Summer dining is just so beautiful and relaxed, isn’t it? With the summer breeze gently caressing the plants and blooms around you, the sun slowly setting the temperature warming your body and soul, there is nothing better than summer dining with friends, whether that is al fresco or in the dining room.
Celebrate and dine in style, with these great summering dining tips from the team here at Modish.
I. G-o-r-g-e-o-u-s tableware
There is a saying, we eat with our eyes first, and there is nothing more pleasing for a host that when guests arrive, there is a short intake of breath as the beauty of a well-laid summer dining table reveals itself.
There are countless ways of creating a beautiful dining table but in the summer months, we think the best way is to make use of the natural light.
Natural light is made up of all the colours on the spectrum and so glassware that looks blue in mid-day sunlight will look much less severe, taking on a pinkish glow in the rays of the setting sun.
So our first tip is simple – everything shiny, from beautiful glassware to extra shiny cutlery and cut glass tealight holders work.
II. Theme it
We know, predictable but you know, there is a lot to be said for choosing a theme to your table decoration.
If you want a pretty-looking table, it needs to be stylish and that means bringing a sense of cohesion to the table.
And just because you are dining al fresco, flowers and floral prints are not the only options, although who can refuse the delight in the heart with the sight of a blue Forget-Me-Not?
How about bright colours, such as the blue of the ocean to brighten your reclaimed wood furniture, making it staggeringly beautiful in the summer sun? You could opt for fabric dining chairs in a lovely shade of blue.
In fact, blue is a fitting colour, along with dashes of red – how about framing the underside of your dining table with bench with a contemporary red rug? – for the upcoming celebration of July 4th. Back in 1776, independence from her colonisers was declared and America became the land of dreams.
Our second tip is to choose a colour palette and stick with it, using an ocean theme with pleasantly cool blue and streaks of red and white are ideal with July 4thcelebrations on the doorstep.
III. Light it up
The atmosphere is created by people, company and conversation, whilst ambience is created by lighting.
Strings lights with their delicate light work well piled into glass jars. Used them liberally across the top of the large sideboard in the dining room or on the industrial shelving unit that allows light to play.
And then there is the romance of flickering candlelight to include. Use candelabras with slender candlesticks on the industrial sideboard to make a statement with both height and light. Or keep the candles to small tea light, clustered and scattered across the dining room.
As guests discuss the gossip and hot topics of the day in low murmurs, they will be hypnotised by the flickering light.
Everything looks so much more beautiful and less harsh and real somehow, by candlelight.
So our third tip is this: let there is light, but dim, low-level and warm.
Do we have space to squeeze in a sneaky tip? We think so. Thus, if you do nothing else, in the centre of your beautifully styled reclaimed wood dining table, place a vase of garden flowers, from blousy peonies to rambling roses, to trails of ivy and scented honeysuckle, tie it lightly with a ribbon and let summer stay with you for a time to come.
