From handmade ceramics and natural linens to candlelight and flowers, the pleasure of setting a table for good food and good company.
There are few pleasures greater than gathering friends and family around a table for a good meal. Whether it’s a long Sunday lunch, a kitchen supper or a special occasion, the food is only part of the enjoyment. The things we eat from, drink from and surround ourselves with all add to the occasion.
At Lovebrook & Green, we believe that the objects we use every day should be beautiful, useful and made with care. Just as Edenmoor celebrates the farmers, fishers and producers behind our food, we champion the craftspeople and makers behind the things we bring into our homes.
And nowhere do these two worlds come together more naturally than around the dining table.
Natural materials and handmade things
Start with nature. Linen, wood and ceramics bring warmth and texture to a table and often become more beautiful with use and age.
British design company Another Country draws on traditional craftsmanship, making understated pieces from natural materials that it designs to last. Its Pottery Series designed by Ian McIntyre and made by hand in Sri Lanka, works particularly well alongside older, much-loved objects.
There’s no need for everything to match. An inherited serving dish, a favourite ceramic bowl or a wooden board picked up on holiday can give a table far more personality than a perfectly coordinated dinner service.
Mix in handwoven placemats, cotton napkins hand-dyed with acacia wood or green-glazed bowls from Tamegroute in southern Morocco. Different textures, materials and pieces collected over time are exactly what you need for a table to feel personal.
A little of the countryside
Flowers and foliage are the simplest way to make a table beautiful.
In autumn, branches of turning leaves, rosehips, seed heads and the last garden flowers make lovely centrepieces. Even a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme tucked beside a napkin add fragrance and a connection to the season.
Several small vases rather than one large arrangement help the conversation flow more easily across the table. If the garden has given its last, a hand-tied bouquet of roses and herbs from The Real Flower Company’s Hampshire farm divides easily between them. Or skip the arranging altogether: the company’s hat box arrangements of English flowers, grown on a family farm in the South Downs, arrive ready to set straight on the table.
Made for sharing
The best tables are designed to be used, not simply admired.
A generous roast, a bowl of seasonal vegetables or a board of farmhouse cheeses deserves pride of place. Generous bowls and handmade platters invite everyone to help themselves, pass dishes around and linger over the meal.
As the evenings draw in, a few candles bring warmth and intimacy. Unscented ones are best on the table itself, in brass candlesticks or green Tamegroute holders that pick up the colour of the bowls. Save scented candles for the sideboard or the sitting room, where they won’t compete with the food: Verden’s Herbanum, with its notes of herbs and wild grasses, or The Real Flower Company’s Garden Rose candle
And there’s no reason to save your favourite tableware for special occasions. Beautiful things are made to be enjoyed.
After all, the measure of a successful table isn’t how it looks, but how long everyone stays around it.
Explore the Home & Garden department at Lovebrook & Green, an ethical online department store celebrating independent makers, craftsmanship and a closer connection to nature.
