Delicious platters guests can pass around and come back to; entertaining that’s lavish but low-effort so you can enjoy it as much as they do. Friends gathered, candles lit, sharing food and stories. Casual catch-ups made easy.

Decide your color palette as a starting point, then think about textures and patterns. We love a white base with delicate neutrals added in, in subtle floral or geometric patterns. Raffia placemats add a warm, summery feel all year round. For added impact, you can stack placemats, starting with wider fabric ones and finishing with woven seagrass on a smaller scale.

A big bunch of flowers is always beautiful, but think about the event and your guests. When there’s a crowd for lunch and you want the conversation to flow, low-lying foliage displays leave more room for food, and small flowers won’t get in the way of chatting. A selection of bud vases and candles don’t have to match – in fact, it looks more contemporary to have different heights and shapes casually grouped together.

There’s something so welcoming about a table laden with different glasses – for water, wine, soft drinks, aperitifs and dessert wine. Lay them all out before the meal. Our Kinsley glassware is made from sturdy, recycled glass – chunky and easy to clean and care for – plus it’s so versatile on the table. The wide glasses make excellent bowls for elegant desserts, and the carafe doubles as a vase for springtime blooms.

This is where you can experiment, have fun and play with different ideas. You could make little foliage mini wreaths for the napkins or cutlery – and all the settings needn’t match. Personalize them to your guests with name tags and a handwritten menu. Baguettes don’t need to be sliced with a knife, so you can go without a breadboard. Tie them together with a napkin, then lay it out under them as a crumb-catcher when you tear the bread into portions.