AL FRESCO SEASON PART I
Let's go outside
Memorial Day Weekend marks the official opening of Al Fresco Season! The days get longer and warmer and beg for outdoor dinner parties. I wait all year for this! My idea of heaven is sitting around a beautiful table after a home cooked meal while the sun sets and candle lights flicker.
I will find any excuse to host this time of year. My IG saved folder is literally just pictures of beautiful tables and gardens from all over the world, which bring me so much joy and inspiration! I’m obsessed with menu design, tablescapes, and the creative ways people feed each other. I inherited the love of elaborate dinner parties from my Dad and have been known to go all out. We’ve thrown a few very fun dinners at our place in Ojai where friends come to cook and eat and be merry. Sometimes they have themes like a Rhinestone Cowboy Harvest Party, Spaghetti Western Bday Bash or a Seafood Extravaganza.
This post got a bit long, so enjoy part I this week…and part II comes next week with my favorite food and drinks to serve at your next dinner party.
Here are some of my favorite pieces and ideas to freshen your table this Al Fresco SZN.
LINEN:
My husband would probably say I have a bit of a linen addiction. The thing about tablecloths is that they get spilled on, covered in candle wax, and stained pretty much immediately. Of course I am drawn to the most expensive linens on the face of the earth, but in reality, I like to find a good deal on tablecloths and not worry when someone spills a little wine. My go-to for parties is honestly a drop cloth from Home Depot lol. Give it a quick steam and it works perfectly! In terms of vibes, I’m thinking big stripes this summer…I know, groundbreaking! I love this yellow stripe from Lisa Corti and I have this blue one from Sezane. My mom and I are both lusting after this cutie from Heather Taylor Home who also makes really nice plaids too. The other direction I like is a crisp white table cloth (let’s see how long it lasts) topped with beautiful flowers as a focused pop of color. As for napkins, my favorites are the colorful plaid ones from Madre and the overdyed napkins from Gjusta Goods.
GLASSWARE:
Bodega glasses are my go-to glasses - great for water, wine, cocktails…anything! Plus they are very affordable! Always great to have a few boxes of them on hand for parties. I also love my Hudson Wilder wine glasses - 20% off this weekend! For something more fanciful, Loq’s coupes are gorgeous. I first discovered Kinto’s perfect glasses while getting a drink at Ototo, the very cool sake bar next door to one of my fave restaurants in LA - Tsubaki. The feel in your hand is very satisfying and the lip detail is tres chic. We have the beer glass and the smaller water glass and love. Also, you can never go wrong with vintage glassware. Grab a few coupes at your local thrift shop and mix it up!!
SERVEWARE:
Another addiction of mine is platters. No matter how many I get, I always want more! Porta is a fabulous homewares store based in Brooklyn and I would happily take one of everything they offer. Their giant striped bowls are so fun for summer and also make a nice gift for your favorite host. I love their nesting bowls for snacks during apero as well. The Ginori Oriente Italiano collection is absolute plate goals. They’re quite pricey, but so gorgeous and will make anything you serve on them look like a million bucks! I’ve started a small collection (read: one treasured cup and one precious platter) and look forward to eventually adding more! All the colors are amazing but I especially love the green for plates. For something more neutral, Carter & Co in Saint Helena makes the chicest gray ceramic plates, bowls and giant round serving trays. Perfect for elevating your everyday meals. For large outdoor parties, I like to use enamel ware plates like these. Easy breezy!
CUTLERY:
I love using my Sabre cutlery year-round, but they feel especially right during the warmer months while eating outside. They would totally elevate a cute picnic too! I have the red and LOVE. Wouldn’t mind getting a set of the light blue or cream or even pink to go with. I think this is a great gift for your friend who loves entertaining. Can never have too many knives and forks! For larger groups, an easy solve is using chopsticks!
VIBES:
This summer, why not invest in a nice ice bucket? I got this one in silver last summer and it is perfect. Also, search vintage champagne buckets on Etsy and see what you can find! I got an amazing old Krug bucket that I love. If you’re in a pinch, grab a few large tins of Italian tomatoes, use them for sauce, then rinse them out and fill with ice! Very charming and was a big hit at my Spaghetti Western birthday party last year. This little bathtub is really cute too if you’re throwing a sizeable shindig!
For shade, I highly recommend picking out an adorable umbrella like this one from Business & Pleasure. Your backyard just turned into the Amalfi Coast!
Want to eat al fresco more often but don’t have a lot out outdoor space? Choose a classic bistro table and chairs in one of 25 colors available. I have the mint and black but have my eye on the red too! These last forever and are perfecto.
One thing that always happens to us, is inviting lots of people and not having enough chairs! We ended up ordering a bunch of these directors chairs in white which work perfectly no matter the vibe of the event.
For lighting, my friend Max has these great rechargable table lights that look so nice and are a good candle alt!
Hope you’re having a long weekend full of Al Fresco fun! Stay tuned to next week for Part II including my favorite food, drink and dessert to serve this time of year. If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share!
xo
Michèle
P.S. If you make a purchase using the links above, I may make a commission. Thank you!
I love the table linens you linked, wow!
Yay for summer!