Nature provides a peace-inspiring backdrop – here’s how we harness it
November 2024. By Cassy Aoyagi: Al fresco dining unifies two great strategies for creating harmony: sharing a delicious meal and gathering in nature. While I love to cook, I enjoy creating just-right natural spaces even more.
Here are a few ways we set the table for harmonious connection long before anyone makes a meal.
Place with Space
Wrapped in lush, leafy foliage, an al fresco dining area equal in size to a home’s dining room will feel more spacious. People tend to stand and move about in a way they will not indoors. This brings a relaxed vibe amplified by the oxygen and visual variation of the natural environment.
Trade TV for Trees
Where open floor plans invite the TV to dinner, we like to create spaces that invite the trees. Their rustling beauty adds a calm to conversation that no show or game can match. For those who prefer later meals, a fire pit can also provide a fun focal point.
Serve Munchies
The grape vine that softens this fencing nourishes the eye – it can also be harnessed to save the hangry. Of course grapes can be selected, washed in the outdoor sink, and displayed in a lovely dish – they can also be a delightful reward for those invited to make themselves at home and snatch a snack.
Invite Foraging
Collaborating on a meal invites conversation and connection. We love offering guests the opportunity to select their own salad greens. We often add biodiverse, native hedges and a selection of sages – each can engage the adventurous in taste-tests to find just the right match for the meal.
Whether you choose to host your meals indoors or out, we wish you harmony, connection, collaboration and joy during the holidays and always.
