Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. I was so lucky to spend this past weekend in East Hampton at the loveliest home. The house dates back to the late 1700′s but has been updated impeccably. Everyone staying at the house had a “job” to fulfill for Saturday night dinner; my friend Perrin was the chef (by far the biggest and most important job!) and I was in charge of setting the table. Here are a few photos from our evening. Hooray for the first dinner party of the summer!
Setting the table was so much fun because the homeowners have so many beautiful table linens and tableware to choose from. Isn’t this tablecloth from Roberta Freymann great? It was the perfect backdrop for crisp white napkins and plates. 
Fresh flowers from the garden…
When you have a big group like we did, sometimes you have to mix and match chairs from different rooms to accommodate all of your guests. Alternating like we did below helps the table feel more cohesive even though the chairs don’t match. We love the look of mismatched chairs even when you do have enough of one set for all of your guests. 
Windows without treatments can be so beautiful, especially in rooms like this one where the light is so great and the wood paneling so distinctive. 
These French bistro chairs (left) are so chic.
Small stones from the beach make the perfect place holders.
Perrin (right) and me in the kitchen. 
Summer entertaining for big groups means two things: Food that can be made ahead and served at room temperature. Here’s Perrin’s menu:
Grilled eggplant with feta and parsely dressing fits the bill perfectly.
Tabbouleh salad with tons of fresh mint and parsely is just as easy to make for 2 people as it is for 15 and just gets better the longer it sits.
Ready to eat! 
One of the simplest summer desserts, mint chocolate chip ice cream cake with a chocolate Rice Krispies crust.
Chef Perrin and host, Gene.
