15 Fresh and Simple Summer Place Settings
See an event designer’s riffs on a simple white plate, a piece of nature and a taste of things to come
Take a cue from the season for your next get-together by keeping the table airy, natural and easy. “If you feel like there’s too much going on, there is,” says Christy Johnson, owner of To La Lune Events, who designed these 15 complementary place settings for summer gatherings and beyond. These ideas encourage improvisation and working with pieces you already have.
2. Dress up with a napkin. Place a trifold napkin underneath the dinner plate to dress up the table. Johnson chose an off-white linen, but you could easily use a quality paper napkin. Play around with how far you want it to hang off the edge of the table for the look you want.
A calligraphy name card with a wax seal embellishes this understated setting. You could also use printed or handwritten name cards.
A calligraphy name card with a wax seal embellishes this understated setting. You could also use printed or handwritten name cards.
3. Decorate with food. “When people sit down, they’re instantly greeted with something delicious to eat,” Johnson says. The key is choosing something with a beautiful texture and structure that can sit out for a little while. Here, an apple tart welcomes guests. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with starting out with something sweet,” she says.
4. Switch up name cards. Here, vellum and a relaxed script add a playful vibe. A scattering of walnuts gives people something to munch on right away.
Tip: If you love the idea of using name cards but don’t want to dictate where people sit, feel free to write something else on them, such as “welcome” or anything festive for the occasion.
Tip: If you love the idea of using name cards but don’t want to dictate where people sit, feel free to write something else on them, such as “welcome” or anything festive for the occasion.
5. Play with the linens. A loosely knotted napkin builds height and structure and changes up a traditional setting.
Tip: “Playing with napkins is funny,” Johnson says. “There isn’t a direct formula to it. There is a starting ground, but you just have to play with it.” Here, she folded the napkin diagonally, like a bandana, and then knotted one of the corners on itself.
Tip: “Playing with napkins is funny,” Johnson says. “There isn’t a direct formula to it. There is a starting ground, but you just have to play with it.” Here, she folded the napkin diagonally, like a bandana, and then knotted one of the corners on itself.
6. Use one plate. If you want to use only one plate, or would like to stack the salad plates elsewhere or serve a salad separately, try adding a fern leaf that’s slightly smaller than the plate, curved around the edge. This plate has a curved lip, which nicely frames the leaf, but you could also just lay the leaf on top of the plate.
7. Offset it. Pull your salad plate to a corner of the dinner plate for a more artistic effect. With the fern leaf curved around the dinner plate, the offset salad plate hints at the greenery below.
8. Embrace geometry. The spirals of the leaf, the pattern of the offset plates and the morning bun create almost a geometric art piece. A darker gray linen napkin pops a little more against the white dinnerware here.
9. Cinch it. Ever make those ghost puppets in elementary school? Use that same technique with your napkin, tying it with twine or string. Add a name card, or don’t.
10. Layer it. Place a trifold napkin between the salad plate and dinner plate, tucking the ends of the napkin underneath the dinner plate.
Tip: “It’s always fun to incorporate a menu,” Johnson says, even if there’s just one or two for the whole table. Here, she used laser-cut wood, but vinyl letters or writing on a cutting board or piece of scrap wood could lend a similar effect.
Tip: “It’s always fun to incorporate a menu,” Johnson says, even if there’s just one or two for the whole table. Here, she used laser-cut wood, but vinyl letters or writing on a cutting board or piece of scrap wood could lend a similar effect.
11. Mix it up. An inky black dinner plate forms the backdrop to the salad plate and laser-cut wood name card here, acting almost like a frame. (If you don’t have access to a laser cutter, reach out to a local graphic designer or an invitation designer, or even try Etsy. You can also always print out name cards in a fun script and cut them out.) Fresh fruit and a smaller fern leaf add natural elements to the table.
Tip: Don’t worry about sticking to too many rules when mixing plates. Have fun, keep it simple and try to avoid two bold plates that will compete with each other.
Tip: Don’t worry about sticking to too many rules when mixing plates. Have fun, keep it simple and try to avoid two bold plates that will compete with each other.
12. Add a pattern. Here, Johnson used a simple white napkin ring and a botanical-print napkin. “I liked that it was the same dark color as the plate,” she says of the print. Introducing a new color might be a bit much for this look.
13. Tie the knot. Knot your napkin in the middle (loosely enough that your guests can open it) and lay it vertically across the plate with the ends tucked under.
14. Dress it down. Looking for the easiest way to mix up your napkin game? Place it under the salad plate and drape it off at an angle.
15. Share a memory. On a recent trip to Colorado, Johnson collected a handful of acorns to take home with her. She added one to each place setting for some color, texture and personalization. You could use other little plants or small mementos. Just know, she says, that anything you put on the plate might be understood to be a gift.
Ivory plates: Cost Plus World Market; black plate: Robert Gordon Charcoal Merchant 11-inch dinner plate, Target; drinking glass: Schott Zwiesel Air stemware collection, Williams-Sonoma; natural linen napkin: West Elm; gray linen napkin: custom; printed napkin: Anthropologie
Wax seal place card: La Happy Design & Calligraphy
Vellum place card: Design by Laney
Laser-cut wood menu and laser-cut wood place card: Peanut Press Creative
Pastries: Prager Brothers
Flatware: Herdmar
More on Houzz: White plates | Black plates | Black-and-white napkins
Ivory plates: Cost Plus World Market; black plate: Robert Gordon Charcoal Merchant 11-inch dinner plate, Target; drinking glass: Schott Zwiesel Air stemware collection, Williams-Sonoma; natural linen napkin: West Elm; gray linen napkin: custom; printed napkin: Anthropologie
Wax seal place card: La Happy Design & Calligraphy
Vellum place card: Design by Laney
Laser-cut wood menu and laser-cut wood place card: Peanut Press Creative
Pastries: Prager Brothers
Flatware: Herdmar
More on Houzz: White plates | Black plates | Black-and-white napkins
Tip: Dried blooms, vines or anything from the yard could be swapped in for the leaf. Before using them, rinse, pat dry and flatten them, if necessary, under a heavy book for an hour or two.