Good morning and welcome to Dining in the gazebo – Summer 2020. Won’t you please come in?
Michael Morris McTavish the Moose is presiding. He is a colorful fellow and has been with us since the gazebo first went up in 2015. He has done a wonderful job of keeping order during dinner over the years lol…
This tablescape started with a summer line brought in by Pier 1 in 2015 when we first set up the gazebo. A small table runner in red, orange, yellow, and green, on a turquoise background…
I added turquoise place mats and white charger plates, the latter of which I’m not entirely sure how to describe. Curlicue-shaped? I don’t know, but the curlicue shape reminds me of waves somehow. I followed with some turquoise crackle dinner plates from HomeSense that I’ve had for quite some time. They remind me of water in a pond.
The scalloped melamine salad plates were part of the Pier 1 summer line that year, and have a 70’s flower power feel to them. They are happy plates.
The napkins were also part of that set, and match the table runner. I believe the napkin rings were part of the set as well. I remember thinking at the time that I didn’t really have a dedicated outdoor dining set, and that all these items coordinated so well, and would save me a lot of running-around time. Sometimes matchy-matchy is good. I couldn’t decide if I liked the orange napkin rings or the yellow ones better, so I bought some of each.
Everyday flatware, and, of course, the fish wine glasses – another HomeSense find. I believe that they are available at Amazon.
Here is the complete table.
For the centerpiece I chose this clear glass fish with its blue tail, backbone, and fins. Inside I placed some sand and shells, and added starfish fairy lights. That was all that was needed.
In this photo, you can see the small buffet table in the corner, found on clearance at Home Depot. It’s great for holding extra dishes and serving plates. Or, for pure decoration, like it is here, with a chicken wire cage filled with faux flowers.
Love sunflowers…
And this is the chandelier in the gazebo, such as it is. I photograph it not as a beautiful object to behold, but rather, as testament to its indestructibility. In the fall of 2015, we had a nasty wind one day that ripped the gazebo from the deck and deposited it unceremoniously upside down in the back alley. You can read about that here, if you missed it. In any event, the chandelier was attached to the gazebo at the time; it somehow came through the incident unscathed, with nary a scratch and complete with intact glass candle holder.
One last table shot. I’ve used this table setting quite a few times over the years. Because everything coordinates, it is easy to pull it together quickly if you are in a hurry or for those impromptu dinners. Not that there has been a lot of dinners this summer…
Fall is coming soon – I can feel it in the air. I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer!
Thank you for your visit. Comments are most welcome and much appreciated.
Sharing with Between Naps on the Porch.
Absolutely love all these pieces together – and your fish centerpiece is gorgeous!
Thanks so much for your comments Janet. I do have other settings that I can use in the gazebo, but this one is definitely my go to – especially when I am in a hurry. I don’t even have to think about it. Thanks for visiting and happy Sunday!!
What a delightful spot to enjoy an alfresco meal! I agree, those plates are just happy!
Thanks for your comments Chloe! Normally, the gazebo is a great space for outdoor dining – just not this year, unfortunately. I’m hoping against hope that we can go back to outdoor entertaining next year as usual (fingers crossed). Otherwise, I’ll have to figure out a way to build a bigger gazebo to allow for social distancing while dining lol. I’m picturing this in my mind and I see one of those huge white tents that they have for weddings – only for six or eight people. Too funny. Thanks for visiting and happy Tuesday!
SO fun Kim! And the Mr Moose to keep an eye on everything! 🙂 Your lamp story is amazing, and I’ll go to bat for matchy-matchy any time! Thanks for the bright table inspiration – I love it all!
Thanks so much Barbara – you are so sweet! Its hard to believe, but historically, I have tended to favor neutral tablescapes. But since starting this blog, it seems like my inner color child has exerted herself- so come what may. And yes, I can’t quite believe that the chandelier survived the wind encounter either, but I’m definitely not complaining (insert smiley face (sorry, tech skills lacking – note to self: figure out how to insert smiley face in wordpress. Ha!)). Thanks for visiting and I’m sure you are looking forward to the long weekend as much as I am. Enjoy!
I love that table runner! I’ve been looking everywhere for it- to no avail.
Hi Brianna,
Thanks! I managed to track down the Pier 1 flyer that featured the napkins and table runner. It is the April 6 to May 3, 2015 flyer, and the table runner is called Suzani table topper, although nothing comes up when I google that. The napkins say Suzani too. Hope this helps. Good luck and thanks for visiting!
Alfresco dining is definitely the way to go this summer! Pretty and colorful table elements elevate the fun level and make for memorable times.
Thanks so much for your comments Sandra. It has definitely been a different summer this year – we’ve done barely any entertaining at all. I’m hoping next summer we can gather around a table again with friends and family. Thanks for visiting and take care!
Its like having your own private island of sorts! Anything to extend our short Calgary summers is a win in my books. I also enjoy matchy-matchy every so often. You’re right, its so easy to pull off in a pinch.
Thanks Danielle! And yes, anything to extend our summers here is a good thing. Remind me again, did we actually have summer here this year lol?
What a fun spot to dine! I love your colorful tablescape, it looks fantastic!
Jenna, thanks so much – it is really fun to eat in the gazebo, although its a little close quarters this summer. We’ll just look forward to next summer all that much more and hope Covid is gone or they have managed to develop a vaccine for it. Take care!