Ilka Peemöller regularly invites interesting people to dinner in her attic apartment in the west of Berlin for her passion project HEIMAT-Salon. In this interview, the journalist and presenter tells us what makes a perfect hostess, stylish table decorations and a successful evening. evening.

When do you start preparing for an evening like this?

I usually plan two HEIMAT salons in parallel, so several months in advance, because I mix and match my guests from different areas, different cities and even countries. They are all very busy, so you need to plan ahead. The hot phase usually starts two days beforehand with setting up the tables and chairs, laying the KPM Kurland tableware, delivering and chilling the drinks. I'm then extremely well timed, as I do everything myself. With the strong support of great cooperation partners.

How much time do you spend on table decorations?

 
Preparation is the key word. If you are well organized, as I have learned through my job for various photo shoots around the world, it doesn't take that long in the end. For my table decorations, the flowers are the main eye-catcher. As the saying goes? You eat with your eyes. That's why I'm grateful for the beautiful seasonal arrangements from KIANS Garden in Berlin, who have been at my side since the HEIMAT salon was founded.

Have you chosen our KURLAND collection for the HEIMAT salon? Do you have a personal connection to this collection?

I like this classic elegance, it looks very classy in combination with the special and colorful floral decoration. And I always get the best feedback from my guests about the porcelain, which is on loan from Porzellanmanufaktur. Which is known for its great tradition.

How do you give your table decoration your own individual touch?

 
Attention to detail is the be-all and end-all here. The silver cutlery is from my home in Schleswig-Holstein and was used for large celebrations on my parents' farm. And the eight-metre-long tablecloth comes from my now deceased neighbor "Aunt Lisa", whose daughter made it for me and gave it to me especially for my salon evenings. It's a special piece of local history.

What makes the perfect guest list for you?

 
A successful evening stands and falls with the guests and the right mix. As in my book "HEIMAT - Wo das Herz Zuhause ist", it is a mix of politics, art, culture, film and television. I benefit from my network of 25 years of professional experience and my trusting relationships as a journalist and author: I have already welcomed Atze Schröder, Julia Klöckner, Düzen Tekkal, H.P. Baxxter, Jasmin Tabatabai, Augustinus Bader, Linda Zervakis and Jörg Thadeusz - to name just a few. I always plan so that one or the other from my HEIMAT book is there.

How do you create the perfect seating arrangement?

That's the icing on the cake. I trust my intuition completely and only hand out the lovingly and stylishly calligraphed menu and place cards by Hamburg artist Jeannine Platz at the end, when everything is already set and ready. It feels like I'm sprinkling some confetti on the table, it gives me a lot of pleasure - especially when I see at the end of the night how well my seating arrangement has worked for the guests.

With style and heart: handwritten place and menu cards by artist Jeannine Platz in the mix with KPM KURLAND

How did the idea for the HEIMAT Salon come about?

Through my #Apartment48 in Fasanenstraße in Wilmersdorf. Moving into this special top-floor apartment has awakened new ideas and possibilities in my head. It's a very special place. And as I "accidentally" found out afterwards, the founding director of the Hotel Adlon, Gianni van Daalen, is said to have lived there. Great-great-grandson Felix Adlon and his wife Nina Adlon came to my first HEIMAT salon by car from the Wachau - isn't that a nice coincidence?

What does "home" mean to you personally?

 
I am "Nordic by nature" and very proud of my roots in Schleswig-Holstein, where I grew up with two brothers on a farm between Hamburg and Lübeck. When the vowels are drawn out longer, you say plietsch instead of schlau or my father stumbles over the sharp stone - that's the sound of home for me.

What do you associate with eating in company?

 
When guests make the journey to visit you from near or far for just one evening in Berlin, it is the highest form of appreciation. Giving yourself the gift of time is the greatest luxury - and that's why it's so valuable to enjoy it around a table with excellent food. Head chef Samuel Haas and managing director Stefan Reinhardt from the excellent restaurant Dae Mon in Mitte have been creating and serving incredible creations, real explosions of flavor, since hour one of my HEIMAT salon.

Your secret tip for interesting dinner conversations?

 
No small talk. We all have that often enough at big events, and it can be very tiring in the long run. Cordiality is key. As a host, I am the bridge builder between my guests, who feel like they are among like-minded people in a protected space.

Can you tell us the funniest anecdote that happened to you at dinner?

What happens in the HEIMAT salon stays there, as every one of my guests knows (and appreciates). The funniest anecdotes are probably the ones that guests share in their spontaneous speeches. There is a lot of laughter, and a few tears have been shed from emotion - for example when soprano Nina Adlon sang Puccini. Emotions play a very important role on these evenings.

Who was the most exciting host or hostess you have ever sat next to?

At home, I wouldn't want to pick out anyone from my illustrious circle. I have very fond memories of an exclusive dinner evening at "The Grand" in Berlin as dinner companion to star tenor José Carreras: we talked about Luciano Pavarotti, with whom he shared the world's biggest stages and with whom I had the opportunity to work together many times in Germany and Italy in my early years as a reporter. Lucky me!

Photos: Dan Zoubek

Dine like Ilka Peemöller and her guests in the Heimat-Salon? Discover the KURLAND collectionhere.