Entertain at Home

Not long after they returned from a restful honeymoon in Noosa and Byron Bay, Tony and Kate Squires began planning a relaxed lunch to catch up with close friends, by way of saying ‘thank you' for being a part of their special wedding day. For Kate, it was the perfect opportunity to use her favourite gift from the couple's wedding registry: the stunning Jasper Conran at Wedgwood ‘Chinoiserie' dinnerware.

 "It's a beautifully bold pattern that stood out amongst the more standard ‘wedding china'," Kate said. "The colour works in so well with our house and the rest of our crockery, we just had to have it." Tony and Kate's light-filled home overlooking Clovelly Beach provided the perfect setting for the lunch; its neutral furnishings allowed the rich colours of the dinnerware to take centre stage. A large vase of blue and purple delphinium formed the centrepiece, with smaller vases of blue bells, lily of the valley and cornflowers scattered across the table, further accentuating the striking white and jade tones of the dinnerware.

While Kate often mixes the beautifully patterned plates with a white dinner set to make the Chinoiserie a feature, on this occasion the complete Chinoiserie set was laid on white table runners with white napkins decorated with a blue flower placed on each side plate. The couple's adorable dog Skipper looked on and champagne flowed in the elegant Waterford crystalware as Tony and Kate shared a delicious lunch with their close friends. On a shelf behind the table, photos of the wedding day prompted the sharing of many stories and memories.

"We were lucky enough to host this lunch on a perfect spring day - so we swung open the windows, let the sunshine in and enjoyed delicious food, wine and great conversation with four of our best friends.  I couldn't imagine a better day."