Let’s Set our Spring table!

Dear Friends!

It’s happening! Spring and its early blossoms are breaking through, and with it, the world seems to be opening up as well. We can feel the newness and hope. Like me, you may also feel like we can open our homes again too. I’m so excited! Aren’t you!

I hope you’re excited to gather with family and friends in our homes, the place where the best memories are made. I say it’s time to get ready! Let’s make sure we have what we need to make entertaining easy, which is why we’re going to look at spring table linens in this newsletter.

Before we do that, though, I want to make a quick sneak peek announcement …

Be on the lookout for my new workshop … 30 Days to Effortless Entertaining! I know you, and I know you want to welcome the people you love into your homes, but you will fret over the details. Step by step, in 30 Days to Effortless Entertaining, we will work through all those details now to have fun all spring and summer!

One of the things I’ll be covering in the workshop is all we need for the tabletop, and I want to give you a few of those insights in this newsletter. I agree with Craig Claiborne! Our table doesn’t need to be overdone or complicated, but we can quite effortlessly make our table special. The best place to start is with our table linens. As I often say, we don’t need to break the bank, but we do want to invest well and wisely. We want linens that wear nicely and require minimal maintenance. After all, entertaining must be easy and shouldn’t require hours over the ironing board. However, we must not sacrifice quality by buying synthetic fabrics to avoid wrinkles. For casual entertaining, we can also be a bit more colorful.

The linens I recommend are priced well, and while they are natural fibers and will wrinkle, there are ways to avoid the ironing board. Most importantly, let’s be comfortable with a few wrinkles. Remember, EE’s Step #1 … Repeat with me … Dinner is Not a Performance! As Claiborne says, the table is not about our ego!

Enjoy a few of my favorites! Choose your own and, let’s get ready to open our homes and hearts!

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STYLE POINTS

Table Cloth or Placemats … Depends!

When entertaining indoors on a beautiful wood, glass, or stone table, I use placemats. I like “solid surface” or what Bodrum refers to as “easy care” mats. These can be leather, “faux” leather, woven, hardboard, anything that doesn’t need to be washed and ironed, and best of all is stain proof. When entertaining outdoors I typically use a table cloth to give a less elegant surface a lift. These are not hard and fast rules, simply my own inclinations.

TIPS & QUIPS

Invest in natural fiber linens.

Seriously, we want to use a napkin that feels good in our hands and on our face. And, we don’t want it sliding off our laps. Some natural fiber linens, such as our finest Irish damask, will require more care. Our more casual linens can be shaken out of the warm dryer, laid flat, and they are good to go. The more you use these linens, the softer they become and the less they will wrinkle.

SOURCES & RESOURCES

Pomegranate always a sure thing for their hand-blocked napkins and tablecloths. available here	Love the raffia and jute placements from Pomegranate for casual entertaining. I’m typically inclined towards round or square, but I like this one too. available here
Holly Stuart Home … one of my all-time favorites! Two-sided in a variety of colors, bright and neutral. I have had mine for years. Take good care of them and they will last forever! available here	A new find … Honey and Hank, Design with a Wink! Can you find your state? available here
Pomegranate’s tablecloths are frequently featured in our summer dinner parties. available here	Couleur Nature, another colorful line of hand-blocked napkins and tablecloths. available here

Bodrum offers a great-looking selection of “easy care” mats.

available here

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