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Evenings are drawing in a little, mornings begin with a cooler temperature and fresh scent of change in the air. The transition has begun; summer giving its final breaths and ready for the gentle wind down to autumn. As the elements outside change, so does our Sorbet Living collection – launching select new pieces designed to embrace the quieter rituals of the months to come.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, the garden and outdoors still has plenty to give. Whereas in the height of summer – particularly this year – we almost become blasé to the sun-drenched days, in the weeks ahead a bright warm day feels like a parting gift from the season bowing out. A chance to set the table outside with pretty linens, take tea and toast on the terrace to the sound of birdsong, cut the vibrant dahlias before they disappear until next year, or bake a comforting sweet pie with September’s first windfalls.
The Last of the Impromptu Suppers
There is something different about an outdoor meal in these final weeks – they’re less planned than the long, languid lunches of July. A warm afternoon announces itself unexpectedly, and suddenly the table is being carried out, the cloth shaken loose in the breeze, glasses gathered before anyone has quite decided what’s for supper.
We love this kind of spontaneity. A loaf of bread, whatever cheese is in the fridge, tomatoes still warm from the vine, all set down without ceremony. Catching the last of the light before the clocks change and the garden asks to be left alone for a while.
Setting a Table That Holds the Season
An outdoor table in early autumn needs pieces that feel grounded. Our signature striped mugs, in green and deep red, sit at the centre of this – sturdy enough for a second pot of tea once the air cools, and rich in colour to carry through to the festive tables of December.
Alongside them, our textured serving plates bring a handmade warmth to whatever is being shared, whether that’s sliced fruit, delicate sandwiches or a tart still cooling from the oven. The fluted bowls are made for late-season fruit – blackberries picked on a walk, the first windfall apples, plums that have ripened almost too quickly in the last of the heat.
A hand-painted jug is a versatile piece of crockery at this time of year. Use it for water at the table, or fill it with a few stems from the border – the last of the dahlias, a handful of Michaelmas daisies, whatever stems thrive before the frost. Either way, it brings a note of colour that feels entirely of the season. And beneath it all, our artisan linen tablecloth softens the whole setting.
Comfort for Lingering a Little Longer
As the afternoons shorten, the temptation is to eat quickly and retreat indoors. We’d rather encourage the opposite – a reason to stay out a little longer. Our striped mattress, made for cushioning the garden bench, turns a hard seat into somewhere worth lingering, blanket over knees if needed, cup of tea in hand as the light turns golden and the birds settle for the evening.
So before the season properly turns, we’d encourage a few more mornings with toast on the terrace, a few more afternoons with the bench cushions dragged outside, a few more suppers eaten with the last of the light rather than under it. Autumn will ask for its own rituals soon enough – for now, the garden still has something to give.
Explore Sorbet Living’s new autumn collection including striped mugs, textured serveware and artisan linen, to make the most of the last days outside.
Styling by Ailie Williams
Words by Amy Tarrant.
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