Summer Outdoor Dining

Happy Summer Friends! I’m so excited to be teaming up with almost 30 bloggers this week to share our summer spaces with you, along with Birch Lane and Country Living Magazine. Living in the northeast, with bitter winters, it’s no surprise that summer has us begging to stay outside as long as we can.

If you missed the first part of our summer home tour, you can catch our Summer Home Tour, HERE. Since my approach to our home’s decor is already laid back, summer fits right in. There’s no fuss, just enjoying those long summer days as much as possible. Once our temps start to warm up, it’s very rare to find us inside. If we aren’t sipping our morning coffee on our farmers porch (seen HERE), then we are out and about in our yard. Since our patio makeover this past spring, we have sure been enjoying our outdoor living area.

I brought our Iris Poppy throw pillows out from Studio Pillows, for an added pop of color during the summer months.

Right next to our patio area we created an outdoor dining space, which is perfect for entertaining or weeknight meals.

I layered the table with a bleached drop cloth, secured at each end with a seashell napkin ring, to keep it from blowing up in the wind. Then I used our summer beach findings as simple decor scattered down the middle of the table. Pieces of driftwood and beach rocks collected each year, and antique mason jars used as hurricanes for a subtle glow at dinner time.

Our kids love to collect shells every time we go to the beach, however they haven’t reached the age yet where they care if they are fully intact or not. While broken shells by themselves are not all that glamorous, I use their tiny collections to fill each mason jar, as the base for a white votive candle. They love feeling like their treasures are put to good use!

I finally got to put to use an antique headboard I had been holding onto, much to my husbands surprise! It was given to me by a friend, and although I wasn’t 100% sure what I was going to do with at the time, I knew I would think of something! We made a rustic farmhouse style bench for our outdoor dining area, which could also be used just as a cute sitting bench in front of our barn.

For each place setting I used my favorite twig chargers with my white plates. I love the layered look I get with the crisp white plates up against the rustic twig chargers. I loved the retro feel from the Patterson Flatware line at BirchLane, and knew they would be the perfect addition to my summer table. When decorating with a lot of white, even in a place setting, adding texture is the best way to add dimension. Instead of using traditional napkin rings, I used jute rope assemble this casual place setting, which makes outdoor dining a breeze. 

Using a galvanized metal bucket to hold drinking water is a great way to keep it close by without taking up a lot of space.

I set up a separate drinking station, with our favorite summer “adult” cocktail, just behind the table. 

Just because you don’t have a bar cart doesn’t mean you can’t have a drink station! I stacked my favorite farmhouse side table on an old crate. This brought it the right height, so you could pour your drink without bending over. 

This is our go-to summer cocktail recipe, which I will be sure to share. It may look like just lemon water, but beware! It goes down so smooth, and the citrus adds the perfect refreshing flavor for summer. 

I love filling glass jars, in a variety of sizes with plain white candles, for a simple, elegant touch and added ambiance. 

Who is ready to dine el fresca now?! I sure hope you are inspired to set up your own outdoor dining area to enjoy. Take a look at the rest of the tours lined up to share : 

Visit Country Living Magazine to see more summer decorating ideas!

Monday

Nina Hendrick | Maison de Pax | Cherished Bliss | AKA Design | A Burst of Beautiful | Liz Marie Blog

Tuesday

Migonis Home | So Much Better With Age | Zevy Joy | Just a Girl and Her Blog | Shades of Blue Interiors | Making Home Base

Wednesday

Rooms FOR Rent | The Wicker House | Bless’er House | Love Grows Wild | Finding Silver Pennies | Design, Dining + Diapers

Thursday

Craftberry Bush | Jennifer Rizzo | The Wood Grain Cottage | Ella Claire | Tidbits | City Farmhouse

Friday

Kindred Vintage & Co | The Blissful Bee | The Happy Housie | House By Hoff | Nesting With Grace | Life on Virginia Street

 

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