Entertaining Expert Alice Naylor-Leyland Shares Her Secrets for Hosting a Picture-Perfect Summer Soiree
The founder of British tableware brand Mrs. Alice reveals her favorite menus, flowers, and tableware for a beautiful seasonal fête
Summers in England may bring rain and sun in equal measure, but fickle forecasts aside, if there’s one thing Alice Naylor-Leyland can rely on, it’s a well laid table. The British designer and founder of the popular table and homeware brand Mrs. Alice leans heavily into color and her signature festive flair as she entertains through the warm summer months.
“For me, it’s really the joy of sitting at the table and bringing people together,” says Naylor-Leyland, who loves hosting leisurely lunches or dinners al fresco on the grounds of her home in the English countryside, where a rambling river provides a scenic backdrop.
To create the perfect tablescape, the mother of four looks to her garden where fragrant roses, blue delphiniums, and viburnum frequently inspire the palette and themes of her tablescapes. “I love to cut them as my base,” she says.
Next, she selects her tablecloth. “I’ve never had a naked table,” states Naylor-Leyland, whose unwavering love of linens was likely passed down from her mother, Serena Fresson, who serves as Mrs. Alice’s director of design. “They say that if you lay your table with a tablecloth, statistically people stay longer, and they have a heightened experience of the food,” states Fresson.
One of the mother-daughter duo’s favorite linens is a new coastal blue and lush green colorway in their best-selling ikat design that recently debuted as part of Mrs. Alice’s Carolina Collection. The assortment, which is the brand’s first collection to be shot in the United States, was inspired by The Dunlin, an Auberge Resort, located just outside of Charleston, South Carolina on the banks of the Kiawah River.
“We’ve always been inspired by the concept of entertaining, but also particularly by the palette that The Dunlin and designer Amanda Lindroth worked so beautifully on,” says Naylor-Leyland. “We completely went to town on our pastels and ginghams, and there are so many fun uses of color and texture; it was the easiest aesthetic to fall into.”
On a recent trip to the property, seagulls sang over the surrounding marshland as Naylor-Leyland set tables with ceramic parrot candlesticks, wicker accents, and sea-green urns painted with flora and fauna. The Carolina collection is a British love letter to the Lowcountry, and the warm, welcoming hospitality of the American South. “We wanted to create a table that really spoke South Carolina to us,” she says. “There’s so much color, but at the same time it’s demure and feels a bit effortless, which I think hosting should be.”
Details large and small are a hallmark of Naylor-Leyland’s whimsical, layered designs. “I’m a sucker for a colored candle,” she shares, pointing to the ice blue and apple green candlesticks she’d paired with Mrs. Alice’s new ikat tablecloth and the brand’s narrow glass hurricanes. “I also love a pop of color in glassware, and a rechargeable lamp—you can stay at the table longer than relying on candlelight alone.”
Small surprises are another welcome touch, and come summer, Naylor-Leyland often uses unconventional place cards for guests to take away, be it a monogrammed bow or a personalized napkin. Most important, she says, is to thoughtfully curate the seating chart. “I think how you seat people is really key,” she explains. “I always have an end, or a head, as I think you have better conversation and a more communal chat.”
As the days grow longer and the temperatures soar, Naylor-Leyland’s summer menus are inspired by easy yet elegant dishes, like a slow-cooked shoulder of lamb served with fresh feta, mint, and pomegranate. “You can have it with salad or couscous,” she says. “It’s just beautiful, and looks fancy.” For dessert, she likes to serve a summery pavlova with fresh berries, a light mousse, or for the ultimate splurge, a Chocolate Nemesis Cake from the River Café in London.
Always, she believes in balancing old and new, layerig pieces from her own collection, with heirlooms such as antique silver passed down from her in-laws. “It’s important to mix brands, as it can be a bit nauseating when it’s all too similar,” she jests. Equally essential, she says, is to think ahead and prep, thereby avoiding any unnecessary stress. “I think knowing your color scheme, what plates you’re going to use… all of that makes a big difference. Organization is key.”