A Colorful Outdoor Tablescape – Do Something Exciting and Different!
I didn’t really MEAN to set a colorful outdoor tablescape, but it did turn out to be really exciting and different!
If you’ve been around Mantel and Table for even a few minutes, you probably know that I have a serious love affair with white, cream, and gold! Ok, maybe some silver or copper every once in a while just for a change. I expanded into blush and peach a while back too, but mostly I stick with my neutrals.
I’ve been trying to broaden my horizons a bit more lately, and this table might be the most colorful I’ve ever done! I actually love it!
A round tablecloth for a colorful outdoor tablescape
I’ll tell you how it came about. It was a beautiful evening – we’ve been alternating between really hot and pretty cold the last few weeks – but this night was just gorgeous. 80 degrees and a light breeze, the sun going down, and dinner on the way!
We had just gotten a new patio table. It was round, rather than the rectangle we’ve always had, and I only have one round tablecloth – this beautiful April Cornell one from last year’s tablescape competition. It has matching napkins too.
The pattern was a little bit of a departure for me back when I got it, and since we don’t have a round table (except for the competition one) I haven’t used it much. But with the new table, this was the night to bring it out!
Starting with my favorite charger & salad plates
I wasn’t exactly sure what plates and things to use, so I decided to just grab some of my favorites and see how they went together. That strategy is really different for me – I usually have an idea of what I want long before I set the table. So just picking things sort of at random was pretty exciting!
I started with my Williams Sonoma Bluebell chargers and salad plates. I got them several months ago and I’m still crazy about them! You can read all about that in this post. They were the foundation, and I chose the rest of the things for my colorful outdoor tablescape from there. (Though I really didn’t realize just how colorful it would be!)
White plates to even out the colorful outdoor tablescape
Since I had all that color and pattern going, I figured I should use white dinner plates to even things out a bit. These are from a set of Haviland china in the Ranson pattern that I was gifted by a very generous friend. They have a lovely design on the rims and are a great addition whenever you want something neutral but interesting.
And a white vase to match
You can only sort of see it in the picture below, but I used a matching Ranson serving bowl – minus the lid – to hold some hydrangeas from our garden. Here’s another source of color for our colorful outdoor tablescape, and even though they don’t really match, I think they’re really fun.
(As you may know, I’m a big one for matching things. Whenever anyone suggests I’m “Matchy-Matchy,” I take it as a compliment!)
Gold flatware to match the china trim
And speaking of matching, I like to have the flatware match the trim on the china, if at all possible. These are another of my favorites, the heavy and fun shaped gold set I treated myself to a couple years ago. As I’ve said many times, these are always a hit at dinner parties because they’re so different.
More favorites – crystal glassware
The glassware is also my favorite – sturdy and beautiful – and it’s always fun to have champagne! I don’t know if I’ve mentioned before, but these water glasses go right into the dishwasher! I love them!
Plus, crystal is so sparkly! The glassware just started to catch the light as the sun was going down.
Beautiful hydrangeas add to the colorful outdoor tablescape
Then as if we didn’t have enough color, I picked some of the hydrangeas in our yard for the centerpiece. The soft purple is pretty with the linens, and the cream and pink blooms pull a couple of the colors from the pattern.
You can see in the picture below that the tablecloth actually has a bit of that cream in it.
I think it’s so fun that the hydrangea bush has so many different colors on it at once. You can see the bush, all blurry there, in the background of the picture below. Though all the different colors aren’t as apparent. If you’re as curious about hydrangeas as I am, you might want to check out this interesting article I found.
Another colorful outdoor tablescape?
I’m actually kind of inspired to do another colorful outdoor tablescape this summer – maybe even some indoors too! It’s so fun to try new things and end up with something excitingly different. If I had planned this out, I never would have put all these pieces and colors together.
What do you think? Did I go a little overboard on the colorful outdoor tablescape, or are you a fan of occasional color too? Let me know in the Comments, and remember the boutique recommendations below if you’re interested in any of these pieces for yourself.
Thanks so much for joining me! Happy Outdoor Tables!
Barbara’s Boutique Selections
Click on the pictures below for links to the pieces I mentioned in this post. If something’s not available, I chose a similar replacement.
* This post includes affiliate links for your shopping convenience. If you click on a link and buy anything from that site during your visit, I get a small commission and there’s no extra charge for you! It really helps toward the cost of publishing Mantel and Table, and I seriously appreciate it. (You can read the whole disclosure policy here.) Thanks so much for shopping with me!
And remember, a portion of anything you buy from MANTELandTABLE.com goes to Habitat for Humanity and Proud Ground. With our purchases, we get to help people build homes for their own mantels and tables!
Pin the Colorful Outdoor Tablescape for Later
Simply gorgeous, Barbara! A feast for the eyes! Thanks for sharing at Tuesday Turn About! I’m delighted to be featuring your post this week!
Julie you are the sweetest! Thank you so much – it’s always a pleasure to share a Tuesday with you!
Such a beautiful way to end the day, Barbara! I love the pattern mix you chose. The colors are all so bright and cheery. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers but it’s been a while since I’ve seen purple ones so I’m excited you’ve included them. They’re just gorgeous! Hugs, CoCo
CoCo! I was just thinking about you! How sweet of you to stop by and share my hydrangeas. It’s always a game around here to guess what color the blossoms on that bush are going to be. I love the light purple and creamy green we have this year. So glad you like the table. Hope you’re doing well down there!
Your tablescape is perfection. It’s okay, in my opinion, to show your exuberance and versatility for those items you have around you. You have a zest for entertaining and life. Let it glow!
Thank you so much Carol! I always love to get your sweet comments! Hope you’re doing well out there!
Barbara, I think your table looks beautiful and no, you didn’t overdo it all! I love all the colors and pieces that you chose – the darker charger plates just look really nice on that pretty tablecloth and the hydrangeas with all their different colors are perfect – love the bush in the background too. The gold flatware really picks up the gold rims around the chargers and salad plates and the crystal stemware is always such an elegant touch. Very well done, my friend and wishing you an awesome weekend!
Thanks so much Kim – I’m so glad you like it! As I said, it’s a little bit of a departure for me, but I’m happy with this one. Maybe I’ll bust out again sometime! 😊 Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m waiting with bated breath for your next installment!
So pretty Barbara! I love the pattern mix! I am a huge color lover, so to me you can never have too much! Sometimes, the best things happen when they aren’t planned out~ keep up the color play!
Ha – you’re totally right Jenna! And I just popped over to your blog – looks like we were both on the pink and blue path today. Hope you’re having a lovely summer my friend!
I think it looks great and I am a person who likes a plain tablecloth and white square plates. I add color with casserole dishes or artificial florals (due to allergies and fear of bugs).
I think what really pulls it all together is the hydrangea centerpiece – the hydrangea colors bring all the colors in the tablescape and meld them together.
Oh thank you Pam! I agree about the hydrangeas. There’s nothing like some beautiful flowers – fresh or faux! 😊 Hope you have a great weekend!