Being in lockdown doesn’t mean you can’t host a special Sunday lunch party for your family

Related to this: Lockdown home cleaning hacks

Make Sunday lunch a special occasion for your family. Come up with a theme, plan a delicious menu and ask the family to dress up – yes, even the children. Then make it memorable with a beautiful table inspired by some of the top entertainers featured in Garden and Home and get the children involved by asking them to design the menu and the decorations.

1. CITY CHIC

“Start with a good base like a nice table cloth and runner, then set the table with place mats. Always have fresh flowers on the table even if it is a single flower from the garden or an abundant array styled in creative containers,” says Stefan Norval of Afresh Event and Styling. He chose a smart yellow and charcoal theme for this lunch on the patio and included unusual plant material for interest.

2. PRETTY IN PINK

Flowers abound in this setting by Debbie O’Flaherty of Let’s Celebrate. Inspired by watermelon, both the fruit and the colour, she chose flowers in that shade and even designed a menu with a watermelon motif. To offset them she chose a pale blue table cloth. “If you don’t have flowers, arrange a collection of potted herbs down the centre.”

Read More: Inspiration for outdoor living areas

3. GARDEN PARTY

Move the table into the garden as Paul Maciel of Italian restaurant Pronto did here. Choose a spot with dappled shade and hang decorations from a nearby tree. Keep a few throws handy in a container or basket should anyone feel chilly.

Keep reading: Small garden makeover

4. HELLO SUNSHINE

For this sunny setting, Marc Shotland of Home Fabrics used the yellow chairs as the starting point and arranged yellow blooms in fabric-covered containers. “As I work with textiles, I look for ways to transform them into talking points such as making them into napkins, tablecloths and runners,” says Marc “When decorating the table, use what you’ve got – it’s more personal and less costly.”

5. CHINA BLUES

“I love to set a proper table, complete with flowers, best china and silver cutlery,” says Shelley Higgs of The Midlands Gourmet Food Company. In keeping with the beautiful blue design wallpaper and slipcovered chairs, she chose blue and white china and placed it on rustic looking woven placemats.