scent, grounding the experience in something sensory and real.”
The table setting is not meant to be perfect. The contrast between order and spontaneity is more interesting.
How do you use contrast when styling a table?
“Contrast is everything. I love placing structured, clean ceramics on messy linen or placing a wildflower arrangement in a minimal, modern vase. That tension between order and spontaneity brings a table to life, just like it does in nature.”
See also:
• All products by Ferm Living >
Interview: Ferm Living Edit: Susa Pääkkönen Images: Coke Bartrina
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Published on 22 May, 2025
