AL FRESCO: The best way to approach outdoor entertaining is not to worry too much. Avoid anything that seems like hard work; eating al fresco should be all about good times and fond memories, writes Eoin Lyons. Photographs: David Sleator
The table right, for instance, did not take too long to create, once we got all the bits and pieces together. Our home-made canopy encloses the table, draws people together, gives a bit of shade and is far cooler than a big canvas umbrella. It's dramatic and simple at the same time, making the most of what we already had to hand.
Mark Greghan, a garden designer with Gardenworks in Malahide and Dunboyne, provided the plants for this deck outside an apartment behind the George's Street Arcade. He's good at this kind of thing, mixing old-school plants with some you might not have seen before, and assisted Diarmuid Gavin for this year's Chelsea Flower Show. Here he mixed aluminium, wicker and stone containers, all from Gardenworks, although it's a good idea to keep an eye out for assorted plant pots from the likes of Woodies, Atlantic Homecare etc, as well.
For the table, we combined an assortment of decorative and practical elements: riverbed stones to hold down the cloth; assorted glass jars for flowers and, for contrast, a classic decanter as a water jug.
We tied two bamboo stalks to each table leg with twine, which we then covered with grey coton muslin.We got eight bamboo stalks in Decwells DIY for about €12 and found white, cream and blue-grey muslin at Murphy Sheehy's fabric shop on Castle Market in Dublin. It's very light and costs only €2.50 a metre.
To make the canopy itself, stand on a stepladder and drape the white muslin over the tips of the bamboos. You'll need someone to help. Let a generous amount hang over each end. The standard 50-inch width should be enough to cover the width of an average table, leaving a nice drape effect on the sides. Bunch the fabric together at each bamboo post and twist twine around the bamboo to secure it. Again, tear strips of muslin or even ribbon, and wrap them around to cover the twine.
Use green foliage and white flowers to make four small bouquets. Don't sweat about making them too perfect. If you are not a city dweller, you'll be able to pick your own flowers, but these ones came from the Egg Depot in Wexford Street, where Martine put them together for us. Tie a bunch to each bamboo post with a strip of white muslin.
To dress the table, cover it first in some of the beige muslin. Because it's very thin, you may need to overlap two pieces. Wash some stones and place a little pile near the bamboo in each corner. This will help weigh down the muslin but also get the beach vibe going. At night, you could put a tea light in the centre (Dunnes Stores sells a bag of lemon-scented tea lights for €3).
The sturdy folding chairs here are from Habitat and cost €40. They're reasonably comfortable chairs but you could also add a beige linen cushion from Dunnes (€12).
Now to the table setting itself: This kind of entertaining isn't about impressing your guests, so use odd glass containers to hold simple sprigs of greenery or white flowers. Just one or two stems in each will do. The pretty jars and vases here are from Pia Bang and cost between about €5 and €10. You could also mix in ordinary jam jars. For china (I like white), go to Dunnes also. They have great white bowls for €2, large plates for €3, and serving dishes for €6. Add a bit of crystal if you have it.
And that's it. Sit yourself down with your guests and enjoy the sun. For the food, we kept things local, shopping around Castle Market: Maison des Gourmets for cakes and breads; Blazing Salads on Drury Street for salads and Lara Lu in the George's Street Arcade for pastas, dressings and sauces.
Our guests didn't come far either. Make-up artist Kate Conkey lives across the road in George's Street and Laura Hickey owns Tulle in the arcade itself. Interior designer Ashleigh Downey helped us put this all together.
Address Book: Murphy Sheehy, Castle Market (01-6770316); Decwells, 60 South Great George's Street (01-4781377); The Egg Depot, 34a Wexford Street, (01-4756506); Habitat, St.Stephen's Green (01-6707350); Dunnes Stores, St Stephen's Green, (01-4780188); Pia Bang, 46 Grafton Street (01-6715065); Garden Works, Mabestown, Malahide (01-8450110) and Dunboyne (01-8255375); Maison des Gourmets, 15 Castle Market (01-6727258); Blazing Salads, 42 Drury Street, (01-6719552); Tulle, George's Street Arcade (01-6799115); Kate Conkey (086-8183342); Ashleigh Downey (087-7478470)