BLUE & WHITE NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE
It’s interesting how we pay a lot of attention to making indoor spaces look beautiful (both every day, and also for company), but oftentimes, the outdoor spaces are overlooked. Especially the outdoor dining table. Even when you’re having company, do you find yourself just putting out some outdoor melamine dinnerware and glasses and calling it a day? In this post, I’m going to show you how – with just a little bit of styling help – you can make your outdoor tabletop pretty for both everyday and for company! Throughout the summer, I’m going to share a few different tabletop styling scenarios that are easy to change out with a few accessories. In today’s post, I’m creating a tablescape with a classic blue and white color scheme.
EDITORIAL INSPIRATIONS
Throughout my 20+ years of producing and styling editorial stories, I had the opportunity to create many outdoor “tablescapes”. Here are a couple of favorites (with blue color palettes) that I styled over the years, for various national magazines.
Below is a tabletop on a screened-in porch in Saratoga Springs, NY that I styled for a story in Ladies’ Home Journal magazine. I created the centerpiece using a large blue planter filled with white feverfew, as well as a blue and white table runner and pretty blue color block napkins. You can read more about table runners in this post.
I produced the story below for Better Homes & Gardens® magazine, photographed at my Saratoga home by the wonderfully talented photographer, Quentin Bacon. I created an outdoor tabletop with easy-to-find moss as the centerpiece. I also added a pair of hanging trays as candle “chandeliers” with moss and a large pillar candle.
COMPOSING YOUR OUTDOOR TABLE
Think about all the elements that go into creating a beautiful INDOOR tablescape – and how you’re creating a “composition” – the tabletop items are the “notes” that you’re composing with. The “notes” are as follows:
- A floral (or nature) element
- Candles
- Tableware: Glassware, plates
- Linens: Napkins, tablecloth
- A “surprise” element (more on that below).
A FRESH BLUE & WHITE OUTDOOR TABLE
For this post, I created a tablescape for an outdoor dinner party – with a “casually sophisticated” theme. I styled the tabletop around a classic blue and white color scheme, accented by periwinkle-blue and light peach tones. Let’s take a look at the elements to creating this tabletop at home.
TABLE LINENS
You don’t have to use a tablecloth, but it’s always nice to have a classic creamy-white tablecloth (which goes with everything!) For napkins, I used cotton dishtowels in a pretty periwinkle-blue color.
PLATES & CHARGERS
There’s no hard-and-fast rule that you HAVE to use outdoor melamine plates (although they’re quite practical and, of course, unbreakable). But when it comes to dressing your outdoor table, there’s somewhere between paper plates and your best fine china. I look at the pattern and style when choosing the plates. For this tablescape, I chose Corelle chip-resistant plates in a Portofino pattern with a few shades of blue. A wood or wicker charger adds polish (and a bit of texture) to a place setting. And there’s no rule that says all the plates have to match – I love this set of six blue and white plates, each in a fun pattern. Links to more plates in the shopping gallery at the bottom of the post.
PRETTY GLASSWARE
Again, you don’t need to set your outdoor table with unbreakable glassware (unless it’s a super-casual BBQ by the pool). For this “casually sophisticated” tabletop, I used vintage-inspired wine goblets and shapely, stackable water tumblers (shown below).
THE LITTLE DETAILS
The details count – for example, I picked up these beautiful pink lemons at the farmer’s market, and they not only add a pop of color, but the sliced pink lemons make a beautiful garnish in the water glasses.
FLOWERS & ELEMENTS OF NATURE
As you’re probably aware, there are MANY shades of blue – and guess what? It’s okay to mix shades of blue together. For this tabletop, I used a small clipping of “Endless Summer” hydrangeas in a clear glass tumbler. For a dramatic centerpiece, I lined a classic white soup tureen with plastic wrap and “planted” it with periwinkle-purple “Sky Blue” lobelia. A quick centerpiece tip: Because the soup tureen doesn’t have a drainage hole, this isn’t a permanent planter. It’s okay to use annual plants for an entertaining centerpiece, and then re-plant them in your garden.
For another element of nature, I added a pair of myrtle topiaries in creamy-white pots for height. Another tip: Instead of using saucers under the plants, I used a marble cheese board, for texture and an unexpected element.
BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED FOOD
The food doesn’t have to “match”, but it’s nice when the food elements coordinate and COMPLEMENT the tabletop color scheme. And, of course, the serving pieces are important, as well. I’ve included links to cheese boards, platters and pitchers in the shopping gallery at the end of the post.
DECORATIVE ELEMENTS
The pretty white ceramic artichoke adds a beautiful, decorative touch to the tabletop (similar one here). Sometimes, every single thing on the table doesn’t have to have a purpose – the artichoke or leaf shape finial reads as a “food” element – even if it’s not real. Other unexpected elements could be a glass cloche or blue and white pitcher or ginger jar.
CREATING A TABLETOP “WARDROBE”
One of the best ways to get creative with your outdoor table is to create a tabletop “wardrobe” to outfit your table with different looks. Here are the elements to putting together a tabletop closet, of sorts (it’s also great if you can earmark a space for your outdoor entertaining items, so you can grab and go and not have to search in different places.
- Tablecloths
- Napkins (or pretty cotton dishtowels, which make a great substitute for napkins, especially in casual settings)
- Cocktail napkins
- Dishes (I’m not shy about using regular plates and glassware outdoors – and it’s perfectly fine to mix them together!)
COLOR STORIES
The great thing about blue and white is that there are many colors that complement this scheme. For example, you can add a touch of chartreuse in the form of plates, green apples, napkins or even bright green spider mums or green hydrangeas.
And, with the 4th of July holiday weekend coming up, instead of going all-out with single-holiday-use placements and paraphernalia, you could subtly add pops of red into this scheme with red-handled silverware or potted red geraniums (more on geraniums in this post). Here’s the link to the red handled silverware, set of plates, and dishtowel/napkins.
SHOP THE LOOK
I’ve curated a shopping gallery for you to “get the look” I styled for my Blue & White Outdoor Tabletop.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW FOR PRODUCT LINKS
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope this post inspires you to Make Your Every Day More Beautiful® with a lovely Blue & White Outdoor Tabletop – perfect for casually sophisticated entertaining this summer!