a tablescape for a great friend

You may remember last August I styled a photo shoot at my good friend Laura’s adorable vintage home for Cottages & Bungalows magazine, and I’m happy to say the issue is now available! 

Laura and I are two peas in a pod. We have so many of the same interests, especially when it comes to cooking, decorating and hosting parties. We even started a “Gourmet Club” years ago that included six couples, and that’s where our love of tablescaping really took off! 

Back then the hostesses, which also included Angi, Elizabeth, Juliet and Stacy, came up with a theme for the dinner and the menu and décor reflected everything we loved about that particular motif. 

We covered everything from Moroccan to Southern home cooking and had so much fun coming up with recipes and decorating! So, when I was asked to set a pretty alfresco table in Laura’s backyard, we searched for some of our favorite pieces from her collection of tableware.    

I love that writer Meryl Schoenbaum called the article “Garden Party”, because a garden party is one of my all-time favorite things in the whole world! 

The table came together effortlessly. Laura had most of the components stashed at home, and we just added the green vintage glassware from a flea market, the iron candlesticks from my shed and fresh flowers to bring the whole look together. 

This backyard is a dream setting, created by Laura and her husband Dennis on their own. The table is shaded by a pergola and has view of the firepit, seating area, and bar. It’s also conveniently located next to the vegetable garden, barbecue and pizza oven.

Here are a couple of behind-the-scenes looks taken with my smart phone. You can see the Adirondack chairs in the background and the huge grapefruit tree in the far end of the yard. It's just such a cozy setting with beautiful scenery on all sides.   

Here’s a close-up of the place setting. 

I chose the mums and dahlias specifically for their shape and color to mimic the floral pattern on the plates.  

Every inch of Laura’s backyard is a hostess’ paradise. 

And what better than fresh-picked fruit and mint for making a cocktail?   

Here’s Laura’s special recipe... 

This is a little unexpected, but I make a surprise appearance in the article. A little out of my comfort zone, for sure, but I’m quite honored to be a part of this pretty issue! 

You can even check out my tips for dining alfresco... 

Here I am, busy at work clipping flower heads while decorating the table (from Jickie’s instagram). Boy it was HOT that day last summer! A lot has changed in the last few months, and I hope we can get back to hosting dinner parties at home soon! 

We did shoot Laura’s whole house that day, which you’ll get to see soon in an upcoming issue of Cottages & Bungalows. In fact, her lovely kitchen will be featured in the next issue that they’re currently working on right now.  

You’ll get to see her gorgeous white kitchen that is lovingly decorated with vintage details, dear family treasures, lots of fresh flowers and beautiful heirloom tomatoes--- fresh from the garden.    

But wait!! 

Here’s the best news of all... you can now download this issue for free, courtesy of Jickie and her team at Cottages & Bungalows.  

Just click HERE for the link. 

ciao! fabiana 

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Info on table accessories: 

Everything used on this table is vintage.

Table and chairs: Home Depot

Pergola: Lowe's

Flowers: Trader Joe's

When time is of the essence, and I have last minute projects or events to work on, so I turn to Amazon for one or two day delivery. You’ll be surprised at how many amazing items they have to offer! And I'm constantly updating this page with my new favorites.  

  

You can check out my page here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”*. 

*affiliate links used.