Afternoon Alfresco

Outdoor dining is a joy to be cherished, and it gives you a great opportunity to show your creativity on the tabletop.

When dining outdoors, use inexpensive sheets in lieu of a tablecloth for easy care.
Set the table with your sterling silver flatware for a touch of luxury in an unexpected venue.
Elegant yet perfectly practical for both indoor and outdoor dining, sterling silver flatware is the perfect complement to every meal.
Not all place settings need to be the same: Create more interesting mixes by combining several dishes in related colors.
Focus place settings with consistent green straw mats while using assorted napkins to offer individual personality to each one.
Create an alfresco centerpiece with potted plants and clay pots; inverted pots hold pillar candles of assorted colors and heights.
Use scrubbed pots to serve foods like grapes or breadsticks.
Add color by day with candles, and then soft light when the sun goes down.
Instead of placing people around one table, consider putting them along one side of the table to face a view or face away from a distracting one.

Having place cards puts people where you want them. Here, a green apple adds a nice color accent and coordinates with the garden theme.

Colorful napkins are held between the plates and draped toward the chair for a unique look.
Sterling flatware adds contrast to the round textured mats.
Elegant stemware provides balance to the natural elements in the center of the table.

Let your dinnerware influence your design direction.

Here, a leaf like those seen on the plate was used for a name card.
Sterling silver flatware adds a bit of luxury to casual dining and elegance for use on special occasions.

Sometimes the best ideas come from the things around you — including the textures and the patterns on your dishes!

A simple shell makes a great place card. Note how the texture on the plate coordinates with the forms on the shell and the sterling silver flatware.
The name card shell makes a beautiful personalized gift for your guests and a reminder of a wonderful dinner party.

Accent pieces add interest to your entertaining style.

A cabbage-leaf salad plate and bowl, bunny salt and pepper shakers and a cookie jar add whimsical uniqueness to this tabletop.
Sterling flatware adds a beautiful finishing touch to the table.