Celebrate the sunshine with a season of al fresco dining and make every gathering magical, from lazy picnics to leisurely outdoor dinners
STYLING & STORY SELINA LAKE ADDITIONAL DETAILS JENNY OLDAKER PHOTOGRAPHS SUSSIE BELL
Styling tip
Complete your table with blousy floral arrangements using a heavy ceramic jug for the main bouquet and smaller glass vases for shorter stems. Place settings can be given a personal touch by embellishing plain linen with a ric-rac trim around the edge as a border. Simply sew it on for instant effect, and colours can be tailored to match your summer table theme – we love the combination of plaster pink linen with raspberry red trim.
CountryHOUSE CHIC
Bring a dash of interior style outdoors to create a garden table that blends classic gingham patterns and soft pastel hues with traditional country house aesthetics. Mix up vintage wooden chairs (Bronze Red eggshell paint by Little Greene will give old spindle chairs a new look for summer) and add kilim-style cushions to antique spindle-back chairs with rush seats. Style your table top with handmade pottery vases, pastel linens and seasonal florals. Relaxed arrangements of seasonal flowers, such as dahlias, roses, amaranthus, crocosmia and sanguisorba, inject colour and drama, while a mixture of dinner plates in earthen and pastel shades add an inviting and understated formal note.
