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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British-born cookery writer, Skye McAlpine, has lived in her beloved Venice for over three decades. She is the author of four beautiful cookbooks, which, along with her stunning recipes, offer a veritable feast of seasonal styling inspiration from fall table decor ideas through Christmas and beyond.

Skye has collaborated with brands including Anthropologie and Papier on tabletop collections that capture her relaxed and elegant approach to hosting, and launched her own dedicated tableware collection, Tavola, in 2021, which brings her playful and storied aesthetic to special gatherings.

Her books reflect that beautifully warm and nostalgic essence, too, from A Table in Venice (Clarkson Potter), which is an homage to the food of her childhood in Italy, to A Table for Friends (Bloomsbury) – a celebration of Skye's long-ingrained passion for gathering with loved ones to share food – and A Table Full of Love, which is packed with recipes to comfort, seduce, spoil, nourish, and cocoon.

As she celebrates the launch of her new book, The Christmas Companion (Bloomsbury) Skye joins Homes & Gardens for our latest How I Host video, to share her styling tips and favorite holiday recipes for a gorgeously unfussy, yet memorable Christmas.

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How Skye Creates A Welcoming and Generous Festive Table

'I love this time of year because it’s a wonderful excuse to bring the people that you love together and go over the top,' shares Skye as she lays a simple white tablecloth over her rustic wooden table, which is flanked by Bentwood chairs painted in a vibrant forest green. 'You either want to start with a bare surface of the table or with a tablecloth, but it feels very "special occasion" to have a white tablecloth,' she adds, before layering up her place settings.

'These plates, which are part of my own range, (Fiocco Plates at Tavola), are hand-painted with bows – I love bows. They’re green and red, so they feel like very festive, celebratory colors.' Skye stresses the importance of having complementary tableware to serve your carefully planned and prepared dishes on.

'I love adding a little vintage something - old things add story and character,' says Skye as she adds her Tavola Vintage Napkins to each place setting, folded diamond-style to show off the beautiful hand-embroidered detailing. 'I’m definitely a big believer in fabric napkins, as I think they just feel so luxurious. If you’ve got a nice big cotton napkin that you can drape over your lap, it makes you feel very welcome.'

Next, she selects some beautiful amber glassware from her enviable floor-to-ceiling cabinet – creating your own hosting closet like Skye's is a wonderful way to store and show off your favorite pieces. 'These glasses were a wedding present, so they are very precious to me,' explains Skye. 'They’re a beautiful Champagne color, which almost feels golden and feels quite celebratory.'

'One thing that I love at Christmas is a salad, as I think you eat so much rich food that it’s nice to have a pop of freshness, and I love red chicory because it looks so festive,' Skye shares. She separates the deep red and white leaves and places them onto her Bianco Serving Dish, which she drizzles with her 'go-to' mayonnaise dressing, made with olive oil vinegar and sometimes a little mustard. 'I like to use fresh crisp leaves and use different kinds of leaves for that contrast of texture and shape,' Skye adds. 'Then I like to toss in extras – blue cheese, pomegranate seeds and nuts.' For this recipe she uses caramelized pecans. 'It's super indulgent and makes it feel that extra bit special.'

As she places a selection of different-sized glass taper candle holders along the table, with bright red taper candles (try these smokeless taper candles from Amazon), Skye continues: 'I like having different height candleholders as I think it adds a bit of drama.' It's touches like this that add her signature understated glamor to her gatherings. 'Imagine yourself wearing a ballgown but going barefoot. Very celebratory but also warm and cozy and comfortable – that's the mood I want to create,' she smiles.

Having grown up in Venice surrounded by incredible opulence and architecture, Skye muses, 'the buildings are like nowhere else in the world, but they’re often crumbling. That actually translates really well to a table.' She continues, 'you want it to feel opulent and over the top, but also kind of imperfect.' For that same reason, a lot of her inspiration comes from Georgian or Victorian tables, she explains, as she delivers bowl after bowl of ripe seasonal fruits, whole walnuts in their shells, (‘they always make me think of Christmas because I have them in my stocking’), marzipan fruits, gold and silver sugared almonds and candycanes to the table.

The Nutcracker Ballet is another source of inspiration for this treat-laden tablescape, which is full of 'beautiful, spoiling, and joyful things that you wouldn’t have at your table on an average day.’ For her finishing touch, Skye adds lots of gold coins scattered all over and around her table decor. 'It’s something that my mother always does on her Christmas table, so for me it wouldn’t be Christmas if there weren’t gold coins everywhere,' she shares.

So, what would her friends say about her hosting style? 'They would describe it as chaotic,' she laughs. 'I hope they’d say fun, friendly, and probably slightly greedy, too, as there’s always lots of food!'

Skye McAlpine's Festive Recipes

Skye shares three beautifully colorful and indulgent dishes from her latest cookbook: The Christmas Companion. 'It’s perfect for the festive season,' she says. 'We’re going to start with a lovely gnocchi gratin, made with a crumbling of toasted panettone on top, a fresh red chicory salad, then roasted sprouts, and to finish off, a gingerbread, cranberry and zabaione trifle.'

Gnocchi and Pumpkin Gratin

'I love this dish because it’s really comforting,' explains Skye. 'Pumpkin, gnocchi and sage is such a classic combination in Italian cooking, but I add in, controversially, quite a lot of grated Cheddar which is a British cheese and this is an Italian dish'. The addition of the panettone however, roots it back in Italy and brings a 'touch of sweetness that feels really festive,' Skye adds. 'So much of the way I cook is influenced by Italy, It is home for me and I have a lot of childhood memories from there, especially around the festive season.'

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2.8 oz panettone (about 1 cup or 80g torn into small pieces)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 12 oz (about 2½ cups or 350g) chopped pumpkin or squash
• Small bunch of sage (about 10–12 leaves)
• 2 teaspoons (10g) salted butter
• 1.1 lb (500g) gnocchi
• ⅓ cup (100ml) light or half-and-half cream
• 7 oz (about 1 ¾ cups or 200g) mild Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1.4 oz (about ½ cup or 40g) Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Method

• Heat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Tear the panettone into small pieces, spread out on a roasting dish, then toast in the hot oven for 6–8 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large, ideally ovenproof, pan. Add the onion and fry gently for 3–5 minutes, until translucent and soft.
• Now add the pumpkin or squash, sage and butter, frying gently over a medium heat for 5–10 minutes until the pumpkin starts to colour. Now reduce the heat a little, cover the pan and cook for a further 10–15 minutes until the pumpkin has softened (if you insert a knife, you should feel little by way of resistance).
• Take off the heat, add the gnocchi, cream and Cheddar, then toss together. (If your pan wasn’t ovenproof, transfer everything to an oven dish at this point.)
• Crumble over the panettone and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Cover with foil. At this point, you can cool to room temperature, then cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
• Set the gratin in the oven (at 350˚F or 180˚C) for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes until the cheese is all melted and lightly golden on top. Serve immediately, while still piping hot.

Sticky Roast Sprouts with Dates and Pistachios

'It’s not really Christmas if you don’t have sprouts,' says Skye. 'I love this way of cooking them where you roast them in the oven, toss them with a sticky sauce, which is made with dates that almost caramelize.' Finally, Skye sprinkles over some chopped pistachios which adds a delicious crunch. 'If I could only eat Brussels sprouts cooked this way for the rest of my life I’d honestly die a very happy woman,' she exclaims'.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

• 1¾ lb (6 cups or 800g) Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 1½ oz (3 tablespoons or 40g) salted butter
• 2–3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3½ oz (⅔ cup or 100g) dates, pitted and chopped
• ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
• 3 oz (¾ cup or 90g) pistachios, coarsely chopped (optional)
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

• Cut the sprouts in half and toss onto a baking tray, spreading them out in a single layer.
• In a large pan, melt the butter over a medium heat. Once melted, increase the heat and add the balsamic vinegar and chopped dates, along with a generous pinch of salt and a very generous grinding of black pepper. Let bubble away for 2–3 minutes, until the sauce is thickened into something that looks like bubbling molasses. Remove from the heat.
• Heat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Line a large baking tray with foil.
• Drizzle the oil over the sprouts, season very generously with salt, and roast for 15–20 minutes, until crisp and tender. Meanwhile, reheat the date sauce.
• Add the roasted Brussels sprouts to the pan of date sauce and stir to coat, then sprinkle with pistachios, if you like, before serving.

Gingerbread, Cranberry and Zabaione Trifle

'Last but not least, we have the trifle,' says Skye. 'The bottom layer is sticky spiced gingerbread, which is so rich and innately tastes like Christmas, then there’s a layer of tart cranberry sauce, zabaione custard.' If that wasn't indulgent enough, it's topped with whipped cream and toasted almonds. 'It just says "massive festive celebration" and encourages everyone dig in with a spoon.’

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

• 1 lb 4½ oz (580g) ginger cake (such as Jamaica Ginger Cake, available from Amazon)
• 10½ oz (1¼ cups or 300g) cranberry sauce
• 12 egg yolks
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (140ml) Amaretto
• 1 oz (¼ cup or 30g) flaked almonds
• 3¾ cups (900ml) heavy cream

Method

• Slice the ginger cake into 2–3cm-thick pieces and arrange in a trifle dish in a single layer, squishing the pieces of sticky cake together with your fingers so the entire area is covered. Now spoon the cranberry sauce over the cake, spreading it out evenly.
• Fill a pan up to one-third full of water, set it over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Put the egg yolks and sugar into a heatproof bowl and best with an electric whisk – plugged in (if they need to be) close to the stove – for 2–3 minutes, or until you have a light, fluffy and voluminous mass.
• As the mixture begins to froth up, set the bowl over the pan of gently simmering water, taking care that the hot water doesn’t touch the bowl. Keep whisking until the mixture is thick enough for a trail of it to remain on the surface when drizzled over from the whisk. Slowly pour in the Amaretto, whisking all the while. This should take 3–5 minutes, and as you add the liquid, the zabaione will double in size and thicken. Remove the bowl from the heat and let the zabaione cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
• Toss the flaked almonds into a non-stick frying pan and set over a medium heat. Toast for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to move the shards of nuts about, until they are lightly golden. Take off the heat and set aside.
• In a second bowl, whip 400ml of the double cream until soft peaks form, taking care not to over-whip. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled zabaione and spoon the yellow, Amaretto-scented custard into the trifle dish, over the cranberry sauce, spreading it out evenly.
• Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 36 hours. Alternatively, freeze for up to 3 months, then defrost overnight in the fridge before adding the whipped cream and nuts.
• When ready to serve, whip the remaining cream to soft peaks, spoon it over the layer of zabaione and sprinkle over the toasted flaked almonds. You can prepare this up to 24 hours before serving and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready for pudding.

Shop Skye's Fabulously Festive Look

From specialist pieces selected from her own Tavola collection, to suggestions from some of Homes & Gardens' favorite retailers, to help you get the look, here's what you need to create a fabulously festive table in the style of Skye McAlpine.

How I Host, an exclusive Homes & Gardens video series that invites us into the homes of chefs, entertainers, and tastemakers who celebrate the art of gathering. Each guest shares their own approach to hosting, weaving together memory and nostalgia with personal style – from timeless tablescapes inspired by family traditions to menus that tell a story. Expect ideas, recipes, and small gestures that turn every occasion into something beautifully memorable.

For Clodagh McKenna, cooking has always been about connection. Connection to the seasons, to the people she loves, and to the joy of gathering around a table. The Irish chef, author, and television presenter has spent 26 years building a life that celebrates those simple pleasures, dividing her time between a 100-acre sustainable farm in Hampshire and her home in Chelsea.

As she releases her new book Clodagh's Happy Cooking, (available on Kindle from October 30 and in hardback from February 3), Clodagh invites us into her world for this month’s How I Host. She shares four comforting seasonal recipes and her favorite fall table decor ideas, all designed to spark that feeling of warmth, nostalgia, and togetherness that defines her approach to entertaining.

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How Clodagh creates her gorgeously rich seasonal tablescape

'The first thing I think about when I’m doing my tablescape, is what food I’m going to serve and also what the weather’s like outside – the seasons,' says Clodagh McKenna as she flings a beautiful wide-striped tablecloth from her tableware collection, Honey by Clodagh, in her signature caramel and honeycomb tones across her dining table.

Clodagh's tablescape embraces the current trend for using rust in interior design, as well as tapping into the mindset of the season. 'I love the colors of autumn – the browns and this beautiful honeycomb, and with the flowers I like to pick up all those gorgeous tones. Look at these delicious chocolate cosmos.' She styles the deep brown blooms in her trio of burnt caramel vases, along with bold pink dahlias, vibrant copper beech leaves, seasonal hips, and Queen Anne's Lace (daucus carota 'dara'), for additional texture and softness.

'When my guests come over, I really hope that they feel like they’re at home and that they are excited about the food,' explains Clodagh. 'We love having people around in Ireland. We’re kind of renowned for it. I grew up around the table with my aunties and cousins, and people just dropping in. And there was always a pot in the oven,' she recalls.

'These are really beautiful plates [from Nom Living] – I love the ceramics and the textures,' says Clodagh. 'I also love these amber glasses [from Zara UK] as they really match my new linen,' she shares, as she carefully places a wine and water glass at each setting.

Clodagh is all about the little details. 'I do individual salt pinch bowls for everybody because I think that it adds just a real feeling of luxury,' she explains. She also places a couple of small rustic butter dishes on the table, topped with a sprig of rosemary and a sprinkle of sea salt, for another thoughtfully curated touch.

Finally, she places fresh figs at each of the place settings, slit open with a hand-written placecard just popped in. 'I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s so funny, I’ll go to all the trouble of doing amazing tablescapes, and what people really remember are things like the fig place settings,' Clodagh laughs. 'It’s the small details that really stay in people's memories'.

'These are my new Honey by Clodagh napkins,' says Clodagh, as she wraps a chocolate brown velvet ribbon around each one,' and I love doing hand-written menus for all of my suppers. It’s just a lovely little memory of the evening', she continues, adding the final touches to her table. 'It brings that gorgeous element of surprise when my guests come and can get excited about what they're going to eat.'

'I probably entertain at least once a week – the reason I love being a chef is that I love feeding my friends and family,' she muses. And as she lights the berry red taper candles, with a sense of understated ceremony, the doorbell rings signalling the arrival of her first guests.

Clodagh McKenna's cozy fall recipes

Taken from her new book, Clodagh's Happy Cooking, these recipes are wonderfully comforting for a fall gathering. On the menu in her How I Host video, is a delicious roast cauliflower, cashew, and garlic soup, with a cheesy, seeded loaf, followed by a slow-cooked boeuf bourguignon. 'We’re going to finish it off with a parsnip cake that has a gorgeous maple frosting, topped with hazelnuts, orange zest and a drizzle of honey from our farm,' adds Clodagh.

Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic, and Cashew Soup with Garam Masala Croutons

'We have so much cauliflower growing at the moment in our farm,' says Clodagh. 'Last year I had to come up with a million ways to use it, and this roasted cauliflower soup was one of the recipes.' She tosses the cauliflower florets with cumin, and turmeric and olive oil. After roasting for ten minutes, she adds in some cashews with 'gorgeous sage, and also some lovely garlic', along with another big glug of olive oil before roasting for a further 15 minutes.

Once roasted, Clodagh purees the cauliflower mix. 'See how creamy it is from the cashew?,' she points out. 'The last thing I put in is lemon – any creamy sauces are always elevated by a squeeze of lemon.' Finally she carefully places on top some 'beautiful, but usually forgotten cauliflower leaves', a scattering of croutons, and a drizzle of good quality olive oil.

Cheddar Seeded Sunflower Bread

The smell of freshly cooked bread just can't be beaten so whether you're a seasoned baker or dipping your toe in the world of bread making, this Cheddar Seeded Sunflower Bread is a wonderful one to try. The dough is made with yogurt and the loaf topped with your choice of seeds for a rustic and delicious crunch. Serve warm alongside the cauliflower soup or beouf bourguignon and your guests won't be able to get enough.

Slow Cooked Boeuf Bourguignon

'This Slow Cooked Boeuf Bourguignon smells so good already and I haven’t even opened the pot,' says Clodagh as she lifts her steaming sage green Clodagh Casserole Pot onto her kitchen counter. 'I made this yesterday. The beef is seared alongside seared and browned shallots, and autumn mushrooms. I always put my best wine in there, garlic, bay leaves, some herbs,' explains Clodagh. 'It’s always better the next day.'

Parsnip Cake with Maple Frosting

'Parsnip cake at this time of year is my favorite cake,' shares Clodagh. 'I love a savory cake as I don’t like things too sweet. And this is a very simple cream cheese maple frosting.' She uses maple syrup instead of powdered (or icing) sugar. 'It really makes that wonderful balance between the moreish savoriness, and the sweet creaminess'. To finish and add texure, Clodagh scatters some chopped roasted hazelnuts on top, a spinkling of orange zest, and a drizzle of honey. 'And that’s it!,' she says.

Shop Clodagh's cozy fall look

How I Host, an exclusive Homes & Gardens video series that invites us into the homes of chefs, entertainers, and tastemakers who celebrate the art of gathering. Each guest shares their own approach to hosting, weaving together memory and nostalgia with personal style – from timeless tablescapes inspired by family traditions to menus that tell a story. Expect ideas, recipes, and small gestures that turn every occasion into something beautifully memorable.

Every month in How I Host, the Homes & Gardens' team visits tastemakers – hosts, cooks and entertainers – to explore the gatherings they stage, from intimate lunches to lively dinner parties, uncovering how they craft spaces that feel effortlessly welcoming, convivial and creative.

Along the way, we take a close look at their approach to table settings, centerpiece styling, and the small details that make each event feel personal, from handpicked linens to clever serving ideas.

We also discover the recipes that bring their gatherings to life, from signature starters to indulgent desserts, sharing hosting tips and tricks that make entertaining at home inspiring, achievable – and memorable.

Textile designer and creative director of eponymous interior design studio, Eva Sonaike, is passionate about bringing her West African heritage into her work and home, which is a riot of color, pattern and creativity.

Born to Nigerian parents in Germany, Eva formerly worked as a fashion journalist on glossy magazines and on television, before honing her interest in textiles and going on to found Eva Sonaike in London.

Her designs celebrate the culture and aesthetic of West Africa, and she's considered a trailblazer in bringing the vibrance and craftsmanship of African interior design to contemporary homes around the world.

We caught up with Eva to discover her tips and tricks for curating the perfect tablescape, which she shares below in an exclusive video for Homes & Gardens as part of our How I Host series.

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How Eva curates her vibrant tablescape

Eva's tablescape for a simple Sunday lunch with her family is far from simple. It's bold, welcoming and fun – a true reflection of her personality, heritage and penchant for color, pattern and eclecticism. 'I love to go overboard and bring color and pattern into play,' she explains.

Eva's table is a feature in itself. 'The table is literally the centerpiece of our living space,' she explains. 'I like people to see the actual wood because it has that feeling of having stories to tell.'

Color is always Eva's starting point with any tablescape. 'Generally for any of my designs I always think about color first,' she says. 'I want to add a lot of other colors here, but my foundational colors are going to be pink and green.'

After laying a bold green accented runner, Eva lays out some natural woven place mats. 'They’re really plain in comparison to what else I’m going to put on,' she explains,' 'but it makes quite a nice contrast and also gives a bit of texture.'

'You hardly ever find plates with African patterns,' Eva explains. 'Every plate I'm using here is different and colorful. Nothing really matches, but I think they’re perfect.'

She likes to give her food the same treatment, too. 'Even when it comes to the dishes I’m preparing I love to bring color into play. I love greens, I love fresh vegetables and light fish dishes - something that’s just fun and easy to digest.'

A stunning vintage flatware set frames Eva's place settings. 'My parents bought this set in the 1980s on a trip to Florence. The pieces all look different, but I like that.' Mismatching plays a big part in Eva's table styling, which allows her to use some statement pieces, alongside some more everyday ones to help balance the look. 'I’ve only got four coasters in this really beautiful amber colored glass, but I also have some of these really nice African-inspired raffia ones, so I’m just going to do a mix and match,' she explains.

Similarly, Eva adds thoughtful and personal pieces, which she's collected from her travels – salt and pepper pots and a bread basket from Marrakech, to a goat's bell from Switzerland – to give her table a curated feel that will spark conversation.

'I’m very clear with the curation when I put a tablescape together. If it doesn’t fit in, it doesn’t come onto this table,' she adds. 'I love these elephant ornaments. Someone told me to always place elephants facing towards the door for good luck and prosperity, and they're a good conversation starter.'

Eva mixes luxe pieces with global finds and some of her own textile designs for a truly eclectic and collected look. 'I have a lot of glasses, but these just spoke to me,' she admits of the set she found recently at a thrift store. 'I love the little bubbles and the way the pink and purple color kind of fades in at the bottom. They're perfect for my tablescape.'

She adds napkins from her own collection 'I love cloth napkins and think they elevate a table,' Eva says. 'These are inspired by Kano, a city in Northern Nigeria, which is well known for its beautiful architecture.'

The flowers are the finishing touch to Eva's thoughtfully put-together tablescape. 'They bring a bit of color and texture to the table, as well as height, so I can play with the layering,' Eva explains. She starts with a simple white orchid. 'I’m going to make this beautiful orchid my centerpiece – it’s white, really floaty, and doesn’t interfere with the colors.'

She places a few pale pink roses in a small, textured green glass bud vase. Adding a few more elegantly arranged vases of flowers and foliage in some of her favorite glassware, she explains '[flowers] bring life to the table. I really feel like there’s more going on right now.'

Eva recalls: 'When I was a kid we always had family lunches and my parents had a kids’ table where we sat separately from them, but what I love now is that we all sit together.' Her own children are in their teens now and have their own busy lives, but they always make time to sit down together as a family. 'Coming together for Sunday lunch is a time when we can all get together – we laugh, we debate, we discuss what happened during the week.'

And her beautiful and characterful tablescape is the perfect reflection of that. 'The little personal stories are intertwined within it – travels we did together and things that I did by myself all come together here. It’s more than just an aesthetic look, it’s a real story, but also something that is really personal to me and my family.'

And at that, Eva picks up the goat's bell that was gifted to her by a farmer on a childhood hiking trip to Switzerland, and gently rings it to call her family to the table for lunch.

Shop Eva's eclectic look

How I Host, an exclusive Homes & Gardens video series that invites us into the homes of chefs, entertainers, and tastemakers who celebrate the art of gathering. Each guest shares their own approach to hosting, weaving together memory and nostalgia with personal style – from timeless tablescapes inspired by family traditions to menus that tell a story. Expect ideas, recipes, and small gestures that turn every occasion into something beautifully memorable.

Want to know how a professional chef does summer hosting? We found out in our exclusive interview for Homes & Gardens with chef and cookbook author Noor Murad.

Hailing from Bahrain, Noor trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, before moving to the UK in her twenties, where she worked under Ottolenghi – the master of Middle Eastern cuisine – becoming head of the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and co-authoring some of his books.

Noor has now written her own recipe book, which is packed with colorful and creative dishes inspired by ingredients and techniques from her home region. Here, she shares some of the most vibrant summer salad recipes from Lugma: Abundant Dishes And Stories From My Middle East (Quadrille), as part of our How I Host series – an intriguing peek into how some of our favorite names in food and style host in their own homes.

Noor has complemented her stunning recipes with her favorite summer table decor ideas, which both create an impact and enhance the colors in her dishes, for an easy and relaxed summer feast with friends.

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'I really enjoy hosting in the summer as we’re spoilt for choice in terms of what we can bring to the table,' says Noor. 'There are so many vegetables to play with, and people are just happier in the summer, kicking back and enjoying each other’s company. I also love it when they taste the food and enjoy it. It’s something that really brings me joy, to see them having a lovely time.'

Noor creates a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere in her yard, through everything from the bench seating with comfortable cushions, to the fun lanterns and the considered, but not too 'done' table setting, which lends itself to passing dishes around to share and inspire conversation.

'Middle Eastern people love to feed. We’re quite generous in the way that we serve food. A table that looks full and abundant is my style,' she adds.

'Bringing people together via food is just such a lovely way to celebrate friendships and connection. I hope to create a very relaxed, calm and welcoming atmosphere. I want people to just walk in and feel at home - completely taken care of,' Noor adds.

The food is the key starting point when it comes to hosting, and, as with Noor's colorful dishes, the decor can be inspired by key colors or themes in the food. Here are Noor's recipes and tabletop tips to help you re-create her vibrant Middle Eastern feast at home.

Noor Murad's stunning Middle Eastern recipes

Noor's recipes are simple and delicious ways with vegetables and fruit, which she transforms with a clever combination of sweet, sour, spicy and savory ingredients, taking inspiration from her upbringing. 'I always lead with Middle Eastern flavours – it’s just my go-to, it’s my instinct, it’s the way I cook,' she explains.

‘When I think about planning a menu, I think about the time of year and what’s in season. I also think about who’s coming - everyone’s quite different - so you have to know your audience and who you’re cooking for and then you can kind of take it from there,’ she explains.

'For this spread, I just thought of really nice, delicate, summery flavors. You have to make sure that the flavors really complement each other in a nice way, and that not one dish is so overpowering that the other dishes don’t have a chance,' explains Noor. 'You don’t want an attention-seeker dish but dishes that all want to play together.'

Pan-fried tomatoes with za'atar, pine nuts, and halloumi

'For these pan-fried tomatoes, I want them to soften and take on a bit of color but I don’t want them to completely fall apart,' Noor says. 'Tomatoes are already very sweet, but cooking them in a bit of olive oil and maple syrup really brings that out and it’s just so lovely.' She adds grated halloumi and toasted golden pine nuts cooked with oregano and za'atar. 'I then sprinkle it with extra za’tar because I just love how lovely and herbaceous it is,' Noor adds.

Grilled green beans with lemon and feta

'For this griddled green beans dish I’ve made this lovely dressing with grilled lemon, slow-cooked onion, lemon juice, loads of herbs and maple syrup,' explains Noor.

'Take your time when you plate things and really put love and thought into it. If you have sharing plates it just encourages conversation,' she adds. 'My favorite thing about having people over is the togetherness of it all - enjoying food and relaxing. That's the whole point of hosting isn’t it?'

Sesame beets with charred scallions

'When I’m planning a summer menu, I really think about color,' explains Noor. 'For example these sesame beets with charred scallions are a lovely way to bring happiness to your table.'

She tosses them in a simple dressing of yogurt, tahini, toasted sesame oil and lime juice before topping with the charred scallions, so the bright green contrasts beautifully with the rich pink of the beets.

Ginger nectarines

'This is my ginger nectarine dish – I’ve left it until last so the nectarines don’t spoil. It’s so easy to make that you can just assemble it before serving,' says Noor. She fries off some ginger, mustard seeds and chilli and uses the flavorful frying oil as a base for the dressing before mixing with maple syrup and lime juice.

'My grandfather used to have a house in Lebanon and I spent a lot of my childhood summers there,' Noor shares. 'It has this beautiful fertile land where loads of fruit grows and at the end of a meal they’d always bring out big platters of fresh stone fruits – I remember just eating them with the juice dripping down my chin. That inspired me to do this dish.'

Noor Murad's vibrant summer tablescape

'This look is quite colorful, really vibrant – I want it to scream ‘joy’ in every way, from a bright tablecloth to the colorful cushions. The plates are quite mismatched and neutral because I want the food to be loud.' Noor explains.

She layers her table starting with a bold sunshine yellow tablecloth, adding neutral basics in natural colors and textures, before popping in some statement tortoiseshell flatware, pink and green glassware, and plenty of cheerful garden flowers. Linen napkins and floral woven napkin rings add a finishing touch.

'My favourite colors are sunset colors – not just in the food but you can see it in the flowers, too, ' Noor adds. 'I’ve started bringing something back with me from everywhere I travel. I really love these bud vases... They’re a real statement, and at the end of the day, you can give away the flowers for people to take home, which is such a lovely thing.'

Scroll our gallery of Noor's summery table

Shop Noor's vibrant summer look

If you're looking to create your own elegant and relaxed feast, like Noor, you might want to consider a particular garden party theme to start from. You could also take a look at our barbecue recipes for an easy summer menu for friends, or our alfresco lunch menu for a more elevated take on the rustic aesthetic.

How I Host, an exclusive Homes & Gardens video series that invites us into the homes of chefs, entertainers, and tastemakers who celebrate the art of gathering. Each guest shares their own approach to hosting, weaving together memory and nostalgia with personal style – from timeless tablescapes inspired by family traditions to menus that tell a story. Expect ideas, recipes, and small gestures that turn every occasion into something beautifully memorable.