A simple and fresh outdoor summer tablescape is one of my favorites to design. The summer breeze and perfect lighting get me every summer ;).

That says a lot coming from a girl that has lived in Southern California for over twenty years now. I promise we know when it is summer time here in SoCal for those of you that think we always have a perfect climate ;).

The sky is bluer and the patio is warmer than in our winter months of December through June ;). I am only saying June because if you know you know.

Just kidding- I will tell you ;).

San Diego has a weather phenomena in the months of April-June where our skies are super gloomy and overcast. So much so – that we have even given names to the worst months: May Gray and June Gloom!!

All that to say – when the gloom finally goes away in July – we are all ready and raring to go with our backyard dinner parties!

I have a few coming up myself in the next month or so. I am the host for my book club meeting every July. And always look forward to sitting outside with my friends for that event.

Speaking of book club – if you are looking to start your own group, be sure to read my post with helpful tips on how to start a book club.

I am also joining a lovely group of bloggers with plenty of outdoor dining inspiration. Be sure to scroll down to see what they have to share too.

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In a rush?

Table Decor

Table decor is the funnest part about prepping a tablescape! In the past, I used to overthink this part of my gatherings WAAAYYYY too much!

But once I learned how to keep it super easy and simple – it became way less stressful. My outdoor table is 12 feet long and made with three reclaimed wood planks and iron plumbing rods.

Because it is so long, I always do three sets of decor on it – spaced out accordingly. But if you have a smaller table – you can easily just do one set of decor in the middle of your table and then spread pretty votive candles out on either side of your center decorative items.

Each of the three centerpieces are the same items and then I place votive candle holders randomly in between the three sets.

The gold and off white votive holders in the above photo are a recent find from my family reunion trip to Grand Teton National Park. The gold line is the outline of the Teton mountain range :).

Honestly – I didn’t actually realize the line was the mountains until I contacted the artist via her webpage and asked if I could buy a few more from her!! I had found them in the Jackson Lake Lodge gift shop on the last day of my trip and foolishly only purchased two. Then when I came home and unwrapped them – I instantly regretted not buying 5 or 6 of them!

But no worries – Tenley is sending me four more!! YAY!

Many of the votive holders are from a convenient set I purchased about five years ago that is surprisingly still available. And is most certainly my most used dinner party purchase to date!

Place Settings

I don’t have a lot of storage in my house (major builder mess up if you want my two cents on that…). I mean really – if I were an architect drawing plans for a home THAT IS GOING TO BE LIVED IN, I would make sure there is storage EVERYWHERE!! And lots of it…

Okay – enough of my complaining about storage. But the reason why I share that info – is I have found investing in nice plain white plates to be the best solution to no storage.

This way – you can keep it simple or dress it up with fun napkins and even chargers. Although, my color scheme for this simple and fresh outdoor summer tablescape is clearly neutrals so even those items on my summer table are not bold colors.

I was so excited while writing this post and looking up these chargers that I bought last year when I found they are still available! That knowledge even made me say – ‘Holy cow!” because lately I feel like nothing carries forward from year to year in the big stores. It is how they get us to constantly be buying things to stay in style.

At the time of writing this post – the woven white rimmed chargers are even on sale!!

Neutral Linens

If there is anything in my tablescaping supply boxes that I know I have more than enough of – it is napkins and table runners. I see pretty neutral linens, and I am always tempted to buy them to add to my collection.

I found these thicker, more casual style of napkins online a little over a year ago and sadly the exact ones are not available anymore. However, there are sooo many great ones out there right now!

And yes – I may or may not be struggling with whether or not to add to my napkin collection with some of these options…

I very rarely use napkin rings anymore. For a summer tablescape, I prefer the look of ribbon or jute string with a small bunch of simple dried flowers.

You can see what I used for a dinner party I hosted last summer here.

I kept the table runner super simple this year too going with my neutral color scheme of tans and whites.

The above runner is available in an assortment of colors for the stripe down the middle. The blue has my eye as to be expected for another dinner party I am hosting in late summer ;0.

Throw Blankets

As you can see by the full view photos of my outdoor dining setup, I have two benches on one side of the table and five chairs on the other (plus two chairs on the ends).

I tried having six chairs on the chair side for a few years but it always felt a little cramped. So when I found these white outdoor chairs in spring 2020, I knew they would be a perfect change for the seating arrangement out here.

I have plenty of other places to sit in my backyard if we are hosting more than 13 people (which is what the above seating options at the table provide).

Putting throw blankets on the two benches adds that perfect extra detail to make any dinner party cozy and welcoming. And of course it softens the feel of the wooden benches on anybody’s toosh ;).

Keeping a handy basket of throw blankets close by in case anyone gets cold in the crisp night air once the sun goes down is always a good idea too!

Thank you for joining me today while I share my simple and fresh outdoor summer tablescape! It’s such a lovely time of year for spending time outside with friends and family. So light up the candles and turn on the grill and enjoy the summer!

Keep scrolling below for plenty more summer dining inspiration from my amazing blogger friends!

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Have a wonderful day my friend! I hope something makes you smile today ;).

1. My Favorite Outdoor Dining Table // My 100 Year Old Home
2. A Simple and Fresh Outdoor Summer Tablescape // Pasha Is Home
3. Outdoor Tablescapes // Happy Happy Nester
4. How To Set An Outdoor Table For Summer // Modern Glam
5. A Simple Dinner In The Garden // Most Lovely Things
6. A Bistro Table Set For Two // Finding Lovely
7. Outdoor Breakfast Table // My Sweet Savannah
8. Outdoor Table With Wildflowers // Craftberry Bush