The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Summer Entertaining

(Layering, colour and a little personality go a long way)

My table-setting philosophy is simple: start with linen, layer with intention, then have a bit of fun.

For Christmas, I asked for a sage green tablecloth from Bed Threads – partly because the colour fit my grey-green obsession, but mostly because it was one of the very few I could find long enough for our three-metre table. If you know, you know. Short tablecloths haunt me.

From there, I always layer chargers under the plates. It instantly makes the table feel more dressed – even if what’s going on top is very relaxed. Mine are dark green (obviously), which grounds the whole setting and ties back to the foliage.

Then comes my favourite part: plates. I collect In the Roundhouse plates over time and love mixing the colours rather than matching everything perfectly. It keeps the table playful and unfussy – and feels especially right for long, Mediterranean-style lunches where nothing is too precious.

For my birthday, I used the ones with joyful words like “allora” and “grazie” – which felt exactly right for the theme. A little wink, a little colour, and suddenly the table has a personality of its own.

Hostess rule: if your table makes people smile before they even sit down, you’ve done it right.