An Inspired Bee Table Setting

Plates & Cutlery  by Anthropologie, Serviettes by Country Road. — Plates & Cutlery by Anthropologie, Serviettes by Country Road.

Bees are the most fascinating little buzzards.

They are amazing little critters who actually do make the world go around; they are also a gorgeous decorative motive in homewares! What a coincidence. Not only do they create one of the tastiest ingredients going around, but they also have so many skills that I just never really knew about…

Did you know...

Bees are masters of smell, being able to differentiate between hundreds of floral varieties.
The average bee produces a 1/12th teaspoon of honey in her lifetime, a lifetime being around six weeks in the summertime and up to 9months in winter.
Bees use their honeycomb to raise babies in, store pollen and nectar, water & honey.
Honey bees can visit from 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip and make that distinctive buzz sound by flapping their wings so fast during flight.
You won’t get stung unless the bee feels threatened, so swatting and panicking may actually provoke it!
Bees are the only insects in the world that make food we can eat.

Creating a bee inspired setting on my balcony was so much fun as it was such a light and fun theme. There are some excellent printed homewares available at the moment like these super cute plates I picked up online from Anthropologie. Working with a simple palette of yellow, white and green; I love how this casual setting looks so bright and playful. Always try and keep your accessory colours to a minimum, so that the plates are the centre of attention.

It can be expensive to buy ten of every dish. A feature plate like this Bee plate is fun to have just a few of. It means that when you are entertaining a small group you can mix and match feature plates. This look is perfect for a brunch get together or a casual afternoon tea in the sun.

I used a mix of roses, daffodils and mint to create the happiest of all centrepieces. I love mixing up flowers this way, breaking up their bunches with herbs and stunning foliage. The mint leaves are cute little homes for the faux bee’s that sit amongst them with and just really made the setting pop. I found these very cute sugar bees from a great online cooking store called Fancy Flour. It's little details like this that become a great talking point once you are seated at the table.