Lynne Barton Bier

When I lived in France I fell in love with the way French would move their meals outside as soon as the weather permitted.  Memories of the long tables covered in brightly colored tablecloths and vases filled with flowers from the garden or surrounding fields, with chunks of baguette littered here and there and wine glasses at varying stages of fullness, of sparkling conversation that would last until well after the sun went down and the candles had burned to interesting puddles of wax  have become a part of my psyche.  Here in Steamboat Springs we have a short window for dining outdoors and even then, we often need to have heaters scattered around to ward off the evening chill.  In spite of the challenges I will stretch the season for as long as possible to be able to enjoy every moment.   My passion for dining alfresco lead me to the creation of this blog so I can share both  some fun tables and great settings I have come across.  ( This is a follow up on our post on rustic outdoor living spaces and we will do another on our favorite outdoor dining accessories!).   Here are some inviting outdoor dining spaces complete with a rustic, natural style.   Take a look…

This New Mexico Territorial covered porch with its brightly colored oilcloth table covering is a perfect spot to eat lunch out of the hot mid-day sun..

The stone wall is a beautiful backdrop to this alfresco dining space, which shows a table can still be set with stylish dinnerware and centerpieces, even if it is outdoors.  

This dining space features an iron chandelier and I love the way the curtains frame the opening to create a feeling of intimacy – what a romantic spot to dine!

This rustic table is situated conveniently next to a tremendous outdoor cooking area.  I love the way they have flowers everywhere!

This great spot lets nature do most of the outdoor decorating, a technique that would also work here in Colorado.

Do these images make you want to set up a table outside to gather friends and family around?

Images: 1 via Home on the Range 2 via Houzz; 3 liveandenliven.com via Pinterest; 4 via Houzz; 5 via Elle Decor