Days are finally getting longer, temperatures are shyly, yet steadily, increasing and we begin to “feel and see” the sweetest and fragrant season of the year: Spring.
Spring makes everybody feel a little sweeter, arising “pastel feelings” and cheering us up. Just like bears coming out from hibernation, we are much more willing to spend time with friends.
And even the home table cannot wait longer to cheer up the guests with warmth, freshness and joy. After eight months of the orange and grayish colors of autumn and winter, there is an explosion of more than a thousand flowers– colors – perfumes. In Spring fantasy plays with the mise en place, inspired by the wealth and generosity of nature.
In theory there is no limit to your imagination; you could even accept a “Marie Antoinette style” mise en place, with snow-white tablecloths and triumphs of flowers and fruits provided en plein air, which means in a bucolic choreography with lots of sheep and soft grassplots.
Everything is a tribute to nature that can be express in every of its nuances and colors on the table, in the choices of the tablecloth, napkins, glasses, cutlery; in short, every element of the table is invited to recall the chosen color.
In spring flowers are the “guest stars” on the table. They can never be missing, either as a centerpiece that echoes the nuances of the other elements on the table, or as fresh arrangements to spread with nonchalance on an imaginary grass.
In short there is an endless array of different ways to dress up the table but only one mood to follow: freshness and cheerfulness.
Nevertheless, let’s suggest at least some hot trends.
1) White Table with “Dots” of Nature
Dress the table with white linen or with beige rough cotton tablecloths that smell of fresh clean.
Choose white plates or light color dishes (i.e. beige, off-white, etc.). Dot or “punctuate” the whole surface of the table with small flowers; fresh white daisies, violets and wild roses are very simple and perfect, but always keep their leaves, or better, use sprigs of aromatic fresh herbs. Note that “punctuate” means also to wrap and close every napkin with little flowers or aromatic herbs.
Don’t forget that spring is by definition luxuriant: thus spread and scatter and you will get joy, freshness and a natural energy.
2) “Grassy” Table
Choose a green tone tablecloth and present your table as a fresh flowery meadow with blooms, wooden butterflies and bees tied with a natural color string on the napkins, or around the stems of the glasses, or even around the bottle necks, for a dramatic effect.
3) “Pastel” Table
If you want to add a pastel mood to your table and freshen your white ceramics or bone china, you can opt for small placemats (a useful and functional alternative to the tablecloth) and complete the look with cutlery of the same pastel hues.
Acquarello dishes
4) Natural Centerpiece
This is an authentic teamwork where flowers and colors exalt each other in a burst of joy.
Impress your friends with a “runner” centerpiece made with a strip of green grass – preferable real… although it seems useless to underline it – arranged on a long wooden box on which to place lots and lots of mini-pots of primroses, violets, tulips, daffodils, lilacs, whitethorn, ivy.
Place the flowers also on the napkins simply tying them with a satin ribbon of the same color of the flower or using a natural colored cord.
5) The “Imperial” Centerpiece
The term “Imperial” is used only to convey the effect of something majestic, but remember that majesty is not antithetical to simplicity. To create an “imperial” look always keep in mind that the spring season has the full range of bloom and perfumes. So, let’s create fresh centerpiece with delicate blooms: thorns, hellebores, peach branches, hyacinths, lilacs, roses, hawthorn, nasturtiums.
6) Style: Minimal
For a minimalist style table, almost zen, simply refresh the table (tablecloth or placemats) with transparent mini glass cups containing small sprigs of fragrant white lily of the valley, white lilies and beautiful camellias.
Great and very original are also centerpieces made of “minimal” materials such as sticks, rose quartz or white stones, on which to place the flowers of the same matching color of the dishes, or of the tablecloth/placemats.
To wrap up there are endless options for a spring mise en place however the dress code is one: SPRING MOOD (happiness + color + freshness).