How to Set a Beautiful Summer Table
Vintage ironstone, blue dishes, gold flatware, greenery and rustic wood elements come together to create a semi-formal summer tablescape, with a pop of pink for a little unexpected fun.
Do you enjoy putting together tablescapes? Or do you find them challenging? I'll admit that setting a pretty table used to be really hard for me until
I figured out the key to simple yet stunning tablescapes...mix and match!
When everything matches too much, it looks too formal and stuffy. Use
vintage mixed with new pieces, light mixed with dark, a variety of textures
and shades and patterns, are all you need to pull together tables that are
unique and beautiful!
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Welcome to the June edition of Pinterest Challenge, hosted by the fabulous
Cindy over at
County Road 407.
If you're coming over from
First Day of Home, welcome! We are a group of decor-loving bloggers who take on a different
challenge each month. You can see how the rest of the group took on this
challenge at the end of the post. This month's theme was a dining tablescape.
Karen at Sanctuary Home Decor is masterful at putting together beautiful table settings! This was our
inspiration photo for the challenge.
Isn't this table worthy of a good swoon? From the furniture to the amazing
peonies, I could happily just move onto this porch and call it good 😉
But sadly that's not what this challenge is about. Here is the inspiration
from Karen's table that I used to decorate my summer table.
Elements to Decorate a Summer Table
1. natural wood
2. glass bottles
3. something pink
4. something edible
5. candles
6. wood cutting board
We live in Texas...south Texas...where it's mighty hot and humid already.
Dining outdoors is not really an option. Plus, we're kinda known for our
mosquitoes down here.
So because I wasn't able to set up a table outdoors, I tried to bring some of
that feeling inside our dining room. On a side note, I'm seriously considering
painting our hutch white...what do you think?
1. Natural Wood
I love the light wood and rustic feel of Karen's dining table and chairs. On
my own table, I used a small dough bowl filled with teacups, and I splurged
(for me!) on
these new chargers
that have that natural, rustic wood look. They're nice and chunky too, which
is very different from the other chargers I own.
2. Glass Bottles
I really love Karen's centerpiece of glass bottles filled with peonies. It is simple but stunning. I don't have anything currently blooming in my yard, so chose to use candles in the place of flowers. I set them in my white milk glass vases for a pretty centerpiece that is still simple. Designer tip: If the hole of the vase is larger than the taper candle, simply wrap about an inch of the end in some white tissue paper until it holds steady. So many of us own these vintage vases, and now you can use them as candleholders too!
In lieu of the flowers, I did two things. First, I added both real and faux greenery to my table in white and terracotta pots. The terracotta pots are new, I just rubbed a little bit of dark furniture paste on them to quickly age them. I did this with smaller, dollar store pots as well. These ones have a candle topped with a little moss. Some inexpensive rock filler keeps the candles from falling over. This is just a little way to bring some of the outdoors in for this summery table scape.
3. Something Pink
The second thing I did in lieu of those beautiful pink peonies on Karen's
table was to add a little something pink to my table. I found this pink
lemonade in the glass bottles at Aldi, and I think they add a little
unexpected pop of color to my table.
4. Something Edible
While Karen used a loaf of bread on her summer table, I chose to use fruit. A
pretty pear, sitting in a milk glass parfait cup at each place setting, makes
this table feel just a tad more formal. This is about as formal as it gets
over here!
5. Candles
I've already showed you how I used the white taper candles on my table. You
might notice that a few of them have lots of drips on them. I like that look,
and it was simple to do. I simply lit a white votive and when the wax started
to melt I tipped it over so it dripped down the sides of my tapers. I just
realized that I took all of my photos and forgot to light the candles 😕 so I
quickly remedied that (although the pears are missing in these photos...they
were yummy!)
6. Wood Cutting Board
Did you spot the wood cutting board I used on my table? It's actually right
there in the center of my table as the base for my centerpiece.
This is a trick I learned from Robyn over at
Robyn's French Nest. She is a whiz at decorating tables using items from her stash. So I took
a tip from her and layered my centerpiece. I started with my DIY drop cloth
table runner. I just love these ruffled edges.
I'm planning to make some napkins soon, and will share a tutorial once I get
that up (make sure you're following me
here if you love getting FREE decor tips, ideas and tutorials!).
On top of my drop cloth runner, I layered a
flour sack towel
from Target. Next I placed a large
wood cutting board
on a bit of a diagonal. I used stacks of ironstone dishes to elevate certain
items so nothing was on an even plane. This gives interest to the whole
table.
The
matte gold flatware
and the embossed goblets
make this table feel a bit more formal, even though it's really totally
casual...it just has a lot of stuff on it!
I hope you got some good tips and ideas and you're feeling a little more
confident to decorate a pretty tablescape for your friends or family (or
just for yourself!). I could play around all day with my vintage dishes and
tableware, I enjoy it so much.
SHOP THE POST
Pin it to remember
Please visit Paula at Sweet Pea next, and then visit all the links below! There's so much variety and summer table inspiration to see.
bringing beauty to the ordinary,
What a gorgeous table! I adore blue willow china. It instantly makes me feel cooler in the hot summer.
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy, I love the candlesticks. I totally get the heat and melted candles. We ended up getting a rainstorm hours after I took my photos. I have soggy cloth napkins! It's looks really pretty. I need to find some candlesticks.
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!
ReplyDeleteI love your tablescape Cindy! I love how you took all the elements of the inspiration photo and incorporated them into your own tablescape. I love all the different elements and putting pears into the ice cream cups is such a pretty idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle!
DeleteI always love your mix and match tablescapes, Cindy! And I usually only use my blue and white currier and ives in the winter because of their pictures, but now you've got me thinking it would be fun to do a patriotic table with them. Love how you simply laid the cups in that wood dish; brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lora!
DeleteOkay... that candle tissue tip is genius... and I love the terra cotta pots as candle holders, too! I'll be stealing that idea! Those Aldi lemonade bottles will make adorable vases, too! Love your table, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Julie, glad you found some inspiration!
DeleteYour table is gorgeous Cindy! I love the blue and white, it always feels like summer. I ALWAYS forget to light the candles, glad I'm not alone. And the terra cotta pots are the best.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim!
DeleteI love your table! And the cups all nestled inside the dough bowl is an adorable idea that I hope to remember. I'm pinning it but you know how that goes. I bet if I ever find and purchase a dough bowl I'll be one step closer. As for painting the hutch, I adore white. Ours is white and the table is black and I'm wanting to paint the table white too. You go first and that will help me decide. ;) Thanks for joining us this month. Loved everything!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cindy, and I know what you mean about pinning and forgetting 😉 I just moved my hutch and will forgo painting it for the time being bc I just can't bring myself to think about painting the table and chairs also!
DeleteCindy, I love the way you have created so many interesting layers on your table. It really makes every pretty detail stand out. So creative to use the milk glass vases as candle holders and milk glass cups for the pears too. Truly a gorgeous table. Pinning!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Michelle!
DeleteHow fun, love your collection of candles and milk glass. Adding candles to the flower pots is so fun too. Gorgeous blue and white tablesetting.
ReplyDeleteCindy, I love all the pretty details of your casual/formal table. The contrast between the dressy and the vintage makes it so interesting. The bread bowl is gorgeous. I’ll have to look for the pink lemonade bottles. Love that.
ReplyDeleteCindy, everything looks so pretty! I love the blue Currier and Ives dishes. And the pears are a nice touch. The cutting board adds great texture. So gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYes, I think your hutch will look lovely painted white!! Cindy, your table is stunning with all the layers, the fabric textures and the "new" china from your in-laws. A nice present!!! I love the chalkboard in the background, too... <3 I've been thinking of doing that for a while. Might get that done here as we really heat up in July!! (Can you believe how early the heat has come? NOT ready for it...)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your pretty tablesetting,
Hugs,
Barb :)
Your table is gorgeous, Cindy! I love your wood chargers and your inherited Currier & Ives dishes. Your tip to wrap tissue paper around a candle that is too large is a good one!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many pretty details and elements on your table! I especially love the tip for getting "drips" on the candles. I'll have to try that!
ReplyDeleteNiky @ The House on Silverado