Beautiful setting
Dining alfresco is already a joy, but why not amp up the pleasure with a gorgeous tablescape?
Chalk it up to some primal urge to eat under an open sky (or more likely, our deeply Canadian need to maximize every moment when the cold doesn’t keep us indoors), but there’s something intensely pleasurable about eating outdoors in the summer months.
And while warm air and a blue sky can do much of the esthetic heavylifting, decorating the surface you’re eating on can only add to the festive atmosphere. The first rule of setting the ultimate outdoor table? There are none, says Sarah Pecaut, co-founder of Canadian tableware brand Misette.
“Don’t feel like you need to be too ambitious or formal when it comes to setting a tablescape. You want it to feel cosy and personal,” says Pecaut, who does add that it’s always important to have a rain plan and make sure your guests have a choice of sun or shade.
“If there is something we do like to keep in mind when it comes to outdoor dining, it’s that we want to work with the environment and compliment it with a more relaxed approach,” says her co-founder, Amy Burstyn-Fritz. Think: crisp white linen set off by colourful mismatched glassware and fun plates that “elevate an al fresco setting without it being too stuffy,” she says.
When it comes to outdoor table setting trends, you can choose from two different camps, says Pecaut: “Minimalist, neutral table settings to align with natural outdoor environments and maximalist table settings that are made to stand out with a mixture of prints, shapes and colours.” At Misette, known for its playful squiggle motif, they favour the exuberance of the latter.
When it comes to laying your ultimate outdoor table, Burstyn-Fritz says it can help to start with a loose theme of some kind. (Amalfi Coast chic, Canadiana rustic, eccentric tea party, etc.) “I like to think about what esthetic will suit the group and occasion, and go from there,” she says, adding that she’s a big fan of layering table mats over a tablecloth to add a “frame” to the meal. Finishing off a plate with a napkin festooned with a sprig of greenery adds instant chic.
“As for centrepieces, we love including candles and flowers to set the mood and just make a whole tablescape pop. I like to set candlesticks in small clusters so that there are still gaps for clear sight lines across the table,” says BurstynFritz, who favours crowd-pleasers like dahlias and poppies, which work equally well in large arrangements or as a few stems clustered together.
That said: Food can also be the centrepiece itself. “A couple of food stylists once shared with us that fruits and veggies make lovely centrepieces, too. You can cut them open and scatter them over greenery across the table — they’re great pops of colour and guests can pick at them straight from the table.”
Whatever you choose to put on the table, however, pay attention to its height, cautions Burstyn-Fritz. “Make sure your centrepieces aren’t too tall so that they block people’s point of view. You want conversations to flow.”