Outdoor Table Decor: Ideas for Decorating Backyard Tabletops
Hoping to make your outdoor dining table look magazine-perfect? We’ve got you covered! This photo-filled roundup of some of the most gorgeous outdoor table styles is sure to inspire. From vineyard chic to ultra-modern sleek, here comes gorgeous ideas to spark your imagination.
Across all of these outdoor table decor photos, you might notice a common theme. That is, each one has a theme.
This doesn’t mean you have to pigeon-hole yourself into a niche. If you love the boho style but don’t want your outdoor table to have too much of a hippie vibe, use these elements of style to guide you toward an outdoor table that is uniquely yours.
When in Doubt, Go Simple
Less can be more! Achieve a timeless and elegant look with simple decorations. A few small, simple vases with cheerful flowers set atop a crisp white tablecloth (or a plain table if it’s particularly beautiful or character-filled) and attractive dinnerware, stemware, and silverware let the food be the star of the show. Whether it’s a casual party or an extravagant feast, your table should support the occasion as a backdrop for delicious food and great conversations and laughter with the people who matter most.
Stick to Your Favorites, and Rotate the Rest
It’s tempting to want to put a little of everything onto an outdoor table, but resist that temptation or your table could look like a hodgepodge. Think of it this way: if you love certain elements - your must-haves - then use them consistently. Then, take the art museum approach and rotate the displays. That way you’ll never get tired of a certain look, and your table will always look fresh. For example, if you have a cool collection of candleholders, let them be the foundation for your outdoor table decor. Then, use a different set of vases or jugs to display various seasonal flowers and switch up your placemats to give each party its own character.
Choose a Color Theme
Using three colors: a dominant color, a secondary color, and an accent color, can help simplify the design process. Your dominant color could come in the form of a tablecloth or a repeated centerpiece such as burlap-wrapped pots; the secondary color could come in the form of napkins and vases, or monochromatic foliage; and the accent color could be a table runner or a pop of color in an otherwise subdued flower arrangement.
Remember Sight Lines
Make sure that decorations for summer alfresco meals don’t get in the way so diners sitting across from each other can actually see each other. If in doubt, go with shorter flower arrangements and centerpieces. Break up those big bouquets into personal mini-bouquets at each place setting; choose succulents for a modern look; and if you do want to use a taller element, make sure it’s narrow enough to make people feel like they’re playing peek-a-boo across the table.
Add a Living Centerpiece
Cut flowers are gorgeous, but you can also opt for living centerpieces that you can use all summer. Lavender, wheatgrass, and succulents are natural choices.
Go Beyond the Classic White
We can all agree, classic white tablecloths are hard to beat. But sometimes, drama is the name of the game. It’s fun sometimes to use a bold tablecloth that needs very little in the way of additional ornamentation. A rich Moroccan tapestry adds an exotic flair to your outdoor table. Don’t be afraid to mix patterns and colors as you accent a bold tablecloth.
Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose
Glass jars are a brilliant way to add a bit of country charm to an otherwise elegant table setting. The glass makes for a light and airy outdoor table centerpiece. Decorate the outside of each jar and set it on top of a unique wood slab or slate board. Or, leave the jars unadorned and fill them with fresh-cut flowers for a light, airy look. Vintage tea kettles or farmhouse milk jugs make excellent centerpieces too. Often, when you’re repurposing objects for an outdoor table setting, it’s hard to find exact matches. And that’s part of the charm. Just like every person sitting at the table is unique, your displays can be, too!
Use Natural Elements
When you’re wondering, “what do you put in the middle of an outdoor table?”, think natural. Natural elements are always the most appropriate for an outdoor setting. Aside from the centerpiece, add a touch of nature to your place settings with raffia, jute, sea grass, or woven straw place mats. They’re a beautiful contrast to crystal vases and fine stemware: just right for a garden party. Shorter potted ornamental grasses such as Dwarf Fountain Grass or Elijah Blue Fescue are gorgeous in monochromatic or minimalist table settings. Their softly billowing seed heads add a soft touch to a modern table; and you can accent their colors with napkin rings, napkins, or placemats.
Make a Statement with Bright Jewel Colors
A pop of color may be exactly what you need to liven up a traditional all-white table. Magenta reds, cobalt blues, lime greens, royal purples, and sunset oranges can find their way onto the table in the form of water jugs, colored glass vases, candles, old apothecary bottles, napkins, glass balls, and of course flowers.
Use the Good Stuff
Don’t reserve your fine glassware, silverware, and dinnerware for indoor holidays. Celebrate life and celebrate the moment by using the good china at a garden party.
Use a Linen Tablecloth, Macrame, or Even a Scarf
Linen has a wonderful summery texture and you won’t have to worry about any wrinkles, as they’re part of the charm. Choose an off-white linen tablecloth and napkins for a more casual setting and pure white for a more sophisticated setting. For something a little different, decorate an outdoor table with a macrame runner or a scarf that you rarely wear. Give it a new home as a stunning addition to your outdoor table.
Try Mismatched Dinnerware
We’ve mentioned before, don’t worry about every single place setting looking exactly the same. Embrace the uniqueness of each guest and mix and match several different styles of dinnerware, glassware, and cutlery to give each place setting its own character.
Leave Some Room
While it’s tempting to fill every inch of the table center with gorgeous flowers or other centerpieces, be sure to leave room for food, unless the party is buffet-style. Even then you’ll need room for bread baskets, dipping sauces, and beverages. After all, the food should be the star of the show. Using food such as bread, a charcuterie board, or even decorated olive oil/vinegar bottles make excellent centerpieces, but with a purpose.
Add Night-time Magic
If your garden party is going to transition from day into evening, be sure to add lighting. Of course candles are the gold standard but today you can also use battery-operated fairy lights either on their own in a gorgeous display of light or incorporated into glass vases. Overhead, string lights add a romantic Mediterranean cafe-like atmosphere.
Use Things in Unexpected Ways
Put a candle into a large glass vase and surround it with limes. Wrap a long branch with fairy lights and use it as a minimalist centerpiece. Surround a candle or a bud vase with vibrantly green moss set onto a vintage floral plate.
No time? Here’s some tips for quick outdoor table decor with long-lasting style!
For those impromptu brunches and afternoon teas, the strategy is simple: do without a table cloth if the table itself is attractive. Use whichever plates, drinkware, and silverware you have handy (yes, even the fancy holiday-only stuff). A vase with some fresh flowers will immediately set a “garden party” theme and if you don’t have any fresh flowers on hand, a small house plant will happily serve as a temporary centerpiece.
Can you put a farmhouse table outside? If you’ve been dreaming of hosting garden parties around a stout vintage farmhouse table, the good news is that as long as the table is protected from the sun and rain under a porch or pavilion (and you take it back indoors after the summer) it should hold up just fine. Or, choose farmhouse-style outdoor furniture that can remain outdoors all year (though you’ll want to cover the table anyway to extend its lifespan.
Bon appetit!