LIFE entertaining

A floral tablecloth made from

a Claremont fabric creates
a veritable flower bed in the
midst of bucolic farmland.
BELOW: Keith Robinson.

FIELD TRIP
In the leafy Georgia countryside, the arrival

a
of fall is worth celebratingand no one does
it quite like event designer Keith Robinson.
s autumn descends on Georgia, it brings with it a collective,
contented sigh. Its that moment in the year when the humid-
ity has broken, the sky is blue, and theres not a cloud in it,
says Keith Robinson, who notes that its also his busiest time
of year. Theres something about the light that is really spectacular, and
this alone is a great thing to celebrateto come together right at sunset
and have the party linger on into the evening.
To capture the spellbinding spirit of the season, Robinson arranged an
abundant dinner on a friends rolling, sheep-dotted, 300-acre farm, not five
miles from his own home, Redwine Plantation. The designers tabletop inspi-
ration: vibrant hues that complement the pumpkin-spice tones of the moment.
We dont get a first frost sometimes until well into November, Robinson

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LIFE entertaining
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: An Araucana
rooster on the farm. A Southern
antipasto station includes pickles and
tomato jam. Plates and glasses, Arte
mest; coupes, Match Pewter; napkins in
a Schuyler Samperton fabric; candle
sticks, Hawkins New York. Sweet potato
and pear pies on Juliska trays.
140
says, so all the beautiful dahlias and zinnias and hydrangeas
have taken on their fall colorsmore intense and deep and
rich. Robinson placed them center stage in his collection of
cinnamon- and nutmeg-hued 150-year-old preserving crocks,
all handmade in the South; the blooms inspired the table
setting, a jewellike assortment of Italian china and delicate
coupes with incongruously rustic pewter stems. As night
falls, tapers in rose goldtoned candlesticks keep the festivi-
ties going into the wee hours. The way they reflect light isnt
as intense as brass or gold, and their richness is really appro-
priate for the palette, he says.
Robinson fashioned what he calls a Southern antipasto
station on a side table, with his own tomato marmalade,
pickles, and artisan cheeses and breads. On the other end of
the table, he arranged desserts evoked by the harvestsweet
potato and heirloom pear pies that he makes himself with
end-of-season fruit grown on his plantation.
But the best thing about hosting an autumnal event out-
doors in Georgia may just be the summertime guests that
dont attend: mosquitoes. Theyre long gone, but fireflies still
flit and pop like miniature comets in the open air; theyll
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continue to delight until winter. They make such a beautiful
show! I love creating magic in unexpected places, Robinson
says. Who wouldnt want to come to a dinner party in a field
under the stars and have a great celebration?
PRODUCED BY JENNIFER JONES CONDON
PHOTOGR APHY BY BRIAN WOODCOCK
WRITTEN BY K ATHRYN OSHEA-EVANS