GLAM UP YOUR STAY AT HOME ROUTINE

Trayscapes Are The New Tablescapes

The Trayscape is the lockdown equivalent of a tablescape. Whether it's breakfast at your desk, lunch in the garden or dinner on the sofa, set up your meal on a tray - and be playful! We love the settings by Fiona Leahy, the international party designer behind Dita Von Teese's wedding and Nat Rothschild's birthday bash. While lavish setups are set aside, she comes up with imaginative trayscape ideas.

The good news is that a trayscape is faster and easier than dressing an entire table and no matching sets are required. Spice up your setting with some playful kitsch elements, like the golden pineapple miniature ice bucket by Nordic Nest, turn a highball cocktail glass into a vase, or use some of the magnificent trays from The Lacquer Company as the base for your setup.

You don't need to think about table linen or runners for a trayscape, but stylish napkins always enhance the table setting. Check out amazing Italian linen dinner napkins and these monogrammed Irish linen cocktail napkins from Rebecca Udall.

Go a step further by using a trolley to serve your meal or drinks. For example, add a bit of old-fashioned glamour by serving drinks on a brass or bamboo trolley from Soho Home.

Re-create drinks and meals from iconic London restaurants

Staying at home does not mean you cannot enjoy your favourite meal from London best restaurants. Check out whether they deliver, or look for their official cookbooks and get ready to re-create the iconic meals on your own. Here are the cookbooks we would recommend you to look for:

• The Ivy Now: Restaurant and Its Recipes is an amazingly illustrated cookbook. It not only provides you with recipes, selected by chef Gary Lee but also gives you an insight to secrets and stories behind Ivy's success, told by maître d' Fernando Peire.
• The River Café Cookbook is a great choice for all fans of Italian cuisine. Acclaimed for their innovative re-interpretation of Italian farmhouse cooking at the River Café, Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers have selected Italian recipes with an emphasis on uncomplicated food and vibrant flavours for this cooking companion.
• Le Gavroche Cookbook covers classic and modern French dishes, served in the eponymous French restaurant in London, as well as offers tips for creating a unique atmosphere of Le Gavroche at home, with advice on dining French style and how to select what to drink, from aperitif to sweet wine.
• The Ritz London: The Cookbook features 100 delicious recipes and is divided into the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Furthermore, there are many entertaining tales about the hotel and unique glimpses of London's finest kitchen.
• Claridge's: The Cookbook offers you a carefully chosen collection of some of our best-loved dishes and drinks from the Foyer & Reading Room, Claridge's Bar and The Fumoir. As the Claridge's promises, the chapters of this book cover everything from 'Elevenses' and 'The Art of Carving' to 'The Magic of Christmas', and you will manage to bring the epicurean spirit of Claridge's to your own kitchen.

These books will provide you not only food but also drink inspiration. Now is the best time to experiment with cocktails and our personal favourites include The French 75 by The Ritz, Gin Martini by The Duke's Bar, Claridge's Fumoir Bar Negroni and Love Triangle Cocktail from the American Bar in Savoy.

To serve your food and drinks with elegance, think of a simple but effective finishing touch, such as decorative herbs or edible flowers. Grow your own Viola, Borage or Marigold from the edible flower growbar! Within 6-8 weeks the seedlings will be ready to plant into the ground or into pots and the flowers will begin to pop out.

It's also a good time to update your dining sets and glassware, such as flutes, saucers, or coupes‎. Check out Soho Home or the Villeroy & Boch website for timeless and stylish pieces.

Once the main course is ready and cocktails are served, you can focus on a beautiful cake or desserts. Our experienced bakers can create bespoke and seasonal treats and deliver them to your door. Email Chaika to learn more and place your order.

Make your house bloom

Another great way to enhance your stay-at-home experience is to take care of your own flower arrangements - especially when one of the best floral experts in town offers you a subscription flower delivery with assembly instructions.

McQueens Flowers launched their 'Crafted by You' subscription service for those who enjoy creating their own floral arrangements. They will deliver to you seasonal flowers and foliage with a short video with tips and creative inspiration to help you get the most out of them. Check out some of their tutorials online.

Alternatively, you can always give us a shout and we'll deliver bespoke bouquets and flower compositions from our florist to you or your loved ones. Either way, you get the best flowers delivered to your door to keep your house blooming even during the lockdown.

Tune in to lockdown playlists

Being at home all the time means finding the perfect track for every activity. Or even a perfect playlist! The new trend on Spotify are themed playlists for cooking, working out, cleaning, working and reading. We like jazz for work and reading, pop hits of all periods for cooking, and energetic Latino tracks for dusting and hovering. For cocktails, you should check out The Savoy Songbook where they pair 20 songs to 20 signature cocktails from their new menu.

To discover something new, turn on the live streams by famous DJs on YouTube and Instagram, e.g. check out Mark Ronson's live sets, or listen to French radio station Fip, which offers a live radio, seven themed radio-stations by music genre and some sophisticated and eclectic playlists.

And don't forget to dress up

The last but not the least new ritual for staying at home: dressing up even if you are not going anywhere. Arrange at-home spa, try new beauty tricks, make your hair done with video tutorials or live streams from popular hair stylists, and put on your best gown. Staying at home can be glamorous!