How to Set a Charming Summer Table Without an Alarming Budget

 

Are you like me, do you love a wonderful table setting or tablescape?

You ask: Like the ones I ogle in magazines?

To which I respond: Well, yes – sort of.

I love when they have the fun dishes, unexpected touches, perhaps something personalized, BUT are still actually:

• doable
• approachable
• realistic
• don’t cost a fortune
• and you can see your tablemates over all the “stuff”.

That’s exactly what I have for you today!!!

Did Barbara from French Ethereal send you my way? Wasn’t her garden tea table delightful?

If you are new here: a special welcome!!! I am all about creative problem solving to allow for more joy in our lives. Today’s problem is how to set a charming table (inspired by the image below) by visiting a thrift store or two; or even better, without spending a thing.

All the other gals are linked at the end of this post. You will of course want to stop in at each one.

By seeing the variety of interpretations of the same image, it will help you learn to pull inspiration, but spin it to do “You”. And this is one of the most valuable skills when its comes to decorating.

Here is this month’s inspiration image, from Hello Hayley.

What an inviting table, right?

Full of texture, simplicity, and most of all charm!!!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Here, we’re talking charming and inviting!

Other tables may elicit other feelings, such as bubbly joy, whimsy, formality, etc.

But I started with the charm of this table. To emulate that feeling of charm, first I needed to determine what in the image triggered it, so I could recreate it in my setting.

The individual place settings are very simple, even dare I say, incomplete with no flatware or napkins or glasses. It’s like this picture captured the table in the process of being set.

It focuses on texture with the rough table top. The placemats are really more chargers, but full of texture. The dishes are all white but have an interesting texture.

What jumps out at me is the simplicity of the centerpiece. It’s a composition of mismatched white pitchers, creamers and maybe sugar bowls. All with gathered garden clippings.

And there lies the charm! It’s homespun. I can hear the laughter and banter of an extended family who has gathered to spend a Summer day together. Everyone is doing their part to get this early evening meal together. The young cousins gathered clippings from the garden and each found their favorite vessel for the centerpiece.

That’s probably not this table’s real story, but that’s the story I hear and feel when I look at the image.

To me, this table tells the story of a family that loves to come together around the table sharing and making memories.

I start with a general concept or theme.

Due to the inspiration photo, my concept is homespun charm.

The centerpiece is what communicates that, so I will recreate the inspiration centerpiece with a gravy boat, a pitcher, a sugar bowl and maybe a creamer from my own small collection of vintage white vessels that I love and keep on my kitchen open shelves.

I’ll gather clippings from my garden similar to what the inspiration image shows.

Since that centerpiece concept has a lot of flexibility, I first pulled together the place settings, so I know how much room I have for the centerpiece.

In the case where the centerpiece is more fixed and space-hungry, I start with it and then work in my place-settings to fit.

My everyday tends to be white dishes, so this is where I strayed from the inspiration to make it reflective of “me” and of my guests.

As I was thinking about my garden clippings, I began thinking about my band of blogging besties — four of whom are avid gardeners. And they all share a love of transfer ware dishes. Plus three of us share a love of blue and white.

So in essence, this table was not determined by a special occasion, but rather by the feeling of the inspiration image and these special ladies.

I started with white dinner plates placed on round placemats, like the photo. But blue straw for my placemats.

Then I layered on blue salad plates that I recently purchased at my local Dollar Tree. YES! Dollar Tree can you believe it!

They have a clean, modern feel that I love. And even better, no two are exactly alike.

The pattern has a bit of a fireworks feel. So I layered them with red and white dishes for the 4th of July.

But here I liked their clean edge between the rope edge of the dinner plate and the more delicate and sometimes detailed edges of the small blue and white transfer ware plates that sat on top.

Each transfer ware saucer is different — a unique blue and white scene or flowers.

A casual light blue chambray napkin in a simple napkin ring I personalized for the evening is the perfect finishing touch. Casual, yet personal.

Speaking of personalizing, check out how I personalized the napkin rings. I came up with a solution that is smudge proof, yet temporary — yes it wipes away clean.

We’re not done, but can I take a quick pause to ask if you are enjoying this post? I’d love to have you join our followers to receive all the goods: new blog posts, newsletter and exclusive content:

Hmmm, it was really very nice like this, but I felt like something was missing. Was it a bit too predictable? A tad bit ho hum?

Looking back at the inspiration photo, I decided it needed those great rays of sunshine.

But where my table sits, no direct sunlight can reach it. So I added the next best thing, lemons and a few cheery yellow garden clippings.

That was the extra touch of brightness, the ray of sunshine, it needed.

What do you think? I did “Me”. Now tell me, what would you have done differently to make that charming table “You”. Leave me a note in the comments down below.

Did I accomplish a charming mis-matched Summer tablesetting?

If you need a charming flower arrangement, that is also the absolute easiest, I got just the arrangement for you! And here’s a super charming flower box placecard to make with a free printable.

Then scroll back up just a bit and see the ideas this very same image inspired in Cindy, our organizer, who blogs at 407 County Road.

Here’s a Pin to help you remember where you found this (and to help me be found). Thanks bunches!