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Easy French Bistro Style Winter Tablescape

French bistro style as every Francophile just loves. A spot to get away and feel as if we are in an outdoor cafe in the south of France perhaps. In my previous post I told you the how-to of creating a similar outdoor bistro in your home and today it’s a little bit of tablescaping and a personal sort of romantic story.
French bistro

We love to dine outside and this is the perfect time of year to do that in South Florida. Maybe it’s not the season for that yet where you live, but time passes quickly and before you know it you’ll be enjoying the warm weather too:-)

A table set for two the night that my husband finished the the work here.

We love to travel, especially together…and this is a little photo of my good looking husband at a very quiet outdoor cafe or French bistro in the Provence region of France that I shot a few years ago. It was such a romantic vacation and although I didn’t blog about it, I still have the photos and perhaps one day I will. We knew that someday we would try and recreate this sort of a French bistro crushed rock or pea gravel patio in our garden.
French bistro
Back when we first started dating there were no cell phones and it made me feel pretty good to read recently that the iPhone was only invented 10 years ago…which is just incredible! You just didn’t have a way to document every moment of the day that you do now with cell phones and Instagram. I can honestly say that it was a good thing in some respects as we tended to be more in the moment and the times were gentler as a result.

 

French bistro

We always enjoyed a petite cafe or tiny restaurant feel and believed in supporting local businesses when we could and still do. There was a local diner called The Mini Diner and another named Cafe Mendocino that were our favorites. As times change whether we like it or not, they were both sold and torn down for the building of the rapid transit Metro that opened here in Miami in 1984 🙁

I tried my best to recreate the vegetarian meals that we loved at Cafe Mendocino. We always said that we would model an area of our garden after the outdoor area there. A French bistro area complete with globe lights and gravel.

Easy French Bistro Style Winter Tablescape

Then we got married, bought a home, had kids, sold that home, raised our family in what is now our home and life happened. Our cafe was put on the back burner but not forgotten about completely.

golden hour table

 

Picture of a happy guy in a happy place on the day that we completed the area and finished hanging up the lights. A little older and more grey, but content in the quiet and the smaller things in life…like being together at the end of the day for a nice meal and a glass or two of wine.

 

globe lights and eucalyptus table

 

We are trying to make life more simple these days, and although we can’t get back those days of our youth…trying to take in these small moments and enjoy them. I set the table with plain white dinnerware and geared my tablescape to white and gold. It is “winter” so it’s my version of a winter tablescape, even though our winter is like your spring in most areas.

Our own piece of paradise and our version of Cafe Mendocino, and I’m hoping to either make or purchase a sign to hang somewhere back here as a fond reminder to slow down and enjoy life’s moments.

vintage garden table french bistro
A couple of faux Mongolian throw pillows from sponsors At Home and a cozy throw from Hayneedle to keep us warm and comfy.

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4 Comments

  1. Anne Marie says:

    I love this! I especially loved reading how you recreate moments from the past into your present. I enjoy reading your blog, very inspirational. Although I live in snowy PA, I so enjoy seeing your Florida posts. Hopefully we will get an early spring so I can start dining on my deck, but I don’t think it will be for awhile!

  2. Norma Rolader says:

    Oh my what a beautiful story and love the bistro area I will have to try this Thank you for sharing memories and your tips and yes you do have a good looking husband

  3. Glitter and Roses says:

    I love that you took a beautiful memory and recreated it for your home. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of sign you decide on. I have a very old birdhouse that has a sign saying “Come Rest Your Weary Wings” it’s in my garden by my roses which bloom pretty much all year here in Southern California. It reminds me to enjoy the sweet little moments in each day.