One of the things I love about being in Europe is the culture of long, leisurely lunches.  When we go to the beach lunch is the main event, lasting anywhere from 2-4 hours, keeping us away from the hottest hours of sun.   It was fun for us to break up days at home with a similarly festive lunch after a morning at the pool.  We even took home from the beach club the tradition of the basket of crudité — a perfect starter on a hot summer’s day.   We stocked a basket with a pile of washed local vegetables and invited guests to grab whole tomatoes or cucumbers and take a slice.  Of course we didn’t forget to put out a cheese board starter as well.  Honestly one doesn’t need much else after this!

I love how this tablecloth and placemat combination dresses up a table and makes it feel both European and coastal.  The rattan placemats make the table feel beachy and can be set either horizontally or vertically which is so fun.  This table would work well for dinner too, all it needs is some big hurricanes with candles which would blend well with the glass carafes (which I used for nearly every meal!).

I’ll miss long lunches on the terrace but am looking forward to bringing the tradition home for the rest of the summer.  We’re off to Martha’s Vineyard and Long Island for most of July and August and so will definitely be setting up some similarly leisurely lunches for the remainder of the summer!