Cozy Outdoor Table Decor Ideas: Vintage Cottage Tablescape

This time of year is perfect for gathering outside for meals with the cooler late summer weather. We tend to spend most of our meals outside throughout the summer, so I like to make our outdoor dining area on the patio feel like an extension of our home. It becomes a cozy and inviting place that just makes me want to spend more time outside.

For this late summer outdoor dining setup, I wanted to create a vintage cottage feel with a mix of patterns, warm amber glasses, white terracotta accents, and soft, cozy details. I love how adding a few simple layers can completely transform an outdoor dining space and make it feel just as welcoming as an indoor room.

See the full video of how I transformed this space at the bottom of this post.

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With the privacy fence, outdoor curtains, and chandelier overhead, our porch has become one of my favorite places to enjoy a meal. I’m sharing how I decorated this cozy outdoor tablescape and all of the little details that came together to create a relaxed vintage cottage dining space for late summer.

The foundation of this table started with this beautiful striped ruffle tablecloth. From there, I added the place settings. I love adding chargers to most of my tablescapes because they create another layer and bring in an opportunity to add more texture. At this point, my tables just look naked without them, haha!

I then layered on a thrifted dish, these beautiful vintage inspired floral napkins, and my new favorite wavy, scalloped dessert plate. To finish off each place setting, I added a small sprig of boxwood to tie everything back into the greenery in the centerpiece. I love how all of these little details work together to create a cozy, collected vintage cottage look.

One of my favorite new additions to my tablescapes are these beautiful amber glasses. The transition so easily for any season and have the best texture and color! 

The centerpiece is a collection of plants that I have somehow managed to keep alive all summer! These have officially become my go-to plants to use every year, and I love the life and greenery they bring to an outdoor tablescape.

Since this is a smaller dining table, I wanted the centerpiece to feel substantial without taking over the entire table. I kept the number of pieces to a minimum but used a larger arrangement to create a statement. I also added a book underneath the main pot to give it a little extra height and create more visual interest. I love using books in table decor because they’re such an easy way to add another layer and make a centerpiece feel more collected and intentional.

One of my favorite new additions to this space is this vintage chandelier. She's a beaut! I had no place in my house to put her, and I knew she would shine so beautifully out here. My next step is to take out the wires and lights, and put some solar ones or battery operated ones in.

To make this outdoor dining space feel even cozier, I added pillows to the chairs. I decided to use two coordinating pillows and place them diagonally across from each other. The thicker stripes on the green ruffle pillow complement the smaller stripes in the tablecloth, creating a fun layered look without feeling too busy.

And if you look a little lower, you’ll see that I even have a striped rug! Usually, this many stripes wouldn’t necessarily work together, but because they’re all different scales and share coordinating colors, they actually help pull the entire space together. Mixing patterns is one of my favorite ways to add personality and texture to a space, and I love how these stripes give this outdoor dining area that cozy vintage cottage feel.

This whole space is set up perfectly in the cozy corner of my porch. I built these privacy fences years ago, and they make the perfect backdrop for this outdoor dining area! They add just the right amount of privacy while also making the space feel more like a room and less like an open patio.

I love how the fence, outdoor curtains, and layered decor all work together to create such a cozy and inviting setting for late-summer dining. It really does feel like an extension of our home, which is exactly what I want from an outdoor living space.

You can see the tutorial for how I built the privacy fences here: http://www.thriftyandchic.com/2019/07/diy-privacy-screen-planter-box.html

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”