Here’s how Gael Boglione made Petersham Nurseries the place to be…
Petersham Nurseries is the embodiment of quintessential English country charm with its fabulous flowers, battered zinc-topped tables, bare dirt floors and quirky vintage objet d’art.
Nestled by the river in a picturesque enclave of leafy Richmond-upon-Thames, it has a green Michelin-starred café, much loved by A-list celebrities and locals alike.
It’s also rumoured to have had the odd royal visitor, impressed by the nurseries’ organic credentials and ethos.
Little wonder then that when Sir David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg met for the very first time, while filming her new three-part BBC documentary to discuss the future of climate change, that historic meeting took place here.
‘It was such an iconic moment and we felt so honoured and humbled that Sir David, who lives locally, wanted to meet here,’ says Gael Boglione, the proud owner. ‘It is a beautiful but simple space and when you walk through the gates you instantly connect with nature and the earth.’
Gael runs the business with her husband Francesco and their four grown-up children. But it is Gael who has curated the style. Here, she shares her secrets to create The Petersham Nurseries’ look in your own home.
Dress the room
Bring the outside in – I love huge pots with ferns around the room. French mirrors and fairy lights look magical – more is always more for me!
We have colonial fans on the ceiling and beautiful vintage chandeliers with low lighting.
There is lots of old Indian artwork on the walls, and distressed French and colonial cabinets, which we fill with interesting glasses and beautiful pottery made by local artists.
Add drama
The dining table needs to be about drama – and the key is to play with different heights to add interest.
As a centre piece I love a huge Murano glass vase filled with flowers and foliage from the garden, simple but very dramatic.
Across the tables we have small inexpensive glass bud vases filled with colourful wild flowers from the meadow. For an extra touch I add small seasonal plants in terracotta pots.
Table matters
We have zinc-covered tables outside in the teahouse, but inside the café our diners are seated at beautiful old timber colonial tables, which we bought many years ago on one of our trips to Bali.
The chairs are all mismatched, which adds to the charm but the trick to making it cohesive is that they are the same wood.
I am obsessed with old linens and have a huge collection but not a fan of formal table cloths as I like to see the beauty of the wood on the table. I prefer to give our guests huge linen napkins instead.
Curate your cutlery
Old silver cutlery is beautiful to eat dinner with. You can pick up some really good deals at antique fairs like Kempton, Portobello Market or you could even strike lucky at a car boot.
It’s fun to find and usually fabulous quality – these pieces have a history as well as being sustainable.
Sharing is caring
Banquets are a lovely way to eat, and when we have events at Petersham we often run sharing plates down the middle of the table.
We serve baskets of delicious fresh bread with small jugs of our own olive oil, which my daughter Lara’s husband’s family produces in Tuscany.
Glass bottles of vinegar and dressings also look beautiful on the table and we use little pinch pots for the salt and pepper, made by a local potter in Richmond.
Cheers
With delicious food comes delicious wine, and to serve it in a beautiful glass carafe looks wonderful on the table and will impress your guests.
Glasses are very important, whether you prefer formal stemmed or rustic tumblers. My favourites are the striped Murano glasses, below, we sell in our on-site shop. They come in many colours and I like to mix them up to see all the wonderful colours together.
Let there be light
Lighting is vital to create the perfect ambiance. I love to have candles on the table during dinner – a beautiful candelabra adds atmosphere and drama.
Equally I love the simplicity of using lots of tea lights. We use parchment paper inside jam jars as they give a beautiful warm glow and set a magical scene.
Food glorious food
The lusciousness of seasonal food will add to the look of any table. Nature gives us so many beautiful colours – the purples of cabbage and the orange of pumpkins that are just glorious.
I serve food on plain white plates to showcase the food – albeit on slightly imperfect hand-crafted crockery that’s not factory-produced. We like to celebrate the perfection of imperfections.
Just add great friends
Of course the most important ingredient around your dining table is family, great friends and laughter. We were very fortunate to have our family at home for lockdown, but many people have been kept away from their loved ones.
How wonderful, after the year we have had, that we can now entertain again in our homes. Bon appetit!
The Petersham Nurseries book by The Boglione Family is out now priced £65, petershamnurseries.com.
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