Luxury American sportswear designer Adam Lippes is bringing his mastery of relaxed elegance to a must-have tableware collection for English interiors brand OKA. Here he shares with Forest & Bluff the story behind this collection and the secrets of his effortless, approachable entertaining style.

I’ve been interested in launching a home collection for quite some time. Much of my apparel collection is inspired by great interior designers, from Mongiardino to Madeleine Castaing. I’m inspired by their sense of the “mix.” In my collection with OKA, we’ve created a mix of patterns loosely inspired by Chinese Export pottery. All of the patterns can be used together from the simplest to the most exuberant. I find the idea of having your everyday and your wedding china so crazy, so I wanted to create a collection that could be your heirloom china, but you could use it day-in and dayout. And yes, it goes in the dishwasher!

With entertaining as well, the most important aspect is also the mix! But in this case, the mix of the guests. Everything else is secondary. I entertain a lot in New York City and give a lot of thought to that list—young, old, rich, poor, uptown and downtown. I think this is a very NYC thing and I cherish that. I always love seeing two people with absolutely nothing in common sitting in the corner of my home and chatting all night. Food-wise, as most of my dinners are large, I normally do a buffet with simple, fresh, and light food I call “no-brainer” food. Think filet of beef with horseradish sauce, roast vegetables, a rough grain, and crisp green salad with a shallot vinaigrette. And I let people sit anywhere and everywhere. My home is their home. Flowers and greenery are key. My house looks a bit like a greenhouse every day, full of ferns and palms and orchids, so I usually add huge bunches of sweat peas or peonies for color focal points.

The OKA x Adam Lippes collection launches on May 13, available exclusively through oka.com.