En Plein Air - Provencal Dining

(The inspiration)

(Brickmaker's Dining Room Table, Restoration Hardware)

(Perfect storage for wine and olive oil, Wisteria)

(I love this wired crate chair topped with a plush linen cushion, Restoration Hardware)

(This wired cage lamp would be so Provencal hung from a linden tree branch, Wisteria)

(Or maybe you would prefer a lantern in the shade of the sun, Anthropologie)

(This large pot with a crackling effect is perfect for planting miniature cypress trees to surround your table, Anthropologie) 

(Perfect Acacia boards for cheeses and other charcuterie, West Elm)

(An elegant carafe to fill with water or wine, Crate & Barrel)

(This tumbler looks like it has been salvaged from a second-hand store, Anthropologie)

(Bright knives for steak or cheese, Anthropologie)

(Fleur-de-Lys dinner plate and platter, Anthropologie) 

(A mercury glass vase for a perfect floral centerpiece, ABC Carpet)

(This terracotta dish is just so pretty with the ombre effect, Anthropologie)

(This bronzed flatware is perfect for outdoor or indoor Provencal dining, Anthropologie)

(A pretty patterned napkin, Anthropologie)

(French inspired cookie canister for an after dinner treat, Target)

French country – it sounds like a decorating category in an early 90’s decorating magazine - nonetheless, this style category is a tad outdated. I like Provencal or Cote d’Azur style. While I was in college, I was lucky enough to spend about 6 months in Paris. It was there that I became fascinated (okay, obsessed) with everything French, in particularly the interior design/home magazines – not to mention these amazing baguettes from Maison Kaiser that I am still dreaming about 6 years later.  I really need to get back over there.  

I have dragged around with me, through about seven moves (in New York City alone), a huge scrapbook that I compiled of this Provencal decorating style.   I love how in Provence, the open-air or en plein-air, as they say in French, is embraced and celebrated. Meals are served outside on a long wooden table with an elegant table setting underneath shady linden trees.  I have the outdoor setting, the only element missing? A backdrop of rolling hills of lavender and perfectly aligned cypress trees.