Here we are again, at the end of August, asking ourselves where summer went and how it passed so quickly. I love this time of year for the brimming farmstand bounty of bright, colorful produce: beans, berries, pluots, tomatoes — all of which begs to be served and enjoyed. I wanted to celebrate the end-of-summer harvest with a dedicated dinner party.

Now, I love tablecloths! However, for this harvest dinner, I wanted the bounty to be the centerpiece. So I treated my dinner table as I would a cheeseboard and laid my fruits and vegetables directly on the dark wood. This allowed guests to nosh in between courses — and it made for a beautiful table decoration.

I put some local red cockscomb in our Blue & White Urns. The rest of the table decoration was edible: red grapes, heirloom tomatoes, string beans, dried apricots, sunflower seeds, Carr’s crackers, marcona almonds…

This summer was different from previous ones, as I launched my first collection of “Entertaining Accoutrements” in June: Tableware and Accessories to help anyone entertain at home.

In the place settings, I incorporated my Ceramic Blue & White Straws to match our cotton Blue & White Napkins, Bamboo Napkin Rings.

We also incorporated some of our earrings into the tablescape in unexpected ways …

On the menu was Summer Melon Salad and Grilled Tuna.

I set the table in Bamboo Hoop Earrings to match the Bamboo Napkin Rings.