Flea Market Style Outdoor Table Setting

See how I created a flea market style outdoor table setting using salvaged, vintage and on-hand decor. You’ll love these budget-friendly, yet charming summer entertaining ideas!

Welcome to week two of the OUTDOOR EXTRAVAGANZA! Be sure to check out my DIY garden apron if you missed our Plants & Flowers projects.

This time, it’s all about Outdoor Decorating & Entertaining. Ready to take a look at my flea market style outdoor table setting ideas?

Before I share the details of this outdoor project, I need to back up a bit. A few years ago while visiting my parents’ farm, I came across two old benches tucked away in a grain bin. My mom told me to take whatever I wanted, so we loaded them in the back of the truck and headed home.

After some TLC, one became the yellow bench that sits on our front porch, and the other was used to create a container garden.

I love those salvaged benches.

The next summer, we did some more “picking'” at the farm and found the matching fold-up table to the red bench. I planned on painting the legs to match, but after cleaning it up, I liked the look of the rustic wood and metal. (Perhaps I’ll change my mind down the road, not sure.)

That vintage outdoor table has been put to use over and over again as a potting bench and more. I love how the legs fold in so it can be stored in the garage without taking up too much space. And, when we have friends over for casual summer get-togethers, I have the option of setting up another space to eat other than our deck.

Since the vintage table and bench already had a flea market look, I decided to go in that decorating direction for the tablescape.

The best part about flea market style is its budget-friendly nature. Although I purchased a few new items like the napkins (on clearance), chargers (from HomeSense) and plants, everything else came from my own collection. You may recognize some of these items from previous posts.

I did tackle one DIY project for this outdoor table setting, which included these cute little succulent pots. I thought they’d make nice take-away gifts for our guests.

For the place setting, I started with a galvanized charger, layered on a white plate, followed by the napkin, and, finally, a patterned salad plate. Mine are melamine, but you could use any type of dishes. I think it would be fun to mix and match plates from garage sales and thrift shops (BTW, it’s garage sale weekend in our town starting tomorrow! Wonder what I’ll find?).

Outdoor Entertaining Tip: Use a tray for bringing decor and tableware in and out of the house.

The glazed blue pot and milk glass vases are from one of my visits to Value Village. I love the simplicity and whimsy of the white rose centerpiece.

Although we have outdoor lights along the back fence for the evening hours, I added citronella tea lights in glass bowls to keep bugs away and for a bit of sparkle.

Simple Brunch Food and Drinks

I opted to keep the food and drinks simple to go along with my casual summer vibe. One of my favourite things to make is a big jug of infused water.

Slice up a few oranges to add a bit of colour and flavour to any water. So refreshing!

Your guests can scoop up the fruit and eat it too. These mason jars remind me of a casual summer picnic. Why not have one in your own backyard?

Try marinating some olives in rosemary and olive oil. So yummy!

Easy, breezy, summer flea market style… Just as the season is supposed to be, right?

Be sure to come back next Thursday to check out our Outdoor Build-it & Paint projects.

As well, mark your calendars for our big Outdoor Extravaganza link party on Friday, May 27th where you can share any outdoor projects new & old.

One other thing before you head off… If you’re looking for more useful and pretty ideas in your life, make sure you’re on the email list! You can subscribe here.