How I Host: A Colorful, Floral-Inspired Spring Gathering With Butter Wakefield

Garden designer Butter Wakefield is known for her layered and effortless gardening style, and her approach to hosting and tablescaping is no different. Color, pattern, and texture all come together – much like in her outdoor projects – to create an eclectic look that isn’t overly done or fussy, but instead blends maximalism with a considered touch.

‘I come from a long line of good gardeners,’ explains Butter in our most recent episode of How I Host. ‘My mother’s a really good gardener – she was the president of our local garden club in Maryland – and my grandparents were also very good gardeners. So I feel like gardening is in the blood. And my mother’s an incredibly good host and a great cook, so we like to do this kind of thing – garden and entertain. It’s a lovely way to live, really.’

Having worked for decades in interior design, Butter naturally has an eye for how things look indoors just as much as outdoors. Her approach to the spring table is laid-back and layered; nothing is overly polished, resulting in a playful setting that looks wonderfully natural. Patterns and colors clash in beautiful ways, with stripes and florals, and old mixed with new.

For this episode of How I Host, we take a look inside the designer’s home as she prepares to host friends for a spring gathering. Naturally, flowers are the focal point and inspiration for the tablescape. The overall look is bright and fresh, with warm yellows and oranges mixing with pale, zesty greens and vibrant pinks. It’s the classic palette of spring, brought to the table beautifully.

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How Butter Wakefield Creates The Perfect Floral-Inspired Tablescape

Butter’s spring table is surprisingly simple and can be easily replicated – her method doesn’t overcomplicate, but is always effective.

‘There’s a lot of color, a lot of flowers, and form, texture, and movement in the table,’ she explains. It’s this mix that does the work, turning the table into a celebration of spring blooms – yet the formula itself is straightforward. Here, Butter talks us through the five steps to achieving this colorful spring table.

Step One: The Tablecloth

'I love nothing more than creating a beautiful tablescape, and the tablecloth is a great way to start the process. I've chosen a very colorful orange and green one. I'll generally choose a selection of flowers that complement the tablecloth. I designed this tablecloth with Birdie Fortescue, and I love the color orange. It does really, for me, say spring.'

Step Two: Textural Layers

'Once the tablecloth is down, I tend to put a mat on as well because I think it's really nice to kind of layer the table. And then I have these very pretty stripy napkins. And I think it's nice to also use different textures and patterns. I love the stripes with the florals.'

Step Three: Plates

'Next up are the plates, and I love a combination of kind of old and new, found and purchased. I collect these plates. Wherever I see them, I collect them. I sort of slam on the brakes and grab them. And it doesn't matter if there are two or if there's a set of six. I think mixing them all up is a very nice way of kind of, again, adding a little bit of extra to the table.'

'This green I have used is so particularly charming and unusual – a very sort of old-fashioned green. Collecting is an important part of making the house a home. So, for instance, I've got quite a significant collection of the black and white Staffordshire Spaniels. I really love them because they have such funny little faces and warm personalities, and they keep me company, believe it or not. Sounds a bit mad, doesn't it? They're like little friends.'

'So carry on collecting is the thing. Find something you love and carry on searching high and low for little bits and pieces.'

Step Four: Seasonal Blooms

'I think no beautiful spring table is complete without seasonal flowers. When I design gardens, both professionally and for myself, I'm always thinking about the colors that I have inside, and I always try to grow flowers outside that complement the colors inside.'

'I try to really be responsible about the flowers that I include in my tablescapes. A lot of the flowers today are grown by my friend Kim Fleming from Marlston Farm Girl, and they're all seasonal. The flowers I'm using complement the colors of the tablecloth perfectly. There's a nice mix of flower form and color, which makes, I think, the prettiest arrangement.'

'I just basically get going, stuffing them in. I tend to start with the biggest, tallest flowers first, and then the shortest ones will go in the little side openings. I think when you pause in between courses, there's a moment that you can savor your flowers on the table. I tend to try to have odd numbers if I can because it's the composition that makes it quite pleasing.'

'All the different flower sizes, shapes, and colors create, I think, a really beautiful floral arrangement that's joyous and will hopefully inspire my guests. For me, hosting my friends is kind of all about the food and then all about the flowers. So I hope that this will really bring a lot of joy to my friends.'

Step Five: Candles

'So the final thing to go on the table are the candlesticks. I have quite a passion for colored candles, too. I think, why have a white candle when you can have a yellow one or an orange one? These will go up and down a bit like the flowers, so there's an undulation to the table, and the top line is kind of moving, which I think is really nice, too.'

Butter’s method for the perfect spring table is one to have up your sleeve for any spring–summer hosting. The beauty lies in the layers – don’t be shy about mixing and matching. Much like when designing a room, it’s the clashing pieces that make it interesting.

Take Butter’s approach to floral arrangements, too – choosing different heights and shapes means it won’t take too much work to make your displays look beautifully effortless.

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