An Evening with Lynn Spence at Wicker Emporium

I was recently invited to attend a special event at Wicker Emporium. To be completely honest, I wasn't aware of Wicker Emporium until this introduction, and I was surprised to discover that this Canadian company has been in business since 1973. The family owned chain of 22 retail stores (and growing!) is based in Halifax with stores in Eastern Canada and Ontario.

This event was entitled, "Inside Out" and was hosted at the store's Heartland Town Centre location in Mississauga. Style expert Lynn Spence was there to present some fabulous outdoor dining and entertaining ideas. Since summer officially arrives in just 10 days, I thought now would be a great time to share some of those ideas with you!

The overall lesson of the evening was to bring the indoors out when entertaining this summer. Lynn's advice was simply this: "Treat outdoor dining the same as you would indoors." This teak table was my absolute favourite, with 6 stylish place settings set off by a trio of statement candle holders. I was immediately drawn to the soft & chic Nantucket colour palette of this presentation.

 
The second table presentation was bright & sunny, which would be perfect for entertaining guests at an afternoon brunch. Lynn suggested using a small side table for extra plates, napkins, and perhaps a beverage pitcher. Having everything you need close at hand means not having to run back inside. Great idea!

Lynn chose to arrange this classic mango wood pedestal table as a games table, surrounded by a group of durable organic stools made from sturdy acacia wood. Wouldn't this come in handy during a rainy afternoon at the cottage?

Here's another fabulous table setting. The mood at this long driftwood table was a bit more laid back and Lynn came up with an interesting seating combination; slipcovered chairs on one side, a bench on the other, and a pair of woven rattan chairs at either end. Why not mix it up?

Moving indoors, Lynn created this welcoming vignette for a small space such as a home's front entry. The twig lamp lends a casual cottage vibe and I am still wishing that I had a spot for the gorgeous trestle table. I suggested to my sister that she should buy this table for her new home...

 

  
This cozy tufted chair could tuck into a nook and provide a quiet spot to get away for some quiet "me" time. I can imagine settling into this chair on a rainy Sunday afternoon and enjoying a good read. Lynn suggested that you should fill the space in a small nook with a substantial chair - large furniture gives your home a feeling of grandeur.

Do you lack storage space? Think of all the different ways you could use this sideboard and hutch combination, it doesn't have to be just for dinnerware. Here Lynn filled it with spare blankets and bedding, but you could also use it for towels and toiletries in the bath.

The Inside Out event was a lot of fun and I was very impressed by the way Lynn Spence styled each table and vignette. For more info about the evening, check out Wicker Emporium's 5 minute video below. If you receive this post via email, please visit the Cherish Toronto website to view the video.

All photos by Pamela Graham for Cherish Toronto.

Video provided via Wicker Emporium's Facebook page.

**Please note that this post is not sponsored and I was not compensated in any way by Wicker Emporium to write this. I was very impressed by the presentation given by Lynn Spence and I wanted to share the experience with all of you.**