A Spring Tablescape with Bold Colors

With warmer weather showing up around here, I am excited to share a Spring Tablescape with Bold Colors for this new season. It is actually a special story about how it came together (especially, the flowers). Stay tuned to the end of the post for that.

Once we wrapped up Easter (you can see our Fresh Green and White Spring Table Setting for Easter HERE), I wanted to create a bright and bold tablescape to transition into spring and summer. Kind of my way of wishing spring into action around here! I cannot wait for the colors of spring to start popping.

My plans initially started with a black and white table with yellow as the accent color. As I started to build the table setting, I wasn’t happy with the yellow tones of the three sets of napkins I already owned.

This is what led me to pull out one of my favorite sets of summer napkins that I bought at Crate & Barrel YEARS ago (I am so bummed they are not available anymore)! For this table setting, the napkins are everything!

How to create a Spring Tablescape with Bold Colors

1. Start with a bold, neutral foundation.
2. Feature a bright, floral napkin.
3. Layer place settings with bold colors (mix it up!).
4. Use colored stemware (no need to match them).
5. Create flower arrangements with softer colors (so they don’t compete with the place settings).

Now, let’s break this down…

Start with a bold, neutral foundation. Black and white are actually neutral colors. Mixing them together helps create a bold foundation. I love using black in our dining room year around to tie in with our buffets.

I started with placing my black jute table runners across the table (this is thinking outside of the box in terms of using a table runner!). I planned on using my black chargers, but they needed to be accented with a lighter color so they would stand out on the black runners.

This is why I added a second charger under the black chargers…for contrast. Layering is so important for this type of table setting.

Feature a bright, floral napkin. As I mentioned, I bought these napkins years ago but there are so many other great options out there that would work. I sourced some of my favorites later in this post.

Since my napkins are so “bold”, I layered them into the place settings. You could also feature them on the left side of the plates…whatever you like.

Layer place settings with bold colors (mix it up!). The sky is the limit here! When I started this tablescape, I was already planning on using my yellow salad bowls. Once I chose the alternate napkins, I decided I wanted to bring in some green for the salad plates. I bought these at IKEA but I sourced a few other options below.

You can use any color here that coordinates with your napkins. I just used what I already had.

Use colored stemware (no need to match them). Have you ever seen me use matching stemware?!?! NOPE! If you know, you know!

This was a great opportunity for me to use our Denby Modus Red Wine Glasses! Mixing them with our green wine glasses was a perfect fit!

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Most often, I coordinate the decor on our buffets to coordinate with the table. Using yellow forsythia was simple and bold, and really tied everything together!

One of the beautiful things about creating flower arrangements in front of mirrors is that it basically doubles the girth of the arrangement. BONUS!

The final touches…and, the special story…

Create flower arrangements with softer colors (so they don’t compete with the place settings). This is where the special story starts…

I set this table the day after Easter but was a little stuck with what I wanted to do with the centerpiece. I worked a bit backwards on this one.

A few days later, a very special friend, Heidi, lost her mother-in-law. She was such an elegant, God-loving woman who I had the great pleasure of knowing for many years. She used to take her grandchildren and our children to Vacation Bible School at her church for several summers. Our kids looked so forward to it!!

Once the funeral was set, she asked me to put together a small family reception they wanted to host in her in-law’s home. This was a HUGE honor for me because Heidi is a brilliant chef and entertainer. We have bonded so much over these similar passions through the years (we were actually pregnant with our daughters at the same time) and have helped each other for dozens of parties. I have always said that we are like “frick and frack” in a kitchen and around a table.

For the reception, I created three floral arrangements for the buffet table that were coordinated with the pink tones Heidi suggested. I had planned on leaving them with the family but they all ended up leaving town the next day, so I brought them home.

While they were sitting on my island, it dawned on me that they would be perfect to use in my centerpiece! I really liked how the soft tones of the arrangements didn’t compete with the bold colors of the place settings.

What a joy it is to be enjoying these flowers that were made to honor such a sweet lady. This world was such a better place with her in it. She will be greatly missed.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how to create a Spring Tablescape with Bold Colors. Using bold colors is so happy and gets me so excited for everything that springs and summer bring us!

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