Five Inspirational Outdoor Styling Ideas
WORDS:: CHYKA KEEBAUGH
PHOTOS:: LISA ATKINSON
Summertime = outdoor time, it’s as simple as that. The sun is shining, warm breezes are blowing and you can feel the lush grass between your toes. It’s a season of feasting stone fruit and enjoying special evenings with friends and family where anything seems possible. This is the time of year when being outside, watering the garden with a gin and tonic in hand, is total bliss. Let’s explore five of my favourite styled looks from outdoors, a little inspiration for your next gathering…
A gypsy inspired balcony
To create a gypsy styled table setting you needn’t use every colour in the spectrum. Pick one, use it as your feature colour and build from there. I received the most fantastic bedspread from Kip & Co and this formed the basis of my whole table setting - sure, it’s meant for bed, but why can't it make it’s debut as a table cloth first? For an eclectic, creative gypsy setting think lanterns, flowers, candles, trinkets and a fun bottle of wine. Working up from the tablecloth, my next move is flowers! It was all about red poppies and raspberry dahlias, in different heights introducing depth and texture to the table. I want to see varying shapes, styles and sizes in both. It is a case of the more, the merrier, and adding these red flowers on a red cloth with matching red serviettes, underneath a red pattern canopy….I am starting to get the vibe I was after - cosy, fun and free.
For more details read the full post here…
An afternoon of desserts
David Austin roses are my most favourite rose and it was these blooms that inspired me to create a rose-themed table for an afternoon tea, where the flower is the hero of the table and the inspiration for the colour palette and food. I had been looking for a reason to use our barn doors as a backdrop for an informal gathering and when I saw how these light pink roses contrasted with the dark grey of the barn doors, I knew this was the perfect spot for an afternoon tea. For more details on this summer rose inspired chapter from Chyka Home head here…
A Hydrangea inspired table setting
When setting the table you always need to have a focal point. Sometimes it's your floral arrangement, at times it's your plates, your glasses…you get the hint! This time around it’s all about the simplicity of printed fabric. It’s a trap I fall into week in, week out - but a table doesn’t always need fresh flowers! As much as I love flowers, sometimes you just don’t need them. Updating them each week can be expensive if they are for decorating for a dining table and you’re eating outside, and it is a hot day - flowers will wilt, and no one wants that! For this table setting, we have printed flowers. This fabric is from Spotlight (it’s amazing the gems you can find in that store!), and I bought six metres which covers my table, plus more, very easily. For more details read the full post here…
Let's create an outdoor fiesta
Sometimes all I need is a beautiful tablecloth to inspire me...It can be that simple. Grab enough crockery and cutlery, a drink to keep you at your seat and centrepiece to tie it all together and your table is set. A Mexican feast deserves to be outdoors and I loved styling up my parent's backyard recently for a little fiesta. Sometimes a beautiful piece of fabric or tablecloth can inspire me to set the table in a certain theme. This cloth is so beautiful that it just screamed out a Mexican lunch in the garden. With all the amazing colours to use as a starting point - the pink was what spoke to me the most. For more details read the full post here…
Relaxing in the summer sunshine
Bringing this gorgeous daybed outside and filling it with cushions is my idea of heaven. I layered tones of blue, turquoise and white to create a feeling of serenity and coolness on a hot summer’s day. I love that by keeping the colours the same yet mixing and matching the patterns, you can create a pretty layered effect. Of course, this look can be simplified, it may be as basic as adding a new tablecloth, matching cushions and a newly potted plant that will give you a hint of summer colour. For more details on this summer daybed from Chyka Home head here…
This post was first posted in February 2020 on Chyka.com and has been re-posted as a part of the Chyka.com Summer series 2021.