This time of year I’m always looking for easy entertaining ideas that are affordable, quick to create, and that’ll make my guests feel like I’ve really put together something special for them. All around I’m a big fan of effortless elegance. It’s what I aim to bring to every piece of pottery I make, and it’s what I hope you’ll feel when you use my work on your tables. When I’m entertaining the same thing goes: elevated ease. Let’s dive right in…

Nearly everything on this cheeseboard is from Trader Joes, so it’s super budget friendly. To create a fancy-looking cheeseboard it helps to think in terms of design concepts. I pay less attention to how flavors are placed on the board, or keeping all cheeses or fruits together and more about how everything will visually flow together.

The results from this design-centered approach? A fancy-looking board that always impresses.

Three easy tips to keep in mind:

1. Pay attention to Color, Shape, and Texture: For example if you look at the spread I assembled you can see that the blueberries are placed in the top left, middle right, and bottom left. Their round shape, blue color, and smooth texture move your eye from blueberry group to blueberry group. Because they’re placed intentionally your eye moves across the entire board— and you notice lots of other yummy things along the way. This is composition 101 in art school, now for your snacking pleasure.

2. Work in threes or in odd numbers: When you’re deciding how many groupings of a certain ingredient to add to your board, or even how many individual pieces of that ingredient, another design rule suggests working with threes or in odd numbers. Our brains like the unpredictability and asymmetry. It keeps our interest and our eyes moving throughout the array. For example, check out the apple slices: a group of three and a group of five.

3. Mix in plenty of seasonal sweet and salty options: As the seasons change so does what goes on my cheeseboards. I like to always include at least one cheese (although often I’ll do one hard cheese and one soft cheese), a preserve or spread, a specialty nut like a candied pecan or rosemary cashew, a couple of seasonal fruit options, and small pre-sized portions of meat that fit on a cracker or bread slice. After those basics are added I usually scatter something else small like pieces or dark chocolate, olives, or even pepperoncini peppers to fill in gaps and add extra flavor.

The next time company is coming over, or the next time you want to elevate your cozy movie night at home I hope you’ll feel inspired to build your own fancy-looking cheeseboard! It’s so easy if you keep these concepts in mind and the combinations are limitless! Want to see a 15 second video version of this post? Check out the reel I made here on instagram.

Collect your Cheeseboard from available inventory here in the shop while supplies last. We restock different versions of these boards throughout the year, so join our VIP list below to stay in the loop for the next small batch update!

xoxo Lindsay