Your Ultimate Guide on Dining Etiquette, Gift-Giving, and Home Decor | Page 2

As the New Year draws near, every detail—from exquisite home decor to thoughtfully curated gifts—merits your attention. This time around, Lane Crawford unveils an exclusive New Year preview edition, brimming with styling inspiration, sophisticated table settings, and essential dining etiquette, alongside designers' insights into New Year aesthetics and artistic vision.

Here, we give a top list of dos and don’ts with a bit of background information as to some unique traditions and etiquette rules that you may have seen and picked up around. Whether you're enjoying a traditional Chinese feast or raising a glass in a modern toast, mastering and observing these elegant customs not only enhances the celebration but also honours the rich tapestry of cultural heritage that makes this celebratory gathering special.

Read on to master the art of Asian dining etiquette and make a great impression during your New Year gatherings

Raise Your Glass +

Dos: When an elder pours wine for you, delicately pinch the glass with your thumb and index finger, allowing the other three fingers to rest gracefully alongside. Support the bottom of the glass with your hand. Once the wine is poured, gently raise your glass with poise towards the other person, awaiting the toast.

Don’ts: Holding the rim of the glass with your thumb and index finger leaves unsightly fingerprints, which can look unrefined. While gripping the stem too tightly creates a fist-like shape, diminishing the elegance of the wine glass.
The Finger Kowtow (Tea Tapping) +

The “finger kowtow” has become a practical way to say a silent xie xie (thank you) to your server, instead of having to disrupt your ongoing conversation.

Dos: If a peer is pouring you tea, gently tap the table three times with two fingers (usually the index and middle finger) together to show respect. However, if an elder is pouring you tea, gently knock the table three times with a closed fist. This signifies five bodies bowing to the ground in honour of the elder. Usually, the elder who pours the tea will do a kowtow in response.

Don’ts: When someone at the table is pouring you tea, it's impolite to focus solely on chatting without acknowledging them.
Chopsticks +

Dos: When dining, everyone should have two pairs of chopsticks in two different colours. The first pair (black) is for your own, and the second pair (white/red) is for you to grab food from the serving dish onto your own plate or bowl. This way, there will be no accidental cross-contamination. Length can also indicate use: shorter chopsticks are for personal use, while longer ones are for communal use. Additionally, placement also matters; chopsticks closer to you or your plate are personal, while those further away are communal.

Don'ts: Using the wrong communal chopsticks and crossing them can symbolise death or misfortune in some cultures.
Serving and Sharing +

Dos: Always offer dishes to others before serving yourself. (If tea or drinks are involved, the younger individuals traditionally serve the elders first)

Don'ts: Serving food without asking the other person or only selecting dishes that you personally enjoy during the meal.

In celebration of Lunar New Year, Lane Crawford is thrilled to invite three esteemed brand curators: Nana Chan, founder of Plantation Tea Bar in Hong Kong, Ryan Hui, ceramist and co-founder of Toki Nashiki, and Annie Li, co-founder of Artifactt to share with us their tips on New Year decorations and timeless etiquette.

Ryan Hui, Ceramist and co-founder of Toki Nashiki

Can you share how specific tableware from your collection enhances the dining experience during CNY gatherings and what traditional meanings do these pieces hold?

We suggest showcasing a beautifully curated tea set. During the New Years, it’s a tradition to gather with friends and family to savor moments over tea. This cherished ritual, deeply rooted in Chinese culture, embodies the essence of family connection and harmony, while honouring the timeless virtue of respecting our elders.

Click to read the full interview below

How do you communicate the spirit of CNY through home decor elements? Any tips on enhancing the festive atmosphere in a household?

We’ll be embracing a vibrant palette, transcending the traditional use of red by incorporating exquisite handcrafted pieces that harmonise beautifully with your home. This thoughtful curation creates a warm, inviting atmosphere. To elevate the festive spirit of the Lunar New Year, we’ll also adorn the space with fresh blooms, infusing it with lively energy and a celebratory ambiance.

TOKI NASHIKI focuses on unique, handcrafted items. How do you select pieces that reflect the essence of CNY while adding a personal touch to home decor?

When it comes to ceramics, not only do we prioritise festive spirit, but also the artistry of shape and texture. Our selection will feature contemporary pieces that beautifully integrate traditional craftsmanship, including bamboo weaving, embroidered textiles, and lacquerware. This curated approach highlights a richer cultural narrative and artistic value.

How do you incorporate tea culture into CNY celebration at home? What products would you recommend LC’s customers to explore this year?

Our meticulously curated collection of tea sets features teapots, gaiwans, and an array of accessories, all harmoniously crafted from the same exquisite series. This cohesive design aims to enhance the overall tea brewing experience, making it a seamless and delightful journey. It also allows customers to explore the diversity of tea ware, deepening their understanding of the rich allure of tea culture. In terms of colour, we’ve opted for a refined, subdued red, ensuring these pieces transcend the New Year and seamlessly integrate as elegant accents in your everyday life.

How do you communicate the spirit of CNY through home decor elements? Any tips on enhancing the festive atmosphere in a household?

CNY is an especially opportune time for tea. Given the large amounts of binge eating we will all perform over the festive period, tea is important as it helps to cleanse and digest. I always have a kettle and teapot ready around the table so that I can provide an unlimited supply of tea to my guests.

A boiling kettle adds a feeling of warmth to the house, and the handiest way to achieve that is with an electric kettle. I always prefer the “tea with kettle”, made especially for brewing tea with its very precisely shaped spout and beautiful streamlined design.

Click to read the full interview below

What tea and snack combinations do you recommend for a CNY family gathering?

Tea goes great with any CNY food due to their “cleansing properties”, but I would say the best at that are always the puerhs, including the Lincang Ripe Puerh which comes in a tea bar, and the Rice Scent Aged Puerh, which is in fact one of our bestselling teas. I personally love to have the latter with a Rice Cake to further enhance the rice flavour. Yum!

What unique items from your brand do you recommend for CNY gifting? What meanings do they hold?

This year we created a very special CNY gift set to celebrate the onset of Spring. The Garden of Spring gift set includes two handcrafted yixing purple clay cups and two rare teas from Yunnan. On the gift box, our designer has woven together Song dynasty paintings celebrating vibrant blooms and lively birds to honour the earth’s awakening.

How do you incorporate tea culture into CNY celebrations at home? What products would you recommend Lane Crawford’s customers to explore this year?

Our Tea Bar collection is the perfect complement to CNY festivities with their colourful printing and traditional stories. The concept of “tea bricks” or “tea cakes” has been around for thousands of years, but they often look dated. We take that concept and transform them into a stylish “chocolate bar” shape, creating tea that is beautifully packaged, easy to carry, and fun to brew!

Annie Li, co-founder of the exquisite tableware and home goods brand Artifactt
Image Courtesy of Lauryn Ishak

How do you communicate the spirit of CNY through home decor elements? Any tips on enhancing the festive atmosphere in a household?

Chinese New Year (CNY) is a time of renewal and celebration, strengthening family bonds and exchanging wishes for prosperity. To capture the spirit of CNY in your home decor, focus on symbolic colours and thoughtful design. Red signifies good fortune and happiness, while gold represents wealth—essential wishes for the year ahead. Incorporating these colours into tableware and textiles creates an atmosphere of joy.

Additionally, plants and flowers symbolise growth and renewal. Embrace various floral arrangements to enhance your interior design, adding vibrancy and warmth to your home. Thoughtfully selected blooms will elevate the festive spirit, turning your space into one of good fortune.

Click to read the full interview below

ARTIFACTT focuses on unique, handcrafted items. How do you select pieces that reflect the essence of CNY while adding a personal touch to home decor?

At ARTIFACTT, we take pride in our curated collection of handcrafted items that blends tradition with contemporary design. For Chinese New Year, we select pieces that incorporate symbolic colours and elements, embodying the festive spirit while remaining versatile for everyday use.

Our vessels in shades of red, green, and warm tones symbolise Spring, good fortune, and prosperity, making them ideal for CNY. Designed as both tableware and decorative accents, they can also serve as bases for Ikebana floral arrangements, adding a personal touch to your home. By merging traditional symbolism with modern aesthetics, we offer cherished pieces that enhance both beauty and functionality in your living spaces.

Can you share how specific tableware from your collection enhances the dining experience during CNY gatherings and what traditional meanings do these pieces hold?

Tableware is essential for creating a meaningful dining experience, especially during Chinese New Year, as it brings family and friends together to celebrate. At ARTIFACTT, our pieces serve functional purposes while embodying rich history and craftsmanship, sparking conversation during the festivities.

The Hakuichi Gold Table Mat features a stunning gold leaf technique from Kanazawa, combining aluminum and resin for modern durability while reflecting traditional elegance. This placemat symbolises prosperity and good fortune, enhancing both everyday meals and festive gatherings.

The Wato collection showcases exquisite Japanese metal forging, with each piece meticulously hammered by hand. The intricate detailing and resilience of Wato items make them artistic additions to your table, enriching the CNY celebration by blending tradition with contemporary aesthetics.