coastal table decor

It’s finally the weekend, and I hope you’re having a great day! I’m back today with another peek at the current issue of Cottages & Bungalows. There’s SO MUCH to share this month, since I have three projects in this issue. 

Today we’re visiting Blue Door Cottage, the quaint little Balboa Island home built in 1928, and lovingly updated by my friends Angi and Pete. The dining table is such a focal point in this home, as you see it right when you walk into the front door. It’s situated to the far left of the space, past the living room. 

We styled this table two ways. One as a “general” styling and one as an inviting coastal tablescape. As you can see in the picture above, it’s simply decorated to enhance the already fun blue and white beachy room. 

We simply add a blue and white embroidered table runner and my favorite caned and glass vase with white stock flowers for a casual look.  

Lemons are my favorite way to add a pop of color, and here in southern California, we can’t get enough of them. There are so many lemon trees that seem to be producing all year long, it's a shame not to put these little beauties to work!   

Here's look number two.

A striped table runner grounds the table and draws your eye to the center. Three different types of colored blue glass highlight this look. Turquoise mason jars hold our hydrangeas, and two sets of goblets are used for beverages.  

Believe it or not, the tall goblets are actually vintage Avon with little embossed portraits of Martha and George Washington on one side! I just love them for their color and fun pattern, but what a fun little surprise to include the Washingtons. 

I just love this whole look. The placemats with the seashell border are my personal favorites, and I use them on so many different tables. 

White scallop-shaped dishes serve as salad plates, and a cute little starfish finishes off the look. The fabric at the bottom of the photo is the cushion on the seating bench. Isn’t it perfect with the table? 

Here’s a straight-on shot that Jickie shared on her Instagram stories. The blue hydrangeas remind me of Cape Cod, and so does this cottage, so it’s a perfect match in my book. 

I just love a good birds eye view of a tablescape. It’s such an intimate look at the table from the diner’s perspective, and you can see my favorite detail of all...  

These little Message in a Bottle party favors. You can fill them with compliments for each of your guests and also use them as name cards for each place setting. Angi thought of a brilliant plan, and used them for a sort of icebreaker party game! 

In the kitchen, Jickie was in charge of the styling, but we all contributed a little... The checked tablecloth is vintage from my collection and is originally from Ikea.  

It’s perfect in here on the drop-down vintage table original to the house from 1928. And the little arrangement of chamomile flowers is just so endearing. 

So as I said in a previous post, this was a long day of shooting photos, mostly because of the cuteness of everything, but also because Kelly and I can get pretty scrappy with things. 

We set up this Scrabble board as part of the living room shot, so here’s an up-close and personal look at how we spend our time, and energy, lol. This snapshot didn't make it in the magazine, but if you look closely on page 32 you can see it on the coffee table.

ciao! fabiana

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