The Napking

Mise en place

Table laid in the garden under the foliage, botanical print linen tablecloth

Poolside table with candles and a coral-print tablecloth

Client

The Napking

Programme

Expression

Services

Art direction

Location scouting

Styling & table setting

Photography & film

Trade show stand

Year

2026

A catalogue of printed linen needs many worlds: the seasons, the occasions, indoors and out. A shoot, on the other hand, has a calendar and a budget.

The starting point

Every pattern has to be seen laid out, and every pattern asks for its own context: the fish wants the sea, the pines want Christmas, the tropicals want sun. Shooting each one somewhere different was out of the question. The problem wasn’t taking good photographs: it was finding places able to hold several situations without looking alike.

The direction

We looked for locations with many rooms — a garden, a pool, a terrace over the cypresses, a gravel court, two kitchens in opposite colours — and then stopped moving the camera. What changes is the table: linen, tableware, food, flowers, candles, time of day. The table setting does the work usually done by travelling, and the planning behind it makes a whole season possible in a few days on set.

The shoots

Different seasons, occasions and patterns built by moving the table rather than the set: the same Mediterranean light, worlds that don’t resemble each other.

Table on a lawn with a floral and fruit print tablecloth

Christmas table setting in red with a fish-print napkin

Detail of plate and amber glass on a leaf-print cloth, with fruit

Floral cloth laid beside the pool, reflections in the water

Tropical print runner with papaya and flowers, vivid colours

Sage green napkin tied in a knot, leaf shadows on the table

Table in the greenery seen from above, botanical cloth and baskets

Table on a brick terrace among cypresses, plant-print tablecloth

Linen cushion with red poinsettias on a pink armchair

Table laid in a showroom, botanical tablecloth and chandelier

Placemats with autumn leaf print on a dark table

Yellow cloth with an embroidered fox, candlestick and cutlery from above

Plate decorated with pine sprigs and a napkin, on a black surface

Winter-print kitchen towel hanging in a dark marble kitchen

Christmas table with pine cones, red candles and a tropical print napkin

Berry-print kitchen towel in a brick-red kitchen

Botanical runner on an oval wooden table, with a basket and candles

Garden table against a brick wall, colourful print tablecloth

Table on gravel with chiavari chairs and a bird-print tablecloth

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The stand

At the fair, the same problem in reverse: a single space that has to show the whole catalogue. The hanging fabrics become the wall, and the laid table stays at the centre.