Diary - Trudie

Setting the Table | No. 6 Garden Party Lunch

A garden party lunch is one of the more optimistic tables in the whole Setting the Table series. It requires good weather and a willingness to carr...

Setting the Table | No. 5 Fajita Night

It is a Tuesday and we are having fajitas. The table is set. The Constance placemats are down, the Abigail napkins folded alongside them, the Seren...

Setting the Table | No. 4 - Breakfast at Home

The breakfast table is the one that surprises people most in this series. Not because it is the most elaborate or the most styled but because it is...

Setting the Table | No. 3 - Girls Dinner

A girls dinner is its own category of occasion. It is not a dinner party exactly, though it deserves everything a dinner party gets. It is not a ca...

Setting the Table | No. 2 - Pasta Night

Sunday pasta night is its own category of dinner. It is not a special occasion exactly, but it is not a regular Tuesday either. It is the dinner th...

Summer Entertaining Ideas: How to Set a Beautiful Outdoor Table

Summer entertaining has one rule: it should feel easier than it looks. The table that makes guests feel welcome in July is not a complicated table ...

Reusable Wine Gift Bags: A Better Way to Bring a Bottle

The tissue paper wine bag is a single-use item that costs two dollars, looks like it cost two dollars, and ends up in the recycling bin before the ...

Spring Tablescape Ideas That Are Simple, Unfussy, and Actually Beautiful

Spring tablescapes have a tendency to go excessively cute — too many pastels, too much fussiness, too much effort. The version worth coming back to...

How to Mix and Match Table Linens (Without Overthinking It)

The question we get more than any other is some version of: can these go together? A floral napkin with a placemat in a different print. A patterne...

Host Gift Ideas: How to Get It Right Every Time

The host gift is a small thing with a long memory. The host will remember what you brought — or that you brought nothing at all. Here is a guide to...

Skirted Table Ideas: How to Style One in Every Room of Your Home

Spring is the perfect time to add a skirted table to your home. Few decorating moves are as instantly transformative — a floor-length table skirt a...

Setting the Table | No. 1 - A Birthday Dinner

There is something about a birthday dinner that deserves more than a reservation. Not more effort — just more intention. The table set before anyo...