Tablescaping Beach Cottage Style! |

Entertaining?

On a budget?

Like laid-back country coastal style?

Or have no budget whatsoever?

Here’s what I do

tables : shop thrift stores, Ebay and Craigslist – you’ll often find top quality wood tables just maybe not the wood ‘colour’ you like…so look at the shape – I like square classic lines and chunkiness, not much fuss going on…and if it’s not the right colour, zap it with a coat of white or black and distress the edges

tablecloths : hate your table? that’s why they invented tablecloths …not got enough money for a pricey one in the boutique? or more, not got enough money for one at the budget store….use an old sheet as your base…shop garage sale for table linens, it’s often the thing people have sitting in their ‘for best’ drawer for 10 years and never use and then sell to you at a garage sale for a few dollars! look for plain, simple styles, keep your eyes peeled for 100% linen that would cost a bomb in a real shop…

chairs : mix and match vintage with modern, love that….paint old wood chairs white and add seat pads…tie in your table with cushions…use directors chairs for a beachy laid-back feel…

placemats : shop dollar stores for bamboo mats in different shapes…stick to classic colours, black, white and neutrals…want a coastal feel? look out for striped linens to go on top of a white base (cheap idea: use napkins as mats)…IKEA, KMart and Target all have great table linens for low prices…check out IKEA’s tablescaping in store to see how it’s done…you can find this online too)…no budget…cut up old burlap coffee sacks or fabric you already have, fray or hem the edges and lay vertically across the table…

napkins : start collecting, I have an old vintage trunk full of old linens…just perfect to use all the time cos you can pick them up for next to nothing…look out for plain colours with tiny details, source linen and cotton…easily washed…I like plaids, blues, whites, stripes and ginghams for a country coastal feel…stick to one colour palette but mix textures…look for unusual napkin rings or tie with string….or raffia is nice too…save up ribbon to tie in a bow…rip up strips of old cotton for a frayed look and tie casually around…stick in something natural, that’s cost you nothing…a shell, cone or leaf…

centrepiece : candles, candles, candles…shop dollar stores for plain colours…buy stacks of tealights, line ‘em up and light…fill old glass jam jars with tea lights and spread out for a soft glow (see mine here)…chief among the virtues of copious amounts of candles is the speed and ease which they can be piled on and the stress-reducing glow they instantly add.

Large items = impact…too many small ones = clutter….be aware of space on the table…focus on your centre/large item and work round that

work in odd numbers, 3′s or 5′s and add different shapes…add a sphere alongside a vertical shape…supposedly the designers trick

flowers : go see what’s in the garden…single flowers in old glass jars, alone or in a line, simple, effective and very cheap!…buy one budget bunch from the supermarket and dress it up with garden greenery…buy a cheap bunch of mixed, strip the leaves & pop individual stems into old bottles…

add some height & use what you have : use a cake stand with candles for height and shop your home for items with the same theme…here I used dollar store pillar candles plus things found on the beach and cones from the garden…kept the colour predominantly white to contrast with the hessian..

layer : most tablescapes I see when I’m out and about work because they are layered up, nothing fancy just gives the table some depth…so go for tablecloth, runner (or not) then two different sizes of placemats, plus the same with the plates…here I stuck to 3 very similar neutral colours…find more layering here and here

layer plate styles and shapes…here creamy/vintage/gold stacks up nicely and contrasts with the base and top napkin in modern plain white…

here a base of neutral white layered with old crochet and topped with vintage embroidery plus teacups and flowers in an old glass jug for a casual vintage flavour…