Every single season that comes by calls for a beautiful table setting. Whether it’s an Easter table adorned with fluffy chicks and pastel coloured eggs, or a Christmas table surrounded by family and filled with poinsettias, crackers and candles.
The perfect table has become known as The Tablescape. Decking out a table in every theme you can possibly think of, from beautiful floral arrangements to elaborate origami affairs, they can often seem intimidating. But, if you start with the right hero pieces to decorate your table, you’ll have everybody swooning over your tablescape before you know it.
There’s never been a better time to embrace creating a luxe dining experience at home. Most of us have spent the last year only eating in our own homes, and our dining tables have become multi-use – being used for homeschooling, at-home haircuts, and as an office. Even though we are able to go out for dinner now, not everybody will be comfortable doing so.
So what better time to give yourself a mood boost, and brighten up your home with some gorgeous summer inspired summer table decor.
Line Up The Linens
Firstly, of course, you need to protect your table from wine spills and damage with a good tablecloth. The tablecloth that you choose will set the tone for the rest of your table design.
One of the most beautiful tablecloths, potentially to ever exist is YOLKE’s Linen Tablecloth in Tulip Print. This tablecloth is perfect indoors or outdoors, and is trimmed with a scalloped cotton binding. If you love the print, you can also get a set of 6 napkins in a matching design.
For something slightly more understated, but still perfectly colourful to set a summery tone. Anthropologie’s Tansy Print Tablecloth is a great option. An ethereal tablecloth that can be dressed up for a formal setting, or dressed down for a more casual affair.
If you’re planning a more messy evening, whether that be for adults or children, a throwaway tablecloth may be a better option. Meri Meri do a wonderful selection, and their Rainbow Star Paper Tablecloth is plain enough to layer up, but the pretty little stars add something a little bit special.
Table runners can add another dimension to your tablescape, and make things look super fancy. They also help lay things out in a way that makes it easier to decide where to place your centrepiece, candles, and any serving bowls. Try to use something that contrasts your tablecloth. If you’re choosing a bold print for your tablecloth, pick an understated table runner, and vice versa. A lovely option that will go with nearly anything is Zara’s Rustic Table Runner.
If you’re planning an outdoor affair, you may even want to eat cross-legged on the floor and what better way to do that than with a Blanquet by BLOOM Gin. A giant picnic blanket lays out at 6.5 metres, and is perfect for topping with flowers, pretty plates, and of course, a lot of great food and drink.
Choose Your Layers Wisely
Now is your chance to layer up your tablescape with rattan placemats, dishes, serving bowls, and really start to build up some texture on your table.
Some of the most beautiful placemats come from Arche Living. All hand painted in London by illustrators, their Fruity Placemats give each guest a little something different, and will be a great talking point.
Once you’ve chosen your placemats, you can start to lay your chinaware. If you’re preparing for a lovely afternoon tea, or setting a magical tablescape for a celebration, Yvonne Ellen offers some of the prettiest tableware. The Animal Cake Plates come in a set of 4, and are the perfect embodiment of Yvonne Ellen style. Coming in a variety of shapes, backgrounds and colours, these plates are so loveable and will go down a treat.
Isabel Avery makes some truly beautiful tableware, from serving platters to side plates. One of the cutest is her Homage to Fromage Serving Plate that is perfect for al fresco dining and stacking up with Caprese salad.
Now onto your cutlery. You can’t go wrong with a classic set from Viners, just like their stylish and slender Eden Set.
The beautiful Portmeirion Botanic Blue Pastry Forks have a lovely antique style, reminiscent of a French antique toile fabric, and will look wonderfully charming on your table.
You’ll also need some pretty glassware, and the Rosado Pink Stemless Gin Glasses from Oliver Bonas are absolutely delightful, and totally unique in their shape.
By opting for some plain coupes, flutes or wine glasses, like these Fluted Champagne Coupes from Truly, you’ll be able to use them with every tablescape theme you do.
The beauty of a jug is often underestimated, but shouldn’t be. Perfect for filling with a delicious drink, or a bunch of summery blooms, you’ll get loads of use out of such a statement piece. The perfect jug to treasure is the Fiori Floral Ceramic Serving Jug from Oliver Bonas. You’ll be left cheery and with summer in mind if you add this gorgeous ceramic crockery beaut to your table.
Decorate With Love
Decorating your table is a non-negotiable when creating a dreamy tablescape. You can find decoration for almost any theme you can think of, and don’t have to go overboard if you’d rather create an understated table. Not only does decoration mean the centrepiece, but it can spread throughout the whole table.
Flowers are the base for any beautiful tablescape decoration. It’s important to remember what’s in season when choosing your flowers, because you wouldn’t want to fill your table with Christmas holly in May! Paper flowers are a brilliant way to have an everlasting and sustainable option on your table, and you’d be surprised how real they look. Forget dreadful plastic flowers that would never pass for the real thing, Leo Flowers’ selection of flowers are incredibly realistic, and all of your guests will want to buy them. Truly things of beauty.
Move Over Magnolia has an exceptional range of beautiful candlesticks and other tableware. Emma reinvents and repurposes unwanted glass and materials to create some gorgeous pieces. By placing a pair of candle holders on your table, you can really bring it to life, and take your table from a daytime to evening setting.
Looking for the perfect candles to go in your holders? Look no further than Heather Evelyn’s. Everything that Heather creates is a thing of dreams, but her hand illustrated candles are unique every time and come wrapped in a beautiful bow. They’re both delicately simple and striking.
Something that every table needs is a grand, gorgeous cake. But not every dinner party wants (or can eat!) a whole grand cake. So what better way to set your table up perfectly with a retro, everlasting cake? Happy Crappy Cakes are the epitome of perfect imitation homeware, and everybody needs one. Each cake is completely unique as you choose your own colourway and fruit. An absolute must have.
Prepare For Me
If you’d rather opt for something that is put together for you, or find everything in one place, then you can opt for an affordable option through Dress for Dinner. They even offer a tablescape-in-a-box, which is super easy to use.
When it comes to getting food ready, you can always have things prepared for you, but never cutting back on great quality and delicious selection. Noble House Prepared offers a great selection of hampers, and for a full dinner, the Deluxe Selection is a brilliant option.
Don’t Forget Vintage
There are always great options to shop vintage for tableware and many aren’t to be missed. From beautiful coloured glass to vintage tablecloths, there are some real gems out there. Some gorgeous vintage sellers that are great to shop tablescapes with are St. Antonio Vintage, FINNA, and Aries Vintage.