From striped tumblers to statement salad servers, this season’s outdoor entertaining pieces are making us ever more enthusiastic about setting the table properly…
There’s something about the first genuinely warm evening of the year that suddenly makes you believe you’re the sort of person who hosts effortlessly. Candles lit. Linen napkins. Drinks poured into matching glasses rather than whatever happens to be clean.
In reality, most of us are still carrying burgers out on baking trays while shouting “someone bring the ketchup”. But still, the intention is there.
And Arighi Bianchi’s new summer collection is very much feeding into that fantasy.
The Return of the Proper Summer Table
The overall mood is colourful, relaxed and slightly Mediterranean; the kind of pieces that instantly make a table feel more considered without trying too hard.
There are striped tumblers in olive and blush pink, playful slogan plates (love these!), woven serving bowls and beautifully marbled resin salad servers that somehow make even a supermarket salad feel more put together.
We’re particularly taken with the embroidered napkins (because apparently we’ve reached the stage of life where napkins genuinely excite us). And the Confetti glassware? The sort of thing that makes everything look slightly more celebratory, even if it’s just sparkling water and a bowl of crisps in the garden.
What we like most is that none of it feels overly polished or intimidating. It’s very much “friends dropping by, long lunches, drinks outside” rather than full tablescaping pressure. Which is exactly how summer entertaining should feel.
The Outdoor Shift
There’s also been a noticeable shift recently in how people use outdoor space.
Gardens are becoming extensions of the home rather than somewhere we occasionally remember exists in July.
And it’s not just about dining tables anymore either. Outdoor lounging has become a thing in its own right, comfortable seating, softer lighting, cushions you genuinely want to use rather than store away immediately.
Arighi’s new Fatboy outdoor collection taps into this perfectly, with oversized loungers, chairs and sofas designed for exactly the kind of summer evenings that start with “we’ll just have one drink outside” and somehow end three hours later.
The Small Touches That Make a Difference
The cordless glass lamps particularly caught our eye; partly because they look beautiful, partly because every outdoor gathering eventually reaches the point where someone says: “We really need more lighting out here.”
Summer, Slightly Slowed Down
Perhaps that’s why these pieces work so well. They don’t feel like they’re pushing perfection.
They feel like they’re encouraging people to slow down a little. Eat outside more often. Invite friends over without overthinking it. Light the candles even if dinner is slightly chaotic. Which, frankly, feels like the best kind of hosting.
The summer collection is available now online and in-store at Arighi Bianchi.
