TROPICAL VIBES FOR A LUNCH BY THE POOL

Entertaining needs to be fun for all, including the hostess! Sometimes that means choosing a simple and lighthearted design, just as I did in this tropical table setting. Design requires skill and flexibility, and it is ok to break the rules. As long as you intentionally focus on details, the results will be stunning!

For this outdoor pool setting (it feels great to dine in the sunshine!), I opted for Tommy Bahama melamine plates and paper napkins. It might sound unusual to trade higher-quality fabric napkins for paper ones but formal cloth napkins would have taken away from the event’s ambiance. I selected these particular paper napkins because I wanted to fold them into a tropical leaf design, and a cloth napkin would not have held its shape. I think the leaf design adds such a vibrant energy to the table setting and so I believe this was a worthy exception to napkin rules!

Atop natural-colored woven mats, I placed dinner plates and bowls. Diverting from the more formal succession of charger+dinner plate+salad plate, this setting is much more simple, and with good reason! As my menu began with gazpacho (a chilled tomato soup traditional to Spain, these adorable bowls were the perfect way to start off a simple yet delightful summer menu. Speaking of menus, I chose to use cream-colored wax paper over standard card stock. I’ve always said that menus add a special touch to any dinner, and I believe these particular ones create an essence of rustic, Caribbean style that perfectly complement the table’s design, including the centerpiece.

For this table’s centerpiece, I took the simple approach of placing florals into hurricane candle containers. To accent the tropical look, I relied on an old florist tip and used a green floral tape that resembles a tropical leaf to cover the orchid stems in the container’s interior. I then added high-end, real-touch orchid stems cascading out of the vase. For a more dramatic look, you can double the orchid stems. With that, the table is set and the tropical celebration can begin!