How to Style A Patriotic Table For Summer Entertaining at Home

It’s fun to design a summer tablescape that can take you from Memorial Day, to Independence Day, through to Labor Day.  Summer skims by all too quickly so having a table setting that you can use all season.

Here’s some decorating ideas that I hope will inspire you to use your red, white and blues in new and glamorous ways ~ to rather set it and forget it ~ till you’re ready for autumn.  

The key to designing a memorable tablescape is to determine what story you want to tell.

Yes, pretty is key. But I encourage you to go beyond setting out a centerpiece and dining utensils, as lovely as that may be. You can have it all ~ pretty AND a unique work of home entertaining art that is your personal story.  Not something out of a catalog.

It’s fun to create this canvas of table art, too. 

“Foraging” your home and/or local shops for items to use in a new, different and heretofore undiscovered way, adds to a table decor’s whimsy and your expressive creativity.

For an American patriotic dining table, start with the vibrant red, white, and blue colors.  And flags. And color-appropriate flowers and/or plants. 

In the past, I’ve used carnations, hydrangeas, and roses.  

I’ve also used edibles, including our red, white, and blue homegrown berries ~ cherries, blueberries, strawberries. Nothing like harvesting your garden for an authentic farm-to-table treat.

This year, I sported edible red begonias ~ wonderful to add a lemony zest to salads and cocktails.  

I also leaned on a favorite go-to blossom ~ supermarket carnations that are the right price (although a wee bit more work of pruning off the leaves and so many stems.)  

The flowers are also edible. Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) flower petals are edible, sweet with a mild flavor of nutmeg and clove.

The red blooms elevate the look and taste of this special table setting.

Mixing some faux flowers and/or plants offers you the opportunity for a long-lasting handsome design.  Here, I used the small boxwoods in various sizes and looks. 

I wanted to showcase the summertime Old Glory pride but in an elegant way.

Chinoiserie was tugging at my heartstrings ~ calling me to share my strong love for this timeless look.  Always glamorous, I confess that I adore the blue and white and classic style.

I had purchased a denim blue chambray table runner at Bed, Bath & Beyond’s going out of business sale. (What will we all do with those coupons?!)

Because this summer table design makes its debut for our annual Fireworks party where we not only celebrate America’s birthday but also my dear Mother’s ~ who this year turned 98. ^:^  A wowsy celebration.

We host a family and friends brunch the next day where we use the table to eat at (the FIreworks party is an outdoor BBQ in our Grillscape Garden room).

I put in the two table extensions and we’re good for a lot of guests.

After placing the runner and the chinoiserie containers for the cut flowers and the begonia plants, I then looked around my home for some artful accessories to complement the look’s foundation.  

I enjoy the kind of treasure hunt to think about using things in a new, decorative way.

I determined I’d use the exotic chinoiserie elephants that were generously gifted to me by the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society after one of my garden talks there.  They didn’t have to explain to me how special the three pieces are, nevertheless, I was very impressed when the president told me the artful pachyderms were part of their permanent collection.  I treasure them all the more. And that they are the symbol of luck and prosperity, wisdom and protection. 

Good signs for a family gathering, no?  And you have to respect the elephants’ matriarchal society 👏

Treasured items like these not only add to a table’s overall look but they are also conversation starters.  Retelling the provenance of artful accessories adds to the ambiance and then some… 

More stories. More memories. 

I chose two small blue vases I purchased from a local artisan. 

What to fill them with?  I didn’t want flowers ~ I thought it would confuse the purity of the display I had with the centerpiece.  

Hmmm. I  saw some patriotic pinwheels that are made for cocktail picks.  Perfect!

More perfect?  

Surely I could do the napkins as pinwheels, right?!  

I usually keep the napkin style fairly basic but this brainstorm called for some research!  I headed to our library to flip through a napkin-folding book I rediscovered when organizing.  The things we don’t know we have…

I don’t know what made me think of doing the pinwheel napkins but they came out so great, don’t you agree?! 

I scattered tiny gold stars down the chambray table runner to add shine in the day and glitter at night.

I was wrapping up the white lites as I wanted to maintain the clean line of the look when I suddenly thought, “let me try the lights under the runner. 

Shazam!  It is a subtle twinkle at night adding just the right amount of tabletop sparkle.

Try things.  You never know what you will discover…

Speaking of sparkle, I filled these new clear globes with mirror-like confetti and tied blue ribbons to join two of the balls for each table corner.  I saw the globes in a magazine ~ (Better Homes & Gardens, I think. Thank you, Stephen.) The globes were featured as a way of adding glam to gift wrapping. They come in three sizes; I used the smaller ones in other spots in our home. Here, they add some “fireworks” glam to the holiday decor.

I added a few more things to complete the look:  the colorful, fun, Poppers ~ always a blast to open and enjoy with guests for their charms and jokes.

And the shell art created by another local artisan.

I used the blue filigree-looking Spode glasses for water or juice and our red and blue gold-tipped Italian wine goblets.

The placemats are blue with the host and hostess in red. All the place settings have navy blue chargers ~ from Williams Sonoma.

I used our silver wedding cutlery.

The plates are the glamorous, stunning Marchesa by Lenox featuring the blue and white peacock design.  I love them!  And they come with a good story too, having the winning bid for a DIFFA by Design auction!  Makes for a good dinner party conversation…..

Please enjoy this video tour of the summer Patriotic tablescape. Thank you. 

Cheers.