When the weather’s just right, few things can beat outdoor dining on a beautiful night. Given her joyful, summery sense of style, we asked Brittany Watson Jepsen of the brilliant craft and DIY website The House That Lars Built to create an outdoor tablescape with Spoonflower textiles and outdoor dining products from our parent company Shutterfly. We think her final product perfectly encapsulates what great summertime get togethers can be: lush, colorful and full of personality. We hope you agree!   

Photo of an outdoor table featuring both Spoonflower and Shutterfly designs. The lilac-and-red thick stripe tablecloth and matching all-lilac napkins are from Spoonflower. The plates, serving platter and plates from Shutterfly have a bright peach, orange, light yellow and red floral design with a black background. Fresh fruit including clementines and bananas are placed on the serving platter in the middle of the table. Pink mugs with red handles are also by each plate. White forks, spoons and knives are placed on the napkins. The table is surrounded by lush greenery.
Featured designs on tablecloth and napkins, Red and Lilac Stripe 1” and Lilac Solid by thehousethatlarsbuilt. Featured design on Shutterfly pint glasses, plates and serving platter is Summer Flowers 3 Black by geetanjali.

Brittany: We moved into our new house two years ago. Up until recently, we were knee deep in remodels. Well, we’ve finally gotten through most of the biggest ones, which is a huge relief. Now, with the house a little more in order, I’ve been itching to host some gatherings and enjoy the progress we’ve made! And this time of year it’s so beautiful, green and summery outside that I thought it high time for something outdoor. That’s how this outdoor tablescape was born.  

A Summer Evening with Friends 

For our outdoor tablescape, I had in mind a light, summery evening with friends to soak in the good weather. All together summery, good vibes is what I really needed, especially with all lockdowns and social isolation during the worst part of the last two years. I mean what could be better to celebrate than good friendships, warm weather and the flourishing greenery that’s all over? It seems like we’re all soaking in that vitamin D and can’t get enough. So I put together a small gathering that was dreamy and just what I wanted, thanks to Spoonflower and Shutterfly’s help with the decor. I loved the way it turned out!  

Photo of an outdoor table featuring both Spoonflower and Shutterfly designs. The lilac-and-red thick stripe tablecloth and matching all-lilac napkins are from Spoonflower. The plates, serving platter and plates from Shutterfly have a bright peach, orange, light yellow and red floral design with a black background. Fresh fruit including clementines and bananas are placed on the serving platter in the middle of the table. Pink mugs with red handles are also by each plate. White forks, spoons and knives are placed on the napkins. The table is surrounded by lush greenery. A large clear glass vase is on the table with tall dried yellow and orange flowers.
Close up of an outdoor table featuring both Spoonflower and Shutterfly designs. The lilac-and-red thick stripe tablecloth and matching all-lilac napkins are from Spoonflower. The plates, serving platter and plates from Shutterfly have a bright peach, orange, light yellow and red floral design with a black background. Fresh fruit including clementines and bananas are placed on the serving platter in the middle of the table. Pink mugs with red handles are also by each plate. White forks, spoons and knives are placed on the napkins. The torso of a person at the table is visible at the top of the photo. They are picking up a yellow macaron from a plate with a slice of fruit and cookie also on it.

Lush Location 

The location of our outdoor tablescape would be key, understandably. We live in Utah, and if you’ve ever visited Utah in the summer, you’ll know it is hot with a capital H. So we were going for something fully shaded and surrounded by greenery. Time of day was also definitely a factor. Think evening, after the sun’s dipped down behind the trees just before sunset. Summer evenings in Utah are truly beautiful once the blazing sun is hidden behind the hilltops. Thanks to our dry climate, the shade feels instantly cooling, fresh and light on the skin—the perfect scenario for the tablescape we had in mind.  

Photo of an outdoor table featuring both Spoonflower and Shutterfly designs. The lilac-and-red thick stripe tablecloth and matching all-lilac napkins are from Spoonflower. The plates, serving platter and plates from Shutterfly have a bright peach, orange, light yellow and red floral design with a black background. Fresh fruit including clementines and bananas are placed on the serving platter in the middle of the table. Pink mugs with red handles are also by each plate. White forks, spoons and knives are placed on the napkins. The table is surrounded by lush greenery. A large clear glass vase is on the table with tall dried yellow and orange flowers. A wooden chair is at the end of the table partially turned to the side. 

SHOP BRITTANY’s PICKS

Spoonflower Designs at Shutterfly 

Did you know that some Spoonflower designs are available on Shutterfly products? This was an aspect of the outdoor tablescape I was thrilled to discover! Shutterfly expanded beyond photo personalization by acquiring Spoonflower (whose superpower is design and whose superheroes are its community of Independent Artists) a year ago. There are now 4,000 unique designs (including some of your favorites!) sourced from over 175 Spoonflower Independent Artists available on more than two dozen Shutterfly products—such as glassware, wall art, outdoor decor and, the star of this post, tabletop!  

For our tablescape, we used Shutterfly for outdoor pint glasses, plates and a serving platter. And the print we used? What can I say, other than it is the perfect coordinating floral print (featuring geetanjali’s design Summer Flowers 3 Black) with our Red and Lilac “1 Stripe design on Spoonflower’s rectangular tablecloth and those lovely aforementioned dinner napkins. Instead of having to settle for all solids when it comes to dishes, having so many color and pattern options to choose from using both Spoonflower and Shutterfly products was a dream come true that opened a world of creativity! 

Two images side by side. Close up of an outdoor table featuring both Spoonflower and Shutterfly designs. The lilac-and-red thick stripe tablecloth and matching all-lilac napkins are from Spoonflower. The plates, serving platter and plates from Shutterfly have a bright peach, orange, light yellow and red floral design with a black background. Fresh fruit including clementines and bananas are placed on the serving platter in the middle of the table. Pink mugs with red handles are also by each plate. White forks, spoons and knives are placed on the napkins. The table is surrounded by lush greenery. A large clear glass vase is on the table with tall dried yellow and orange flowers. On the right, a close up crop of the same table outdoor table with a focus on the tablecloth.

Food for the Tablescape 

With the combination of dense, beautiful florals, bold stripes and subtle hues of lilac and sky blue, we knew we needed some foods that would complement everything and complete the full experience. We went for something light, something fresh and something sweet that would all contribute to the bold flair of the tablescape. An array of fresh fruit, bread and crackers to snack on, and sweet treats to pop in the mouth were perfect. That, combined with some fresh juices and summery sodas made for an experience that, overall, was lush, feminine and full of life and flavor. 

Close up of an outdoor table featuring both Spoonflower and Shutterfly designs. The lilac-and-red thick stripe tablecloth and matching all-lilac napkins are from Spoonflower. The plates, serving platter and plates from Shutterfly have a bright peach, orange, light yellow and red floral design with a black background. Fresh fruit including clementines and bananas are placed on the serving platter in the middle of the table. Pink mugs with red handles are also by each plate. White forks, spoons and knives are placed on the napkins. Strawberries, pink macarons and cookies are on the plate.

A Curated Collection From The House that Lars Built

For your convenience, here’s a curated collection of designs from our Spoonflower shop for your next outdoor gathering. There were so many lovely options to choose from for the tablescape, it was hard to narrow them down. This curated collection has all the options we were considering for this project. Feel free to take a look and pick your favorites. You can even create your own collection too (I have SO many lists that I keep for stuff like this!). 

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Summer Flower Outdoor Pint Glass

by geetanjali

Red and Lilac Stripe 1″ Rectangular Tablecloth

by thehousethatlarsbuilt

Lilac Dinner Napkins

by thehousethatlarsbuilt

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a tablescape?
A tablescape means thinking about creating a mood as you set your table. You can start by thinking about what you want to evoke with your tablescape. Is it based around an event or a season or a reason? Once you’ve decided that, you can get creative with how you decorate your table around that central theme, thinking about napkins, a tablecloth, a centerpiece, place settings, cutlery, flowers, etc.
How do you style an outdoor table?
In short, you can decorate an outdoor table anyway you’d like! Thinking about what type of environment you want to create can help you know where to begin. Will it be a small group over for a winter evening? Or a large garden party in the spring? Once you have that figured out, create a mood board to get a sense of color palette, what items you’ll need and what can help set the tone for your type of get together!  
What do I put in the middle of an outdoor table?
A serving platter filled with small items for guests to pick up (food, small gifts, etc.) helps create a communal feel. A large vase with flowers or a large candle is also a great choice! You’ll want to go with something eye catching that fits the theme of your event. 
How do you set an outdoor dining table? 
You can set an outdoor dining table similarly to an indoor dining table! However, given the outdoor elements, you may need to make some adjustments, such as adding covers for food items to keep pests away, having heavier items on hand to weigh down lightweight napkins that may float away in the wind.

Want More Outdoor Sewing Projects?

Our Recycled Canvas fabric is made from recycled bottles and is perfect for outdoor use!
See Our Recycled Canvas Pillow Tutorial