How to Decorate the Table

1474

“One must set a table according to the time of year: in winter, in enclosed and warm places; in summer, in cool and open places. In spring, flowers are arranged in the dining room and on the table; in winter, the air should be redolent with perfumes; in summer, the floor should be strewn with fragrant boughs of trees, of vine, and of willow, which freshen the dining room; in autumn, let the ripe grapes, pears and apples hang from the ceiling. Napkins should be white and the tablecloths spotless, because, if they were otherwise, they would arouse squeamishness and take away the desire to eat.”

Bartolomeo Platina, De honesta voluptate et valetudine

Flower arrangements are nice, but a heap of downed tree limbs can really make your dining room reflect the season. Hurricane season, that is.