Caryn Hibbert is the founder and creative mastermind behind Thyme, the idyllic 'village within a village' based in Southrop. She launched Bertioli by Thyme, a fabulous collection comprising silkwear, table linens and much more. The designs are inspired by Thyme's natural surroundings, with botanicals at their heart. Caryn is an expert on entertaining in style, often turning to her verdant table cloths for a starting point.
'Dining around a beautiful table, sharing delicious food and wine, is one of life's great joys. Whether it is simple or fine dining, this experience nurtures conversation and laughter and strengthens bonds with family and friends.
The fabulous thing about table linen is that it will transform a room for the transient moment of the meal. This allows you to be bold and brave with pattern and colour and to embrace the mood of the occasion, the weather, the season and of course your guests. Used outside, a great table lay sets the stage and transforms a space to become anything and anywhere you want. It can turn a simple trestle into a table fit for a king. It has been shown that food tastes better when eaten off a cloth, so there is absolutely nothing to lose. Go for it and, above all, have fun!' Caryn.
Caryn's five top tips for a successful table lay:
- A tablecloth is the foundation and starting point. Beautiful white linen is always wonderful, but pattern and colour give so much scope for the imagination. Don't worry about matching your room and focus on creating a table that wows. Bertioli by Thyme uses natural prints which bring the outside in and most have green as a foundation. Green is the dominant colour of nature and a wonderful base to complement any colour scheme.
- Decorating your table with flowers and foliage gives rhythm and height. A selection of small vases of differing size and shape is the easiest way to achieve this. Candlesticks will help to add real height without the danger of blocking the view of your guests.
- Use table mats made from natural rushes and grass. These are an investment and will help preserve your cloth from spillage, which is always a good idea!
- Invest in good cutlery and clear wine glasses that feel great in the hand. These quality pieces will make the food and wine taste better and last a lifetime. Add colour and fun with the water glasses; building a collection of coloured glasses that can be all used together or mix and matched is fun and gives a multitude of options to change the look and feel.
- If you really want to go for it, dress to match the table and dance around it with flowers in your hair. We need to have fun and blow away the cobwebs of Covid and lockdowns with a jolly good party!
Browse the Bertioli by Thyme collection in full on their website.
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