Setting the table for a summer brunch

Be the perfect host with these simple ideas for tablescaping—and keep the flowers fresh

- Rituparna Roy

Sometimes the smallest of details can elevate your brunch party, and bring everyone around the table. Trust the pretty flamenco figurine that you picked up from your last holiday in Spain, your grandmother's vintage candle stand, or the handloom table runner you bought from a craft exhibition, to get them talking.

As a host, setting up the table for your guests is as important as the food and drinks. And you don't have to go out of your way to achieve it. "The overall feeling should be relaxed and inviting rather than a stuffy, formal setting," says Pune-based Shilpa Banerjee, founder of Etherial Experiences that designs table settings for intimate gatherings.