By Christopher Coggins

The warmer temperatures of spring are always a welcomed sign after a long winter and can only mean one thing: time to once again enjoy the outdoors. But this does not just include bike rides or lounging by the pool, but the entertaining of friends and family outdoors.

Here are a few tips to set yourself up for a successful dinner party al fresco:

1). Candles: Candles have a way of romancing any setting by the light dancing around the table. Be sure to have various heights of candles and holders to ensure a beautiful tablescape. Tea lights are a great way to highlight place cards while keeping candles low to ensure uninterrupted eye contact and conversation. Keep in mind that unscented candles are best when dining as to be sure not to detract from the delicious meal prepared.

2) Fresh Flowers: Why purchase flowers from a florist when you can take directly from your garden. Your garden will gladly tell you what items are currently in bloom—be sure to listen to your garden. Look for opportunities to support a theme or color story around the table, as well as including flowers and herbs from the garden in dishes and drinks.

3) Theme: Spring and summer offer a wide variety of themes around color, texture, woodlands to seascapes. Find a theme and look for ways to layer visual texture. One way this is possible is to pick a color and find shade variances of the color to use in tablecloths, to creative “placemats,” to stemware and flatware.

Credit: Thelovelylifestyle.wordpress.com

4) Lighting: Dining outside often means the pesky, outdoor flood lights being turned on so everyone can see. But opt for something more creative. Dust off the old dining room chandelier stored in the garage or find one at a second hand store that you can wire and hang in a tree above the table. With a small detail like this, the guests will be wowed and a fun mood set for the evening. On summer evenings, be sure to hang high enough to light the space but more importantly to keep insects away from the table. For a really fun look—layer multiple chandeliers at various heights and styles.

5) Seating: Don’t be afraid to mix up 2 or 3 different seating styles. The biggest factor that leads hosts astray is not using similar seat height and scale. If using picnic bench seating—trying pulling some thinner pillows from inside that the guests may sit on or use to prop themselves up.

6) Linens and Textiles: Look for ways to wow your guests with textiles such as the linens you use for napkins. Another fun way to welcome your guests is to hang drapery panels from the trees, make a canopy of fabric or hang other objects of interests from the trees above with your guests seated below. If the seating isn’t the most comfortable—toss on some colorful, outdoor pillows that can be used to support the back or even sit on for more comfort on a less than pleasant chair or bench. Your guests will appreciate the added touches of comfort!

7) Garden Games: As the host, you may pulled away from entertaining to refresh drinks or prepare the meal. Find creative ways for guests to entertain themselves so you can step away practically unnoticed. Interesting games such as life-size chess pieces or checkers can be fun and can be created by using pavers to create the board. Not willing to invest in life-size chest pieces? No worries—opt for making a tic-tac-toe board. Don’t be afraid to use the unattractive fence between you and the neighbor as a place to project old movies to support a theme.

8) Outdoor dining lends itself to more relaxed serving options such as buffets. The buffet can be a great way to reinforce the theme through accessories, while allowing you to have your guests serve themselves. Look for ways to do something larger here to state the “theme,” for example a larger floral arrangement, which would be difficult to use on the table where conversation is to take place.

Whatever the occasion may be for your al fresco dining experience, most importantly, be sure to enjoy and have fun. It’s the memories created with our loved ones that make the experience the most remarkable.

Each year the holidays offer us an opportunity to break away from the daily grind to focus on those things that matter most: Family and Friends. The aroma of freshly-baked pies fills our grandmother’s cozy kitchen. We warm ourselves with a fluffy, wool blanket as we curl up in our favorite chair with a new book. We hear the sound of the little ones playing games outside with their cousins. Whatever traditions you carry on each year, the stress and anticipation of planning the perfect meal at a beautiful table can be enough to make one think twice before hosting the dinner this year.

But with a little planning and some thoughtful tips, you too can play the cool, calm host for the family. Here are a few ideas to help make your day as relaxed and joyful as possible.

First, PLAN, PLAN, PLAN.

You know Aunt Marie’s perfect tablescape or Uncle Marty’s dish you envy? These don’t happen overnight. A trick I use to help me plan out the big day is to layout the plates and label where everything will rest on the table. Not only does it help one to think about the placement, but also gives a sense of texture, color and dish height on the table.

Candles

Candles offer a bit of elegance to any table. The dancing flicker of the flame allows for light and shadows to dance among the objects of the tablescape. To create a more formal table, try anchoring with two larger hurricanes. If your budget allows, enhance with additional crystal candlesticks of varying heights. Remember, while fragrance can be lovely throughout the home, it’s best to keep scented candles away from the dining room, which can affect the aromas and taste of food.

Florals

Depending on the season, there are many ways to enhance your holiday table with flowers and greenery. Natural garland is always lovely, but it isn’t always practical for every setting or budget. Try purchasing artificial garland and augment with natural pine sprigs, magnolia, holly or boxwood. For that extra “wow” factor, insert aspidistra leaves. For contrast to the green, consider incorporating ilex berries and a gold, velvet ribbon which will add depth and a sense of luxury to the arrangement. Remember, no matter how beautiful the table, the most important part of the dinner is the conversation and the guests. Therefore, keep arrangements low, or if your ceilings afford you the opportunity, take high—just be sure that the florals don’t interrupt direct eye contact with each person at the table.

Linens

Tablecloths, napkins, and runners provide an opportunity to add color, texture, and elegance as they soften the hard surfaces of the table and dishes. But depending on the condition and age of your dining table, it isn’t always necessary to use a tablecloth. Why cover the rich grain or patina of a mahogany, walnut, or oak table, for example? It can be celebrated by placing the dishes on chargers directly on the table. Soften with napkins pulled through interesting rings. Look for ways to add special and unique details.

For Thanksgiving dinners, I have been known to collect beautiful maple leaves a week before. I allow them to dry and press them flat. Once dry, I use an antique gold acrylic paint and paint the top and allow to dry on wax paper. If so desired, one can paint the back as well—just be sure to lift off of the wax paper between paint jobs so that it does not seal to the paper. This small detail can be a nice touch when tucked into the napkin ring with the lovely napkin. For a more elegant dinner, allow the leaves to double as placecards.

If you do use a table cloth, I prefer the simplicity of white, which makes the florals pop with interest. Be sure it is large enough to drop from the edge of the table. For casual events, tablecloths should have a 6- to 8-inch drop from the edge of the table to the bottom of the tablecloth. For more formal events, tablecloths have up to a 15-inch drop from the edge of the table to the bottom of the tablecloth.

A runner can be used several ways. It can be used as a contrast, laid on the tablecloth, or by itself. The most traditional way is, of course, to run the length of the table, again with an appropriate drop. Another fun table setting uses a runner across the table under each facing place setting, again with a drop at each end. That means purchasing several shorter runners, enough for each pair of facing seats.

China

The most visible way to express one’s personality in the dining room might be through one’s choice of china. Gone are the days of everything needing to match, like grandmother’s Christmas dinner china. While nothing says classic more than a beautiful crisp white dinner plate, the holidays call for a festive use of color. The holidays are about traditions, so try incorporating some family heirlooms with your own modern selections of china. Many past china patterns incorporated the traditional silver or gold band. For gold bands, try a colorful salad plate that plays to the traditional Thanksgiving colors such as golds, mustard yellows, oranges, and browns. For Christmas, draw from the greens and reds. Silver banded china lends itself wonderfully to the use of most colors, especially royal blues for holidays such as Hanukkah.

While all these tips are offered to generate ideas to make your holiday table festive, nothing compares to the memories of laughter and love that surround your table this holiday season. From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!

Chris Coggins, Linden Lane Interiors