Picnic Inspiration: Cushions and Ceramics
The best picnics look like they’ve been thrown together in a hurry by people who are impatient to get out in the sun. They have that carefree, kitchen-sink vibe to them – a vibe that can make a crusty loaf and a chunk of cheddar feel like the food of love.
There’s definitely more to it than bread and cheese, but that’s where things start to get a bit complicated. As with most things in life, the more attractively thrown-together, casual, and happy-go-lucky something looks, the more effort and skill it required from its creator.
A successful picnic is a lot more than the sum of its parts. A successful picnic, by today’s standards, will be an entire scene – something photo-worthy and immersive, and why not?
We can’t offer much insight into the food-side of things. In our experience, when it comes to catering a picnic, you’ve either got the knack or you haven’t. It’s sandwiches and crisps, or it’s a veritable spread, with very little in the way of a ‘comfortable middle ground’.
But, when it comes to the decorative aspects, we consider ourselves pretty well-versed.
Throw the Colour Story and Pattern-Matching Out the Window
There is a time and a place for agonising over colour theory and coordination, and a spontaneous – or even carefully planned – picnic in the great British summer isn’t one of them.
The outdoors is the best excuse to let go and embrace the fact that nothing is designed to match. The grass, plants, sky – everything clashes as much as it harmonises, and there’s no point being fussy. Embrace the bohemian side of things and, as a result, give yourself a good excuse not to invest in a matching, 30-piece picnicking set.
Besides, mis-matched ceramics capture that eclectic feel like nothing else. It can be tempting to opt for paper plates and discardable cutlery for the sake of convenience and risk-reduction, but provided you’ve got a sturdy box to carry them in, it’s really worth the slight inconvenience.
One thing you’ll notice about our collection of ceramics is that, while many are inspired by different prints and styles from around the world, they are all united by an organic, eclectic touch. This is something we really love about hand painted ceramics – the fact that nothing matches anything, but everything goes with something.
Don’t Accept the Hard, Bumpy Ground
Like most people, we really do like to spend time outdoors. Like even more people, however, we really don’t think it’s possible to feel comfortable on the grass – even when you throw a blanket into the mix.
Plus, it’s not the most exciting backdrop for photographs.
Yes, it’s extra effort, but bringing a few armfuls of pillows along to drop haphazardly onto the blankets and provide attendees with something a bit more civilized to sit on. It’s a relatively easy solution to one of the biggest bugbears of picnicking.
Don’t be too intentional about your choices. Take a few accent cushions from the sofa and armchairs or, if you’re worried about dirt, a few cushions from your outdoor furniture. The more mix-and-match your choices, the better, since you’ll never have enough cushions to coordinate with the picnic blankets (and each other) anyway.
Don’t Forget About the Little Touches
If your hypothetical picnic hamper is starting to groan with extra items, then don’t worry – we will keep it short.
First, the cutlery. We’ve already mentioned how the temptation to drift toward disposable cutlery is there but there’s no beating around the bush – it’s never as good as the real thing. Stick to finger foods to limit washing up but bring a few butterknives and a few forks for picking up meats and other non-finger foods, in the very least.
Next, napkins. Finger foods, combined with having no table to eat from, mean that napkins will always be a necessity and, if you want to show your appreciation for nature while eating in it, reusable table linens are the friendlier and nicer choice.
Finally, our last ‘must have’: a couple of candles. There aren’t many things we love more than those times when the food and the company are enough to take us through the afternoon and into the evening. It’s one of the highlights of the summer months, and, when we can mark that transition into a more relaxed, cooler part of the day with a couple of candles (maybe citronella or lavender to keep the mosquitoes at bay) everything just seems to fall together.
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