Antique Inspired Summer Celebration Table

I’m bringing some inspiration today, in the form of this dreamy antique summer table. Summer tables will always bring me great delight. I get lost in layer and pattern combinations. Bringing out my favourite treasures, using them in new ways…

I set this table as part of a recent Summer Floral Workshop. The workshop was a last minute thing but as always the best people gathered. We created under the Hawthorn tree. First making floral Jam Jar arrangements full of  that sweet summer fizz. I cut roses straight from the bushes and picked grasses as needed to give the arrangements their final sparkle. After tea and cake, I shared how I set a summer table.

Table laying or “scaping’ as it is now know can be a bit of an art form. I’ve been laying tables since  I was a little girl. I still remember feel of my Granny’s ‘special’ lace table cloth and the distinctive smell of the cupboard where the dinner glasses kept. For this table I wanted it to feel light but also have a some depth. You’ll see the lace from the original tablecloth poking out from underneath. Doubling up is a great way of making a table feel sumptuous and another way adding a few more textures to the table. I played around with this idea when I styled this Alice and Rosa cake table a few years ago…

The showpiece for this table was always going to be the cake. This cake was for my MiL’s birthday dinner, it seemed a waste not to use it. I usually bake my own for a homespun feel but a big birthday needed something special. This was from a local baker – SS9 Bakery – it made the whole table feel a little more elevated. For any big celebration I always recommend buying in a cake, it makes the set up so easy. Don’t forget to pop it on a cake stand and of course add a few fresh flowers.

When it comes to napkins you can really bring in different details. As demonstrated here, using a napkin as a placemat gives an extra opportunity for another pattern. Or if you prefer something simple a delicate embroidered napkin is all you need.

For the tableware, I bought out my ever increasing collection of vintage plates. I kept the tones of the plates similar, tying them into the details of the champagne coupes and floral candlestick holders. I’d found some khaki candlesticks in Boni-Vee whilst on a flower delivery – they stopped the table from tipping into twee. They melted in a really photogenic and dramatic fashion.

As a flower grower I must talk flowers with you! The feverfew had just come into bloom so that is what I used. I love Feverfew and would recommend it to anyone. Once established it will happily self seed around your garden or in any nook and cranny going spare for ever more. They are such joyful flowers and add a playful touch to any bouquet or table set up. I used my favourite and most precious bud vases from Talking Tables. If you want a table to feel extra special, I’d add a few of these to your bud vase collection, they always look SO good.

I’ll leave to enjoy the rest of these photos in the hope they inspire you to set your own table this summer, should it stay dry enough!

If you need flowers for any celebration big or small. I have plenty in the cutting beds and plan to be in bloom until November. If you’d like a private workshop or some styling advice I’d always be happy to host you here in the garden.