Wine and Cheese Party by Bistrot Chic

Bistrot Chic styled this Cheese and Wine Table as told by Sofia

"I was contacted by Jean-Marie, a sweet French man living in Lisbon for 8 years, who was leaving Portugal to another country due to his work. He wanted to gather at his place some of his best friends in a farewell party, but being a man he didn't wanted cakes... so he asked me if he could have a "different" party! I wanted to do a "Wine & Cheese Party" for quite a while but I hadn't had the opportunity yet, so I took the chance immediately! We used his home balcony for this party, as spring finally arrived in Lisbon and the late afternoon's are quite pleasant now.

The first thing that caught my attention when I visited his apartment, were the tiles, so inspired by them I styled a rustic cheese table. Jean-Marie wanted to keep it simple but yet elegant. We needed two different tables for this party, a main one and a support one, and instead of styling them in a similar way, I choose to make them in different ways but in the same style and mood. The main table had to have more impact, so I used fresh flowers as always and also decided to go for 2 big candy jars with burlap and a knot, with a big flower arrangement to make a "statement" surrounding a cake stand with grapes ans green apples inside the dome. 

In the support table, just used some peonies and small greens in a smaller jar filled with coffee beans. Instead of the usual bows, I decided to use knots and in the main table I putted some burlap giving a "tie effect" in the corners of the table that was surrounded by burlap, to make it look more masculine. The second table just had a simple black ribbon. There are two pieces I liked particularly. The heart shaped trays we used for bread and the "cage" that I filled with rosemary. They belong to me but I loved borrowing them for an afternoon! We decided to go for French and Portuguese cheeses, Portuguese wine, nuts, chutneys and brown breads. 

Vendors:_ Styling, labels and photos - BistrotChic (www.facebook.com/BistrotChic) Chalk Boards (one of them pre-printed), Chalk glasses, Chalk tray and olive bowls - Chalk Loves You (www.facebook.com/ChalkLovesYou) Olive's and chutney's trays in the main table - RBG (www.facebook.com/RBGinteriores)