In today’s newsletter, I’m sharing 10 tips for styling a simple summer table, links to one-off treasures, and why having an open door policy is good for your mental health. Let’s get the creative juices flowing and people over.
G’day!
Are you well? Hope so.
My aunt texted me the quote below from The Sydney Morning Herald by Australian author and journalist Amy Molloy. I think we’re cut from the same cloth. Lovely isn’t it?
Odette’s 10 Tips for Styling A Simple Summer Table
I’m constantly banking ideas for future play. I’m hosting an event in the Fall so I’ve been brainstorming ideas for tabletop, florals, and food. I think my love of creating worlds comes from my theatre background and mother, who took me to way too many art galleries growing up. I’ve also been on enough photoshoots, and learned from some great photographers and stylists by watching.
1. First up: There are no rules.
Forget the “in and out” malarkey.
What’s always in style? The treasures you’ve collected on your travels, the $2 vintage wine opener, or the platter you carried home in your hand luggage. Like books, these objects are tracks of your life, keepsakes that spark memories you might otherwise forget. They add texture, narrative, and soul to a table. Don’t hide them. Sentimental never goes out of vogue.
2. A tight budget breeds creativity.
A theatre set designer once told me, when I was staging a production of Patrick Marber’s Closer on a shoestring: “Put your money into one object that distills the spirit of the play. Don’t spread it thin.”
Apply that same thinking to your table. Pick one thing to highlight and go big. Candles are affordable heavy-lifters. Or play with produce, sculptural bread, textural salt, or a seasonal ingredient en masse.
3. Move the table somewhere unexpected.
Sometimes, just changing the table’s location shifts the whole energy. This summer upstate, I dragged ours to face the open field, and it was magic. A new vista gives everyone a fresh perspective. Channel the opening quote in this newsletter and get your friends to help lift. Mine did.
For those eyeing my large vintage ceramic pot in the photo…
I’ve a few large vintage ceramic pots that I use inside and out. Often I’ll have to put a glass vase inside them as they aren’t always waterproof, but they make flower arrangements look a million bucks and look glorious and sculptural in the home.
2.Japanese Antique Wabi-Sabi Edo Pottery Vase 19th Century
3.Double-Handled Terracotta Amphora Pot
4.Large Early 19th Century French Terracotta Olive Jar from Provence
5.19th Century Spanish Terracotta Olive Jar
6.Turkish Dual-Handle Terracotta Storage Pot
4. Use art as inspiration.
Each table can be its own world. The scroll can be dangerous, because we can end up with a homogenous pool of ideas. Instead, take inspiration from a favorite film, painting, or photograph. The art direction, set, and costume design in the movie, Call Me by Your Name is a favorite of mine. I loved this interview with set designer Violante Visconti di Modrone.
5. Forage, don’t just buy florals.
I love a trip to the Flower District, but I’m also a forager. Fire Island and upstate each have their own wild flora, ever-changing with the season. These wildflowers came from the field.
6. Don’t forget negative space.
Unless you’re going full maximalist, let the table breathe. Sometimes, a little restraint makes everything else shine.
7. Add a curveball to the glassware.
This one I learned from Amy Elise Wilson, who did prop styling for Simple Pasta. (Have you got your copy?)Set a classic scene, then break the rhythm. For example, you might have all white dinnerware, then add amber-colored hexagonal glasses or colorful handblown ones to create some surprise and tension. Pitchers and vases also bring beautiful shapes and lines into the mix. The same idea can be applied to ceramics. For classic wine glasses that are good for white and red, I have these.
8. Bring something plush into play.
Outdoor comfort is an underrated luxury. Think: a soft block-printed quilt, sheepskin throw, cotton blanket as the evening cools. I never thought I’d be someone who owns a padded table cover, but my elbows love this one.
9. Gorgeous linens? Optional.
I love a beautiful linens, but some of my best table covers have been improvised. I’ve found bolts of vintage fabric, mixed unexpected pairings like metallic chiffon with cotton gingham, or used a bold stripe for something playful, and Italian damask when I want elegant. My go-to lately is inspired by what many restaurants are doing: a white tablecloth topped with a large sheet of white paper. I bought a big roll and just keep it in the basement.
White. Ivory. Black. Gray. Charcoal Gray. Also this oversized Crate and Barrel Linen tablecloth is in my cart.
10. Don’t do it alone.
Bored of your own stuff? Go play with your friends. Two minds are better than one. This is your sign to nudge that friend who’s always up for a little creative mischief.
Some of the best meals I’ve had were eaten on my lap or at a linoleum table. So whatever you do, don’t let optics stop you from sending an invite.
Let this post be inspiration, for those weekends when you have the bandwidth to make a meal feel special. The knock-on effect? Everyone might just slow down and be in the moment.
Love this kind of thing? Subscribe for simple recipes and inspiration every Tuesday and Thursday.
(If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission or have a sponsored relationship with the brand, at no cost to you. I recommend only products I genuinely like. Thank you so much.)
i’m in love with those pots. anything wabi sabi yes pls
My friends know I love a “lurker”… come float in my pool or read a book on my couch anytime. I can be there or not, we can chat or just parallel play, or maybe they even know the code to the lockbox. Open heart/open house.