by Jennifer Adams
Looking for inspiration for your table this season? A lot of ideas are probably right in front of you! Think about those gorgeous berries, fresh fruit, vegetables… summer means a garden exploding with color.
A big part of what makes food appetizing is color, so, why not choose colors from foods? Wander through your own garden or your neighborhood, visit a farmers’ market or produce section of your favorite grocery store to get more ideas.
Whether you are decorating a festive outdoor gathering or bringing the spirit of the outdoors inside, beautiful colors in plates, tablecloths, napkins, even flatware and drinking glasses are ripe for the picking in every store you look this season.
Here are more tips for a festive, bright summer table!
Not everything on your table should be bright colors. If you have a colorful patterned tablecloth, keep your dishes simple and off-white, and accent with napkins and a centerpiece that match the tablecloth. Just like a stunning salad on a white plate, choose a white or off-white tablecloth to go with brightly colored dishes!
Look at the foods in a new way, perhaps what looks great together rather than what you might choose for a traditional recipe. For example, the pale cream color of white corn goes beautifully with the deep purple of an eggplant and the soft greens of gooseberries, grapes or butter lettuce. A plum or eggplant color tablecloth with pale cream colored placemats or chargers and napkins, and soft green plates would be beautiful.
Cut open a fruit or vegetable for a surprise burst of color. Think about how some purple plums are yellow or orange inside, or how a watermelon’s green rind turns white, then the pinkish red color in the middle. Choose a soft green tablecloth, very pale green or warm white placemats and rosy pink dishes, or a pink tablecloth with white dishes. Accent with small splashes of black in the napkin rings or black pebbles scattered around the table to represent the seeds!
Look at the different colors of the same vegetable. Have you ever seen how many colors of carrots are out there? Purple, orange, whites, yellows and even pink! Mix up your dishes with colors that match all of these, and randomly set your table so no two place settings are identical. And tie the colors together with a solid color pale green tablecloth, like the carrots’ leafy tops right where it meets the carrot! Baskets full of these pretty carrots would make a great centerpiece, too.
Flip through your favorite summertime cookbook. Select a beautiful photo of a prepared recipe and pull colors from the vegetables or fruits. Choose your tablecloth color from the base of the dish… pasta, a bed of lentils or squash puree. Dishes can be the same color as the other ingredients, such as tomato, green beans, potatoes, herbs or whatever.
Jennifer Adams is an award-winning designer, writer and TV personality. Connect with her on Twitter @JenniferAdams. For more tips, watch Jennifer’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/JenniferAdamsHome or visit www.jenniferadams.com.