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Cool Greens and Soft Blues Shine in 2025 Design Trends

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A woman stands in front of a houseplant in a blue sweater vest.

Soft blues and whispered cool greens are colors of the natural world and a huge part of 2025 design trends. They carry Mother Nature’s messages of peace and plenty, and nourish us in the process.

A woman's neck is adorned with various blue, green, and silver necklaces with a white blazer hugging her shoulders.

Louis Anthony

Usher in an eternal spring with colorful precious gemstone and enamel pendants by Goshwara. Made with amethyst, rock crystal, and emerald set in 18K yellow gold. These talismans of fair weather and good feeling will never dim.

A green, blue, and brown vase in an almost diamond shape sits on a white background.

Asian Influences

Chinese Tang style pot with brown glaze splashed with turquoise and pale green glazes.

A man in a cream and soft green three piece suit stands against a neutral background with his hands in his pocket.

Larrimor’s

Breezy and good looking for all the warm weather months, Baldassari’s wool, silk and linen jacket and cotton polo channel the refreshing, cooler-than-thou energy of celadon. Made in Italy. Available downtown and online at Larrimor’s.

A woman stands in front of a houseplant in a blue sweater vest.

Madeleine George

The Bria Ribbed Cotton Fringe Mock Neck Sweater Tank gifts its wearer with a flutter of fringe around the armholes and waist. 100%cotton. Available at Shadyside’s Madeleine George.

Two blue glasses and one black glass sit on a neutral brown background.

Penn/Fairmount

Jason Forck designs his Penn/Fairmount line with a minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic. The clean lines of the Cinch pitcher and drinking glasses shown here in blue and clear allow the user to enjoy the refined silhouette while also being able to enjoy the aesthetics of the drink within,” Forck said. Cinch was inspired by a pitcher and tumbler (the latter shown here in dark blue) by Finnish designer Saara Hopea-Untracht from 1951; a pale green set is in the collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art. Photo by Dave Bryce.

Story by Stephen Treffinger, Danny Mankin, Keith Recker, and Abbey Cook

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Varied Neutral Tones Take 2025 Design Trends by Storm

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Neutral wood sculptures stand on a trendy tan background.

Tinted and shadowed neutral colors and finishes are restful on the eyes and soothing to the soul. They function like a deep breath of cool forest air.

A woman in a grey sweater wears various silver bracelets.

Orr’s Jewelers

Ippolita’s Classico Icons collection places gently hammered finishes with the boundaries of smooth edges and timeless shapes. Shown here in silver, and also offered in gold, this is the kind of jewelry you put on and never, ever take off.

Three neutral grey bowls stacked into each other to represent 2025 design trends.

Oatmeal Shoppe

Pittsburgh-based ceramist Elise Birnbaum has a way with clay. Her organically inspired Ripple Bowls are at once uplifting and grounded. Great for your own home as well as for gifting.

A neutral brown sandal with a tan bottom in a chunky style.

The Sōl Collective

Slide comfortably into Jabara Amor Sliders by 4CCCCEES. The open-toe design sports a wide, artfully gathered strap and ridged cushioned sole. The tan, neutral colorway is hot right now in design, so… get on it!

A black stool in an odd shape sits on a white abckground.

Brenda Friday Design

An eye-catcher for sure, the Hyde side table and stool is handmade in smooth concrete, and can withstand use outside on a covered porch. Or of course inside. Wherever you need it. Available in Lawrenceville at Shoppe B.

A neutral wood dining table set in an area with large windows and a black wall.

Today’s Home

Clean-lined, minimalistic chairs flank a round, solid wood tabletop resting on elegant wood and metal supports. Both from Canadel and available in 12 finishes from Today’s Home.

Neutral wood sculptures stand on a trendy tan background.

Fallingwater

Stoneware architectural vases by Jen Allen Ceramics are exclusive to Fallingwater. Their hand-built slab forms celebrate the convergence of architectural excellence and natural beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece. Photo by Dave Bryce.

Story by Stephen Treffinger, Danny Mankin, Keith Recker, and Abbey Cook

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The Top Fashion Trends of Spring 2025

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A woman in a white skirt pulls up her skirt to reveal black boots beneath it.

This season’s 2025 spring fashion trends to watch (and wear!) offer a refreshing take on old vs new, quiet vs bold, and the brave reimagining of vintage. We’re excited to see a turn toward breathing new life into found vintage pieces collected over a lifetime, so dust off grandma’s pill box hat and mom’s early ’80s earrings, because in this story we share a vision of reinvention to accomplish some of the season’s most notable trends. As the saying goes, we can’t move forward without looking back.  

Spring Green 

A woman wearing a green spring fashion leather coat with a chunk chain neckalce.

Topshop Vinyl Trench in khaki. Morrow & Dean Talia Linen Maxi Dress, Hazel Lariat and Chain Necklaces. Eons Vintage Snake Embossed Belt. Hey Betty Vintage Faux Gator Purse.

The “it” color of the season’s hopeful shades, from apple to army and pistachio to chartreuse, offers an uplifting outlook packed with a verdant reptilian punch.

Romantic Edge 

A woman in a blue button up top in spring blue colors.

Maxalto Petit Pois Brocade Jacket, Eon’s ’80s Gilt Gold Earrings, and Hey Betty Pearl necklace.

Inspired by the decadent details of centuries before, romance is back with a modern edge. Imagine palace meets punk, where layered textures and fiercely detailed fabrics steal the show.  

A blonde woman in a pale blue hat and blue oriental top.

Eon’s Vintage Silk Pill Box Hat and ’80s Gilt Gold Earrings.

A woman in a white skirt pulls up her skirt to reveal black boots beneath it.

Magnolia Pearl Eyelet Skirt, Black Lace Skirt (layered underneath), and Papucei Damen Stiefeletten Boots.

A woman holds a white bag with a blue scarf tied around it as she wears a spring white skirt.

Hey Betty ’50s Acrylic Box Purse and Blue Silk Scarf. Weisshouse rugs throughout.  

Track Star 

A woman in a puffy fashion trend shirt and blue plaid skirt wit white sneakers on.

Maxalto 3.1 Philip Lim Sweatshirt Combo Dress, MODA Adidas Originals x Wales Bonner Croc Small Bag and Superstar Sneakers, Morrow & Dean Silver Twist Hoop Earrings, Hey Betty Vintage Pink Sunglasses, and Socks, stylist’s own.

Sport-inspired classics flooded the Spring 2025 runways. From classic track jackets worn in unexpected ways to the return of the bowling bag, sporty prep is here to stay. 

A woman wears a spring yellow track jacket with a blue bag wrapped around her back.

Mello & Sons Yellow Track Jacket and MODA Adidas Originals x Wales Bonner Croc Small Bag.

A person wears blue joggers with fashion Adidas shoes and an Adidas duffle bag.

MODA Adidas Originals x Wales Bonner Duffle Bag and Superstar Sneakers, and Vestis Striped Gitman Vintage Oxford Shirt. 

Global Threads 

A man leans against a table in layered spring jackets and jeans with sunglasses on as well.

Otto Finn Kantha Kimono Jacket. Mello & Sons Vintage Army Shirt Jacket, Tee Shirt, Vintage Levi’s 501 Jeans, and Converse Chuck 70 Sneakers. Vintage Sunglasses and Necklaces stylist’s own.  

Luxe layers meets toned down casual in this globally inspired look. Cultural textiles spanning Indian kantha, military twill and all-American denim create an overtly cool and curated vibe.  

Luxe Lace 

A woman in a long neutral dress holds a brown clutch bag in her hand with brown sandals on to match.

Hey Betty Vintage Silk Slip Dress and ’70s Beaded Bag. Maxalto Ulla Johnson Aurelia Turtleneck and BiBi Lou Ballet Flat. Lace Socks, stylist’s own. 

Across runways, the reinvention of undergarments as statement outer-garment pieces reigned supreme. Lacy hosiery and slip dresses in a soft cosmetic-inspired palette offered a welcome surprise that blurred the lines between intimacy and public persona. 

Masculine Monochrome 

A man in a blazer jacket with a neutral shirt underneath, gold chains, and spring sunglasses.

Vintage Burberry Glen Plaid Topcoat, necklaces and sunglasses, stylist’s own.

Head-to-toe tonal dressing is here to stay! This season, the effortless, no-brainer trend turns to a calming palette of camels, tans, and creams, anchored by deep browns and grays.  

A man looks down wearing a brown hat, brown blazer and holding brown sunglasses in his hand.

MODA Billy Reid Camel Sport Coat, Frame Tee Shirt and Open Weave S/S Shirt Adidas x Wales Bonner Cargo Pants.

Rag & Bone Tucker Oxford Shoes, sunglasses, stylist’s own. 

Story by Danny Mankin
Fashion Photography by Laura Petrilla
Styled by Danny Mankin
Modeled by Lexi Ribar and Quincy Faña

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Analyzing the 2025 Colors of the Year

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A mauve purple colors paints the walls of a doorway and door in the 2025 color of the year.

Why do leading trend agencies, paint brands, and others, choose a color to express the feeling and emotion of an entire year on this complicated planet? Trend Bible’s US trend editor and TABLE Magazine contributor Abbey Cook gets into it by analyzing the 2025 Colors of the Year.

Analyzing the 2025 Colors of the Year

For the past 25 years, we have been living in a Color of the Year-inflected world where leading trend agencies and paint brands choose a color of the times. Why do they do it? Love them or loathe them, their choices focus our attention on the choices the design world offers consumers, arguably whetting our appetite for options that suit us. Color of the Year programs receive lots of press coverage, giving companies a chance to affirm their expertise and cement awareness of their work broadly in the marketplace. Let’s look at four companies who sparked up the color conversation with their picks, along with Pantone, who also pioneered the concept in 2000.

Color is powerful and creates change, not just in our homes, but all around. It should be noted these colors aren’t randomly plucked from a hat. A great amount of research and thought goes into choosing why companies see these individual colors as important in the year to come. Art, fashion, climate change, politics, restaurants, social media, and just about everything you see and touch, are studied by trend forecasters and color strategists, helping to determine the mindset and culture they expect to see in the coming year.

How All the Colors of the Year Come Together

To our delight, displaying these five 2025 Color of the Year choices side by side formed a designer’s dream palette. Together they create an earthy and comforting range, with bold blues that contrast beautifully with the browns and reds. The delicious invitation to mix and match the choices of the five influencers we chose sets 2025 apart from previous years.Perhaps this is a sign that 2025 can be, recent news cycles notwithstanding, a year of coming together collectively to focus on the planet and each other while helping to design the world into a more united place.

A brown sectional couch sits against a brown living room wall with a neutral carpet below.

Pantone – Mocha Mousse

The company that put Color of the Year on the map has chosen Mocha Mousse for 2025, a milky tan with cinnamon undertones alluding to the trusty basics we know as brown and beige. This is not a wild card choice for 2025: we needed a soothing neutral after years of dopamine brights ready to be photographed for the ‘gram.

Mocha Mousse acts as an elevated brown that will be found in accessories, wood furnishings and textiles throughout the home. Who wouldn’t want to wrap themselves in a luxurious Mocha Mousse cashmere blanket? Or lean into the cafe vibe of this color and use it in the kitchen with earthen tabletop pieces from East Fork Pottery or Heath Ceramics while you brew your cafe latte. One could even merge food and design by spooning real Mocha Mousse into a chocolate-colored bowl: our eyes would admire the monochromatic still life as much our taste buds. However the color is used, the beauty of working with it lies in its harmonious and grounded sophistication and its unassuming but all-knowing air.

A room with purple-ish walls presenting one of the 2025 colors of the year.

Behr – Rumors

Behr chose a sultry ruby red with brown undertones and spice notes that has timeless appeal. According to a recent survey commissioned by Behr, “More than three-quarters (76%) of Americans would consider painting a room or wall a shade of red and more than half (61%) agree bold red walls feel warm and captivating.” The beauty of Rumors lies in its duality. Like a good friend, it invites you into a room and envelopes you in a warm hug. Yet it’s also luxurious enough to transport you to a five-star hotel. It pops against light neutrals and adds a flair of depth and drama when paired with dark woods.

This is the perfect shade to introduce into a dining room or kitchen as it stimulates the appetite. The confident red transitions well into any room bringing a wealth of hospitality to an accent wall when set against a fireplace or in a powder room to jazz up a cozy environment. This is a classic red that boldly adds depth and comfort to the Color of the Year lineup.

A mauve purple colors paints the walls of a doorway and door in the 2025 color of the year.

Benjamin Moore – Cinnamon Slate

A nuanced mix of “heathered plum and velvety brown” makes up Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year, known as Cinnamon Slate. A new neutral with hazy undertones, this is a great color to change things up with big impact but without a lot of unnecessary noise. It works well with browns from caramel to chocolate, textured creambouclés and even a rich indigo like WGSN’s Future Dusk. The color’s mauve putty value will soften any room, suggesting a serene escape into the English countryside. Pair it with a chintz floral wallpaper to emphasize sensation. A bedroom accent wall in this muted color would create a soothing environment while still injecting some character.

For a modern take on a Southwest desert style, use it as a backsplash in the kitchen as the color nods toward an adobe stucco. Forecasters think we will be entertaining more at home in 2025, and we are likely to see tabletop textiles and accessories in this color. Look to heritage-crafted products such as block-printed linens from Soil to Studio where folk inspired florals pair with imperfect stripes.

Purple dusk, one of the 2025 colors of the year is presented as dark purple amethyst crystals.

WGSN – Future Dusk

Like Pantone, WGSN is one of the top trend forecasting agencies in the world. Major brands and retailers look to the agency’s experts for guidance in creating and marketing new products. Their 2025 color, Future Dusk, is a saturated, celestial indigo that is “familiar and futuristic”, mirroring the unknown characteristics of this complex year. An otherworldly color, it adds a bit of regal, intriguing flair to the home. It is alive enough to carry a hint of eccentricity and electricity, and yet, as a blue, stable and familiar enough to be a versatile player.

Paint a small room in this opulent shade to feel like you’re stepping inside a satin lined jewelry box. Or use it sparingly in accessories to provoke and engage the eye and invite the seer to stay for a while. Limning between purple and blue, this moody color almost suggests iridescence and would radiate on tiles like the handcrafted ones from California-based company, clé. It would also make sumptuous wallpaper in tonal patterns to dress up a small bathroom or enliven a living room.

A blue stool sits against a white background.

IKEA – Electric Blue

For the first time ever, IKEA decided to join the Color of the Year cohort. Even though it’s a lifestyle brand, their use of color and style has long been a leader in the interior design industry, so it makes sense to add their name to the game. They chose Electric Blue for 2025, a color that stands out and commands attention.

This vibrant blue is the perfect accent for home accessories, much like jewelry completing an outfit. It looks fresh when applied on a modern silhouette, such as IKEA’s minimalist Kyrre stool, which packs a perfect punch of color in a kitchen or bathroom corner. Or update a retro lamp in a glossy finish to make an office desk pop with the click of a switch for a literal Electric Blue moment. This color is loud and energetic, adding playfulness to the ‘kidult’ trend that will be big in 2025. Create this style using fun décor pieces such as quirky clocks or whimsical patterned pillows. Consider this color to be your standard of cool in accessories that will work for years to come.

Story by Abbey Cook

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Peter Cottontail’s Easter Cocktails and Mocktails

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A Hoppity IPA Cocktail in a tall beer glass sits on a white table surrounded by Easter grass, eggs, and a gold bunny by the pastel backdrop.

Spring is in the air and Easter celebrations are hopping into full swing, which means you need selection of cocktails and mocktails to match! We asked five local mixologists to help us toast the season with a lineup of festive cocktails and mocktails inspired by the classic song, Here Comes Peter Cottontail! Their delightful concoctions capture the whimsy and joy of Easter, and you and your guests will have fun shaking, stirring, humming, as well as sipping. Enjoy!

Peter Cottontail’s Easter Cocktails and Mocktails

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

A short wine glass with a Here Comes Peter Cottontail inside as a ball of cotton candy sits over the top of the glass. A golden bunny sits in the background by a pastel backdrop.

Start your Easter brunch off with Here Comes Peter Cottontail, a refreshing cocktail or mocktail bursting with bright notes of strawberry, lemongrass, and grapefruit. But the flavor experience doesn’t stop there. Vallozzi’s mixologists, Laura Karner and Stephanie Yarup, added more to the drink. “We immediately wanted to make a fun cotton candy cocktail when we heard our assigned line was ‘Here Comes Peter Cottontail’. To welcome spring, we wanted a bright sangria with plenty of fruit and botanicals.” They complete their drink with pure fun: a puff of cotton candy garnish goes in the glass before you pour the cocktail.

Hoppin’ Down the Bunny Trail

A tall glass holds a Hoppin’ Down the Bunny Trail with a Buzzed Bunny Mimosa in an orange color with a pineapple slice garnish as the whole glass sits beside a gold cocktail shaker.

Upon hearing that his assigned lyric involved hopping down the bunny trail, Square Café’s Steven Krall pulled his juicer onto the bar. In it went fresh carrots, ginger, and pineapple. Out came the freshest, most flavorful blend of juices. (Don’t worry; for those who don’t juice, he also specifies store-bought juice equivalents in his recipe.) Then, he adds lime or lemon sparkling water and a healthy dose of prosecco – which, in the mocktail version, is omitted. With or without alcohol, the resulting quaff will have you just as bubbly and jazzed as a buzzed bunny either way.

Hippity

Two short cocktail glasses hold a Hippity rose hip and lavender easter cocktail with small purple flower garnishes and a basket of eggs sitting in the background.

Collin McNamee’s behind-the-bar genius lit up with the idea of capturing the ineffable, entirely magical quality of hippity in a glass. In his view, no doubt inspired by the hallucinogenic interior of Cobra, hippity is poetically linked to the perfumed qualities of rose hip and lavender, so his recipe starts with a colorful tea made from these floral elements. Add lemon juice and strong honey syrup to complete his mocktail version, and also a glug of the botanical notes of gin to bring a cocktail into being. The taste buds will wander happily through this garden of flavors. And, perhaps, you’ll meet the Easter bunny along the way.

Hoppity

A Hoppity IPA Cocktail in a tall beer glass sits on a white table surrounded by Easter grass, eggs, and a gold bunny by the pastel backdrop.

Hoppity evoked the seductive appeal of hops for The Commoner’s Blaise Malandra, so a hoppy IPA-based drink was inevitable. Add to that special tingling of the taste buds drops of hopped grapefruit bitters, Cynar, Sfumato, and strawberry syrup…and you get a treat that has all the appeal of jellybeans and Jolly Ranchers, but with a sophistication that’s entirely grown-up and delicious.

Easter’s On Its Way

A coupe glass holds a carrot cocktail with two basil leaves as bunny ear garnishes and golden eggs around the glasses.

What does Peter Cottontail want when he finally reaches that delightful little bar at the end of the Bunny Trail? Carrot juice, of course. Cam Dickson reaches into his stash at Ritual House
to add tequila, lemon and lime juice, vanilla syrup, and an egg white. After a hard shake in a cocktail tin, out comes a frothy, tangy, yet still sweet cocktail that would calm the nerves of even the jitteriest, travel-weary bunny. Swap out the tequila for pineapple juice in the mocktail version. Both will refresh and
delight you!

Story by Star Laliberte
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Laura Petrilla

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7 Hikes Near Pittsburgh for Spring Adventures

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The forest at Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia
Courtesy of WV Explorer.

After months of cold, wet despair, it’s finally fun to be outside again. One of the many advantages to living in Pittsburgh is the proximity to the natural world. Within just an hour or two, you can find yourself in total wilderness. While there are great opportunities within the city or suburban limits like Frick Park or McConnells Mills, these hikes near Pittsburgh are a little more out of the way. They’re perfect for a fun day trip or weekend getaway away from the hustle and bustle. The majesty of nature provides comfort, awe, and connection to a higher power, if you’re looking for that. But it can also just be a fun way to spend time with loved ones and see the beauty that our earth has to offer.

7 Hikes Near Pittsburgh for Spring Adventures

The pathway at Oil Creek State Park, a hike near Pittsburgh.
Courtesy of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Oil Creek State Park

Distance from Pittsburgh: 1 hours, 59 minutes

The trails at Oil Creek State Park have something for both the history buff and the nature lover. The surrounding valley was the site of the first commercial oil well in the United States, and signage and installations around the park tell the story of the oil industry’s rise in Pennsylvania. The hills are steep and the valleys are full of dense foliage, with options for biking along a flatter, paved trail as well.

The forest at Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia

Spruce Knob

Distance from Pittsburgh: 3 hours, 59 minutes

West Virginia is rife with hiking opportunities, and Spruce Knob is one of the most beautiful. It’s the highest peak in the state and has several campgrounds where you can stay overnight, or it can be done in a day if you’d like to take a shorter walk through the woods. Once you explore Spruce Knob, you can also branch out to nearby other campsites or hikes in the Monongahela National Forest.

Lake Erie at twilight with the Presque Isle peninsula visible in the lake.
Courtesy of VisitErie.

Presque Isle State Park

Distance from Pittsburgh: 1 hour, 53 minutes

One of the toughest things about living in the Rust Belt region is not having access to the ocean. Lake Erie provides that long, blue horizon line that you might be missing. Within Presque Isle itself, there are many different trailheads, and you can do it in a day or you can camp. Migrating birds flock to the peninsula of Lake Erie, so if you like birdwatching, you can find some of the most endangered species in the state here.

A rock face at Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.
Courtesy of Midwest Living.

Hocking Hills State Park

Distance from Pittsburgh: 3 hours, 18 minutes

Though you might think of Ohio as flat, the further south you go in the state, you’ll find more mountainous terrain. Hocking Hills has waterfalls and caves open year-round, with seven different hiking trails. If you’d like to keep some of the creature comforts, you can rent a cabin in the forest with hot tubs, fireplaces, and yes, even WiFi. A cabin like that makes a perfect couple’s getaway or group trip, where some can stay indoors and others can brave the tent.

The waterfall and riverbeds at Ohiopyle.
Courtesy of Wilderness Voyageurs.

Ohiopyle State Park

Distance from Pittsburgh: 1 hour, 15 minutes

It’s a classic for a reason. Pittsburghers love Ohiopyle, and Ohiopyle has a lot to offer. In the fall, the foliage brings out gorgeous oranges and reds. But in the spring, the lush green is overwhelmingly beautiful. The forested area around the town has many opportunities for fishing, hikes of different degrees of difficulty, and cultural activities like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob.

Rolling hills in the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.
Courtesy of Paria Outdoors

Pennsylvania Grand Canyon

Distance from Pittsburgh: 5 hours, 43 minutes

The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon is better for a camping excursion than a day hike, but it’s easier than getting to the actual Grand Canyon. The rolling gorges and deep forest stretches for 45 miles from Wellsboro, PA, all the way to Ansonia. You can join at various points along the trail, but the Tioga State Forest is a good entry point. The canyon makes for great trail running and biking on the Pine Creek Rail Trail, too, because unlike most of Pittsburgh, there’s just a gentle grade and few steep hills.

The lake at Twin Lakes State Park, a hike near Pittsburgh.
Courtesy of Allegheny National Forest service.

Twin Lakes Park

Distance from Pittsburgh: 1 hour, 23 minutes

This is a personal favorite for a very relaxed hike you can easily do as a day trip. You could even re-package it as a “nature walk” for skeptical kids. There’s paddle-boating on the lakes, picnic tables, and outdoor fitness equipment to keep everybody entertained. Bring a lunch and sit by the water, and you will have a perfect day.

Story by Emma Riva
Cover photo courtesy of Paria Outdoors

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How to Set the Table for One

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A fork, knife, and spoon in the same set sit on a white table.

When a single person sits down to dinner, sometimes a fork is just a fork. Guest editor Stephen Treffinger reflects on the habits of a confirmed bachelor and recounts how to set a table for one.

How to Set the Table for One

Were you to come to my home for dinner, you would find my place settings woefully limited or completely joyful, depending on your point of view. There would be no salad forks, no fish knives, no dessert spoons. Nor would your flatware, in all likelihood, match mine. Ditto the plates: my cabinets contain a mix of one-off Crate & Barrel finds mixed with stuff I picked up on my travels and various pieces of my own making.

Long before it was a thing, I was Grannycore. And not out of some ideology; rather, I have very much of a renter’s mentality, and feel like owning large sets of anything is too much of a commitment. (Paradoxically, I’ve lived in my current apartment for 35 years!) I rarely buy more than one of anything, and never more than two. The one exception is my pottery: because I make it myself and to my own specifications, I do use several of my own plates. But unless I become a blacksmith in the near future, I can’t forge my own flatware. Commitment issues aside, the problem is also that I can’t find one set or even a couple of sets of flatware that say “me.”

Should You Get Single Pieces or a Full Set?

Flatware for one generally falls into the ho-hum category, designed by committee to be as universally appealing (and therefore as bland) as possible. The early 21st century internet has exposed everyone to everything, so manufacturers either have to go full-on eccentric or totally featureless. And while I have longingly eyed place settings from British master David Mellor, his often contain 9 or more pieces. What on Earth would I do with all of those?

You can find single pieces at big box stores like Crate & Barrel and a few others. I currently have a couple of pieces from Muji. They do the trick but are certainly not visually inspiring. Another challenge is that the cost of individual pieces is often relatively expensive, a simple knife-fork-spoon trio costing more than a full place setting.

Maybe one has to cross the pond to get satisfaction? On a recent trip to Paris, I popped into Merci, a one-stop design shop for clothing, toiletries, accessories, and housewares. Surprisingly, they had no less than 15 sets of flatware available by the piece, and in a variety of styles —each quite different from the others, some more mod, others more trad. Perhaps the French appreciate the value of choice — or perhaps the fine art of dining alone. Vive la difference.

A fork, knife, and spoon in the same set sit on a white table.

Among the objects and ideas that caught Stephen Treffinger’s eye during his Maison et Objet sejours in Paris was this set of Bistrot flatware from famed concept store Merci. Visit them in the Marais neighborhood on your next Parisian promenade or shop their English-language site online, where Bistrotis offered in several colors.

Story by Stephen Treffinger
Styling by Keith Recker
Photography by Dave Bryce

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Easter’s on Its Way Carrot Cocktail

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A coupe glass holds a carrot cocktail with two basil leaves as bunny ear garnishes and golden eggs around the glasses.

What does Peter Cottontail want when he finally reaches that delightful little bar at the end of the Bunny Trail? Carrot juice, of course. Cam Dickson reaches into his stash at Ritual House to add tequila, lemon and lime juice, vanilla syrup, and an egg white. After a hard shake in a cocktail tin, out comes a frothy, tangy, yet still sweet cocktail that would calm the nerves of even the jitteriest, travel-weary bunny. Swap out the tequila for pineapple juice in the mocktail version. Both will refresh and delight you!

How Did Carrots Become Associated with Easter?

The association of carrots with Easter, particularly in relation to the Easter Bunny, stems from a blend of cultural traditions and commercial influences. The Easter Bunny’s origins come from German folklore. Here it was was said a hare delivered eggs to children. As this tradition spread, particularly to America, the hare evolved into a rabbit. Carrots, a readily available root vegetable, naturally became associated with feeding this nocturnal visitor, even if it isn’t a first choice for rabbits themselves. Commercial advertising and children’s literature further reinforced this connection and still continues to today. Nowadays we see media portraying the Easter Bunny as a creature that enjoys carrots during its egg-delivering journey.

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A coupe glass holds a carrot cocktail with two basil leaves as bunny ear garnishes and golden eggs around the glasses.

Easter’s on Its Way Carrot Cocktail


  • Author: Cam Dickson

Description

Who could deny a cocktail made with carrot juice on Easter day? The Easter Bunny sure wouldn’t!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 oz Blanco Tequila
  • .75 oz lemon Juice
  • .5 oz lime Juice
  • .25 oz carrot juice
  • 1 oz vanilla syrup (We make ours in house – see recipe below)
  • 1 egg white or 1 barspoon of egg white powder

For the mocktail:

  • 3 oz carrot juice
  • 2 oz pineapple juice
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1.5 oz Lemon Juice
  • 1.5 oz vanilla syrup
  • 1 egg white or 1 barspoon egg white powder

For the vanilla syrup:

  • 2 ¼ cups water
  • 2 ¼ cups sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla paste


Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail tin, add ice and shake hard for 10 seconds, then strain back into small cocktail tin, discard ice, and shake again hard for 30 seconds.
  2. Strain into a coupe glass through a tea strainer.
  3. Garnish with two basil leaves positioned to look like bunny ears.

For the vanilla syrup:

  1. In a sauce pot on low heat, stir all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved and paste is combined into the mixture.
  2. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to a week.

Recipe by Ritual House Mixologist Cam Dickson
Story by Star Laliberte
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Laura Petrilla

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Hoppity IPA Cocktail

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A Hoppity IPA Cocktail in a tall beer glass sits on a white table surrounded by Easter grass, eggs, and a gold bunny by the pastel backdrop.

You all know the Peter Cottontail song that goes on about Hippity, Hoppity-ing down the bunny trail. When we asked The Commoner’s Blaise Malandra to make part of this song into a cocktail, Hoppity, of course, evoked the seductive appeal of hops. So, a hoppy, IPA-based drink was inevitable. Add to that special tingling of the taste buds drops of hopped grapefruit bitters, Cynar, Sfumato, and strawberry syrup. Then you get a treat that has all the appeal of jellybeans and Jolly Ranchers, but with a sophistication that’s entirely grown-up and delicious. Enjoy!

What is Sfumato in Our Hoppity IPA Cocktail?

Sfumato refers to a specific type of amaro which is an Italian herbal liqueur. The amaro’s name, “Sfumato Rabarbaro,” derives from the Italian word sfumato in the sense of smoky or hazy. This references the earthy, smoky, and slightly bitter notes of the rhubarb (rabarbaro) that is a key ingredient in this liqueur. It’s distinctive since it often also features alpine herbs and, most notably, rhubarb. Unlike other amari, it’s not necessarily sweet which means it combines well with the hoppity-ness of an IPA cocktail.

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A Hoppity IPA Cocktail in a tall beer glass sits on a white table surrounded by Easter grass, eggs, and a gold bunny by the pastel backdrop.

Hoppity IPA Cocktail


  • Author: Blaise Malandra

Description

Hops, a.k.a your favorite IPA, adds up to deliciousness in our Hoppity Easter-time cocktail.


Ingredients

Scale

For the strawberry syrup:

  • 2 lb strawberries
  • 2 cups raw sugar
  • 5 dashes Angostura bitters


Instructions

  1. Place bitters, Cynar, and sfumato in tall cocktail glass first.
  2. Add strawberry syrup, then fill 3/4s of the glass with ice.
  3. Finally, top with your favorite hazy IPA.
  4. Using a mixing tin, roll the drink back and forth twice and enjoy.

For the strawberry syrup:

  1. In a mason jar, muddle together strawberries, raw sugar and bitters.
  2. Let the mash macerate for about 15 minutes, then combine with 2 cups of water in a pot, and bring to a light simmer.
  3. Reduce until you’ve reached a nice viscosity, strain with a coffee filter in a mesh strainer (or just double strain with mesh).
  4. Date and store in a fridge for a few weeks. You can add an ounce or two of vodka to your syrup to extend its shelf life a bit as well.

Recipe by The Commoner’s Mixologist Blaise Malandra
Story by Star Laliberte
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Laura Petrilla

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Hippity, a Rose and Lavender Easter Cocktail

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Two short cocktail glasses hold a Hippity rose hip and lavender easter cocktail with small purple flower garnishes and a basket of eggs sitting in the background.

Collin McNamee’s behind-the-bar genius lit up with the idea of capturing the ineffable, entirely magical quality of Hippity with a Rose and Lavender Easter Cocktail in a glass. In his view, no doubt inspired by the hallucinogenic interior of Cobra, Hippity is poetically and directly linked to the perfumed qualities of rose hip and lavender. So, his recipe starts with a colorful tea made from these floral elements. Add lemon juice and then strong honey syrup to complete his mocktail version, and a glug of the botanical notes of gin to bring a cocktail into being. The taste buds will wander happily through this garden of flavors. Not to mention, perhaps, you’ll meet the Easter bunny along the way.

What is Rose Hip in This Lavender Easter Cocktail?

Rose hip, the fruit of the rose plant, is a small, typically reddish-orange, berry-like part of the plant that develops after the rose flower’s petals have fallen. Rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds, rose hips have been used for centuries in traditional medicine and culinary applications. They’re in teas, jams, jellies, syrups, and supplements, offering a slightly tart and also floral flavor profile. Beyond their nutritional value, rose hips also contribute to the rose plant’s reproductive cycle by containing the seeds that grow into new roses.

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Two short cocktail glasses hold a Hippity rose hip and lavender easter cocktail with small purple flower garnishes and a basket of eggs sitting in the background.

Hippity, a Rose and Lavender Easter Cocktail


  • Author: Collin McNamee

Description

A botanical cocktail that represents the spring season of Easter.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.5 oz Drumshanbo gin  
  • 2 oz rose hip/lavender tea (see below)
  • .5 oz lemon juice
  • 1.5 oz strong honey syrup (see below)

For the rose hip/lavender tea:

  • 8 tbsp loose dried rose hip
  • 1 tbsp dried lavender per
  • 16 oz boiling water

For the strong honey syrup:

  • 1 cup honey
  • ½ cup boiling water


Instructions

  1. Shake all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Serve in a coupe or rocks glass over ice.
  3. Garnish with dried lavender sprig.

For the rose hip/lavender tea:

  1. Steep dried ingredients in boiling water for 10 minutes, and less if lavender becomes too bitter.
  2. Strain.
  3. Refrigerate in covered container for up to a week.

For the strong honey:

  1. Stir ingredients together until combined.
  2. Refrigerate in covered container for up to a week.

Recipe by Cobra Mixologist, Collin McNamee
Story by Star Laliberte
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Laura Petrilla

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.

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