To Dine For - Styling your Dining Table for Spring
Spring is in the air! Ok, so we’ve had two days of sunshine (with snow intervals) here in Glasgow, but that counts as Spring in Scotland! When we first renovated our place, I bought everything for the dining table - placemats, napkins, salad servers, the lot! I obviously thought I’d be hosting more dinner parties than I actually have done. Graeme took one look at me, during this styling process, and said “you’ve literally never set the table like that in your life”. The problem is, we tend to have dinner parties for Halloween or Christmas so the styling is relevant to those occasions. So, I thought I’d do a seasonal dining table styling post for each of the seasons, starting with Spring.
Spring is the season when trees start to grow leaves again, flowers bloom and nature thrives. So, Spring dining lends itself to a botanical theme. These Monstera leaf placemats were just faux foliage that I picked up from Ikea a few years ago, and just ripped the stems off. These are readily available to buy as actual placemats nowadays, though. You can’t go wrong with a bouquet of flowers. No matter the season, they always add a pop of colour to the table setting. Spring flowers are particularly fragrant. I picked these up from Lidl; they always have a great selection of seasonal flowers for a total bargain! If you have flowers in your garden then an eclectic selection of wild flowers would also compliment a Spring set up.
Try to use natural, earthy tones in your styling. We would definitely be jumping the gun on dining outside at this time of year, so Spring is about bringing the outdoors in. Adding greenery with materials such as wood and linen will reflect the changes happening outside, but also add warmth inside. Pastels and florals also work well for Spring styling. I’ve added some industrial elements into my table setting, simply because it helps pull together the industrial aesthetic of my kitchen. The glass and the black touches on the table compliment the brick wall, metal fixtures and black accessories within my dining nook, to allow for a more cohesive look.
Special occasions during this season tend to focus on lunchtime dining, such as Mother’s Day afternoon tea or Easter lunch. That’s not to say you can’t add some mood lighting and a couple of candles to create a laid back dinner vibe. I love small plates, so I would put on a spread with a big salad, cheeseboard, veggies and, of course, display those decorated Easter eggs. Or for you Master Chefs out there - a Sunday roast!
These plates were a real investment, and I love them! They’ve lasted two years without any chips or breakages. They’re made, glazed and painted, all by hand and you can tell because they’re not perfectly round. They have a subtle gold rim to match the brass accents in my kitchen. They are interchangeable for any season and any occasion. So, if you’re choosing long-term crockery I would always recommend getting a plain, muted colour that you can change up with accessories.
Now, who wants to come over for dinner…?
