Al Fresco Dining Poolside Style

Is anything better than al fresco dining poolside style? I don’t think so. I love this casual summer dining idea!

My friend Karianne from Thistlewood Farms and I have been sharing summer entertaining ideas all week. Today I created an al fresco poolside dinner. I love that I was able to reuse things from around the house to make this wonderful summer entertaining area. You can do this too!

Poolside Dining

To be honest, we don’t dine poolside often. Why is that?

I have no idea!

I am so happy I set this table poolside because we are going to do it a lot more this summer! Al fresco dining poolside, here we come!

How to Set an Al Fresco Dining Table

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Easy Table Setting Tips

Al Fresco Dining Poolside Table — **one**

one – I made some placemats that highlighted the colors of our pool and love how they came out. The DIY is below and these are very easy to make! The green Linen/Cotton Napkins are ones I have had for years.
two – I used some plain white 10″ Dinner Plates (everybody needs a set or two of plain white dishes!) and topped them with some blue and white salad plates that I picked up at TJMaxx two years ago. The green Green Water Glasses are from Amazon and I love them!
three – I added some of my mixed silver and silverplate utensils and some vintage blue and white side dishes. I am going to be grilling french bread tonight so these are for olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Setting a Low Table for Dining

I really wanted to set a different table so I opted to put a low table on the brick surrounding our pool. Isn’t it perfect for al fresco dining?

We carried our coffee table from the back porch and set it up next to the pool. I love that we can sit here, next to the pool on these comfy cushions, and enjoy the water view.

Of course, comfort is also very important. I don’t own any cushions that are specifically to be used for sitting on the ground. I do, however, have cushions on my outdoor furniture.

So I borrowed the cushions from my outdoor seating area and used them for cushions on the ground. Kinda smart, right?

I also borrowed the flowers. You might remember the centerpieces I made for the Summer Entertaining in a Farmhouse Dining Room earlier this week. Most of the flowers still looked perfect so I reused them, with a few flowers from my garden, for these centerpieces.

I love that the flowers technically were reused and didn’t cost me anything to make. Isn’t it great that you can create this amazing dining experience without the set up costing anything extra? Always shop your home first and use things you already have. Use a table that you have never used for dining. Grab some cushions or pillows for seating if you want to use a low table. Just be thrifty and creative and you will love the end result.

How to Make the DIY Reversible Placemats

I made these placemats because I wanted some extra color on my table. I love how easy they are to make and I have made round ones before too. I really want to make some rectangle placemats for the summer. I can’t wait.

What You Need to Make Six Reversible Placemats

One cardboard template (14″ square) – I took the easy way out and bought a 14″ square cardboard Wilton Square Cake Platter.

1 1/2 yds. of two different decor fabrics

Thread, sewing machine

Step By Step Instructions

Draw around the outside of the cardboard template on the fabric to make six squares of each fabric. Leave an extra 3/4″ (approximate) allowance, and cut out twelve total squares of fabric.

2. This is what the cut outs should look like.

indigo blue placemats and chargers diy 2

3. Fold along the line and iron down the seam allowances on all 12 squares.

indigo blue placemats and chargers diy 3

4. Pin one square of one fabric and one square of the other fabric, right sounds out, together. Repeat for all six placemats.

indigo blue placemats and chargers diy 5

5. Sew around the outside edges of each placemat. Iron flat.

indigo blue placemats and chargers diy 6

Aren’t they awesome? I love the way they add color to this table.

Thistlewood Farms

My friend KariAnne is on the Cape on the East Coast and she has put together a wonderful post today called The Best Two Ingredient Vegetable Dip. Be sure and had to her blog to check it out!