Can you believe summer will soon come to an end? Are you ready for fall? I’m not ready, just quite yet. We were supposed to head to the beach back in July but due to a family emergency, we had to postpone to the end of August. We are so ready for a week at the beach for some R&R!
Before the seasons change, why not host an end-of-summer gathering and make the most of the warm, sunny days of August. You can create the magic of a summer dinner party by bringing a little bit of the ocean to your soirée with a seashore vibe. I thoroughly enjoy creating tabletop themes that friends and guest will notice and remember. Keep reading for inspiration on a chic way to celebrate the end of summer and a dinner entree recipe you will want to try!
The Details…
Wrapped in a soft muted palette sprinkled with sophisticated details including a bright floral centerpiece, glistening iridescent tableware, copper metallic, natural textures, combined with a touch of romantic elegance.
The inspiration behind this chic beach-themed tablescape started with iridescent pressed glass dinner plates that are designed with a starfish motif. I found those dinner plates a couple of months ago at HomeGoods (if you’re looking for these plates in particular, I noticed individuals selling sets of them on Poshmark). To tie in the iridescent look, I paired the plates with wine and beverage beaded glasses (also found at HomeGoods). The illumination from these table pieces created a lustrous rainbow-like of color. My next thought when dreaming up this tablescape design is what will my accent color be? My first thought was to keep the palette clean and natural but when I visited my local grocery store and noticed roses in a coral hue, mauve and light peach carnations, I knew it would be the perfect color combination. To contrast the gorgeous, vibrant pops of color, I added white carnations and these Ashland dried Lagurus floral bunch.
I created a subtle approach to the beach-themed tablescape by bringing in those familiar days at the beach with seashells I collected from my many visits at the beach and decorative sand. I styled them inside a oval wooden decorative bowl tray I had and incorporated large pillar candles for ambiance. Tip: you can also use seashells to hold a tealight candle holder.
I used copper flatware, wrapped the dinner napkins with Tiger Cowrie seashell napkin holders and layered fabrics on the table – a chiffon ruffle (reminds me of ocean waves), over a cream-colored linen.
Summer (beach-inspired) Salad…
For your dinner entree, I was inspired by the coastal food you find on beach menus. Keeping it light – yet full of flavor, I made a delicious summer salmon salad. A salad is a perfect go-to summer meal for casual, elegant gathering with friends. You will want to dig into this crisp, cool salad filled with green leaf lettuce, fresh pineapple chunks, cherry and comets tomatoes, diced red pepper, avocados, sliced red onions, minced jalapenos – for some heat, and topped with grilled salmon. Instead of adding a salad dressing, I kept it light and refreshing by squeezing the juice out of a lemon and lime and drizzled olive oil. You can find this easy to make recipe, at the end of this post!
Enjoy the last of the summer nights outdoors and the endless pours of wine during your end-of-summer gathering!
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‘Pin-It’
- Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half (I used approx 5)
- Comets Tomatoes, sliced in half (I used approx 5)
- 1 large Red Pepper, diced
- 1 large, Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 1 medium, Jalapeno, minced (if sensitive to spice, omit the seeds)
- Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- Olive Oil, to drizzle
- Juice of one fresh Lime and Lemon
- 1 Avocado, diced
- Fresh Pineapple
- Kosher Salt
- 1 head of Green Leaf Lettuce
- 2 large pieces of Salmon
- In a medium sized bowl, add the first seven ingredients. Squeeze the juice from half of a lemon and lime, drizzle olive oil into the bowl, add salt to taste. Then combine and set aside.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until your salmon is cooked and ready to serve.
- Season and grill your salmon. When the salmon is cooked, remove from grill and place on a plate. With a fork, gently cut the salmon into small chunks. Set aside.
- On a large platter, layer with the lettuce (that has already been rinsed and dried). Add Kosher salt, to taste.
- Remove bowl of ingredients from the fridge. Dice the avocado and cut pineapple into chunks. Then gentle toss to combine ingredients in bowl.
- Spoon a generous amount from the bowl onto the lettuce. Top with salmon.
- NOTE: Serve promptly, as the avocado will brown over time.
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