Eating a late dinner and enjoying a glass of wine as the sun sets behind you – now that sounds like a great summer evening to me!

I love dining outdoors and try to get my family out on the patio for meals as often as possible during the warmer months. For the most part, it definitely isn’t anything fancy. Just full plates and big smiles from Elle – she loves eating dinner in the open air.

But every now and again, when Aaron’s bought a nice cut of steak or I’m popping a bottle of Champagne, it’s nice to do something a little extra to elevate the everyday moments into something special. You know, to transform a plain old dinner into a dinner date – which is especially nice to do when you have two young kids at home and getting to those downtown restaurants isn’t quite as easy as it once was!

The good news? When you’re eating outdoors, it doesn’t take much. Your beautiful surroundings are already doing a lot of the work for you.

I was fortunate to team up with one of my favourite stores, HomeSense Canada, to find all this beautiful outdoor tabletop decor (and for only $150). But with a little creativity, chances are you can whip up a sweet and simple table setting with items you already own.

How to Create an Easy Outdoor Table Setting

1. Create Ambience with Lighting

Whether it’s candles, lanterns, twinkly lights, overhead lights, glass orbs or flameless candles, a little mood lighting can go a long way!

I chose to add ambience (and a delicious citrus scent) to our table with some candles and also benefited from our Edison string lights and fire table in the background!

Here are some examples of fabulous mood lighting:

2. Incorporate Fresh or Natural Elements

Natural elements, such as fresh flowers, greenery, fruits or vegetables, are key to making a tablescape memorable. They’re a great way to add volume, height, colour – and even a refreshing fragrance.

Given the citrus scent of my candles, I chose to display some fresh lemons. Plus, to tie into the green space around us, I opted to accent my table with faux greenery and succulents.

But you don’t have to spend money to incorporate something fresh! Head into your garden or go for a walk and clip some fresh flowers or greenery to add a touch of nature to your table.

3. Add Texture and Vary Height

Lastly, I always love to create visual interest by layering textures and varying the heights of my tabletop decor.

I found the prettiest blush pink linen tablecloth and pink palm napkins that I paired with marble-look outdoor plates. But if you don’t have a tablecloth handy, don’t fret! There are the obvious choices – adorning your table with a runner or placemats instead – or you can get creative and use a fitted sheet, blanket, tulle, lace, brown kraft paper or even wrapping paper.

For height, I added some faux greenery and decided to put our pretty yet functional water dispenser on display! Just remember: when adding height, always keep your guests in mind and avoid positioning anything at eyelevel that might obstruct their view of one another!

I hope you find these easy outdoor table setting tips helpful. Happy dining!

Xo Holly Hunka

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