The heart of French style is imbued with a refined sensibility—a devotion to the pleasures of taste, smell, and touch. Its expression is as simple as a table set for tea.
Whether staged in a Paris garden or your own backyard, an enchanting setting is inspired by French joie de vivre—the carefree enjoyment of living that makes an everyday cup of tea or a glass of wine a delightfully special occasion. Summer invites you to pull a table beneath a sheltering tree to create a relaxing, cool sanctuary.
Focus on simplicity when arranging a table for entertaining en plein air. Remix what you already have, including eclectic comfortable seating, layers of vintage linens, and elegant silver utensils and serving pieces with timeworn appeal. Beloved French pastries, such as light-as-air macarons, make teatime sublime. Touches of Gallic blue bring the serenity of a summer sky to the gathering.
Text Kate Carter Frederick
Photography Jean-Baptiste Pellerin
Styling Marie-Paule Faure
“Afternoon in Paris” can be found on page 61 of the May/June 2014 issue of Victoria.
