Plan an Al Fresco Dinner Party with Goods from Around the Ocean State
Kayla Aucoin of AUCOIN shares simple tips and fabulous finds
By Kayla Aucoin
With summer so close you can almost taste it, it’s time to take things outside. Whether you’re hosting a fancy porch party, dining under the stars, or prepping a luxury picnic, your guests will be swooning over a special night to remember.
Visual Feast
Since 1998 Stacy Carlson has been helping Rhode Islanders live stylish lives via her interior design business and home goods shop, Lou Lou’s Decor. Whether you head to Bellevue Avenue in Newport or Main Road in Tiverton, you’ll find a wide selection of table linens, place settings, glassware, and decor that will bring coastal grandmother charm to your table.
Center of Attention
Sharon Thorpe, the floral designer and artist behind Rose of Sharon in Cranston, embraced the assignment of navy and orange, creating centerpieces overflowing with bushy blue hydrangeas and roses with mandarin oranges cleverly mixed in. Use a large floral arrangement to be your showstopper or place candle holders between smaller bouquets to experiment with height and textures.
Pretty Provisions
Keep things simple, elegant, and potentially portable by starting with cheese and bread. Sourdough baguettes from Wakefield’s South County Bread Company are delicious served with a soft cheese like Highlawn Queen from Wedge in Warren. For a drink that’s sure to dazzle, head to Lighthouse Coffee Roasters & Cafe in North Kingstown for their Butterfly Lemonade, mixed with their Butterfly Pea Flower Tea to create a dreamy ombre effect. For the main course, make things effortless while supporting local by ordering take out from your favorite neighborhood restaurant, and cover dessert with treats from the local bakery. Easy peasy!
Rhody Resources
Lighthouse Coffee Roasters + Cafe
Featured product: Butterfly Lemonade
North Kingstown | @lighthousecoffeeri
Lou Lou’s Decor
Featured product: dinnerware, glassware, linens, decor
Newport & Tiverton | @loulousdecor
Rose of Sharon
Featured product: floral arrangements
Cranston | @rose_of_sharon1128
South County Bread Company
Featured product: Sourdough Baguette
Wakefield | @southcountybread
Wedge Cheese and Provisions
Featured product: Highlawn Queen from
Highlawn Farm in Lee, MA
Warren | @wedgerhodeisland
SUMMER SHOPPING
Lighthouse Coffee Roaster & Cafe, South County Bread Company, and AUCOIN (paper goods and table top) will be at the Tilted Barn Farmers Market Wednesdays from 4-7pm.
