The gardens at Redwine Plantation, the 1841 farm 30 minutes southwest of Atlanta where event designer Keith Robinson lives, stretch across 12 acres and contain a seemingly endless array of fragrant bowers that transform into romantic backdrops for Robinson's lush art de vivre. "I purposely envisioned different staging areas for outdoor entertaining," he says.
Keith Robinson puts the finishing touches on the table.
He's hosted friends and family under the glossy leaves of a magnolia tree, cooked paella in a shady pavilion, and, most recently, devised a brunch under a dramatic arbor of swooping Lady Banks roses. "We have the same guests over and over again, and I like to intrigue them and show off the garden, too."
Robinson readily pulls out indoor furniture for use in the open air, like a farm table made of wood salvaged from an abandoned South Georgia house: "It has an amazing patina, with beautiful tones of warm gray." Chairs are a happy mishmash of different sizes and shapes. "Some actually came from the side of the road," Robinson says. "There's a charm in that-as if you've borrowed some to fill out the table."
Old-growth hedges of boxwood at Redwine Plantation, part of 12 cultivated acres of gardens.
For place settings, he follows the same indoor/outdoor approach, picking gleaming glassware, antique china, and vintage flatware from his collections. "Using fine things in the garden creates magic," he says. Campanella roses and peaches-and-cream dahlias in a centerpiece coordinate with the china and make a striking combination with lilac linen napkins and a tablecloth with a chocolate-hued abstract floral motif. "It's like a waterfall of roses becomes a sea of blossoms on the table."
The centerpiece includes Campanella roses, peaches-and-cream dahlias, and camellia and artemisia foliage; tablecloth and napkins, Sferra.
The menu gives new currency to the phrase farm to table, and Robinson grows nearly every vegetable imaginable. "I go to the beds and choose what I'm going to use. My neighbors raise organic livestock and make artisanal cheese. The best of what's in season is all within a four-mile radius."
Robinson's tabletop collections include antique Old Paris porcelain and tag-sale flatware.
For brunch, a crop of Meyer lemons from Robinson's Florida vacation house inspired scones and an aioli to go with cold poached salmon. ("I often do the prep work beforehand and serve at room temperature, so I can enjoy the party, too," he says.) Bacon came from next door; the frittata was studded with just-plucked asparagus.
When his guests arrive, Robinson puts a drink in their hands and walks them about the garden before meandering with them to the staging ground where the meal is waiting. "We happen upon the table in a place that's completely unexpected, with a sense of surprise."
The table is set for entertaining under an arbor of blooming Lady Banks roses.
