Linen, low flowers and the case for unhurried meals in the open air.
An outdoor table asks for less than you think. The aim is not to bring the dining room outside but to let the setting do some of the work. Begin with a cloth. Washed linen in white, oatmeal or a faded stripe softens a wooden or stone table and forgives the occasional spill.
Keep the flowers low. Arrangements that rise above eye level block conversation, and the wind will find anything tall. A row of small jugs or jam jars filled with garden clippings, herbs or a single variety looks generous without getting in the way.
Choose sturdy pieces. Heavy tumblers, stoneware plates and cloth napkins weighted with a sprig of rosemary will stay put when the breeze picks up. Save the crystal for indoors.
Plan the light before the guests arrive. Candles in glass hurricanes will last the meal; open tapers rarely do. If the evening runs late, a throw over the back of each chair is a small kindness people remember.
Most of all, plan a meal that can wait. Dishes served at room temperature, a platter passed down the table and a dessert that needs no oven let the host sit down too, which is the whole point of eating outside.
