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How to Create a Simple Summer Table Centerpiece

Looking for a little décor inspiration for the middle of your dining table? Check out this simple summer table centerpiece idea.

It’s feeling like summer around here!

Yay!

Summer is my favorite time of year.

What’s your favorite season?

For me it’s gotta be the sunshine…the warm weather…and of course the flowers!

Ahh, the flowers!

I’m certainly no master gardener but I do love to plant pretty annuals in containers for all of my outdoor spaces every summer.

I add flower pots on my back deck.

And a few on my small front porch.

Oh and several out on my patio too.

And a few more down by our pool.

Ok so maybe I’m not true gardener but apparently container gardening seems to be my jam.

LOL!

For Mother’s Day, I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my kids which they bought at the grocery store.

Yup, big spenders those kids of mine.

But honestly, you can get some gorgeous flowers right at your local supermarket.

And I have no idea why…but grocery store flowers always seem to last so long.

I mean like at least two weeks sometimes even longer!

Since I was looking for a super easy summer table centerpiece for my dining room that didn’t break the bank I thought re-using some of the floral stems in the bouquet would be a perfect idea.

Gotta love free decorating ideas!

How to Style a Dining Room Table for Summer

empty dining table in middle of room with chandelier above and china hutch against wall behind table

I’ve had this furniture in our dining room for about 25 years and it was looking a bit dated in all its late 90’s orange-stained pine glory.

So I gave it an update several years ago with some white paint and reupholstered the chairs with DIY drop cloth covers.

But the table is a bit boring on its own and needs a centerpiece…don’t you think so?!

We don’t use our dining room for entertaining often but it’s one of the first rooms you see when you come into our house so I like to have something pretty in the middle of the table.

It’s fun to switch up the table décor each season or holiday.

But I also like to keep the table decorations simple so that they can be easily moved out of the way because I use the table for work sometimes.

The first step to creating a simple summer table centerpiece is to clear everything off the table.

Sound easy right?

Well, let’s just say I had let a bunch of stuff piled up on the table so it took me some time to find a new home for everything.

But you’re not here to listen to me ramble on about organizing my junk…that’s for another post! Haha!

What Supplied Do You Need to Create an Easy Centerpiece

mason jars, candles, flowers and lemons on dining room table before assembling table centerpiece for summer

I gathered all the items I wanted to use to style my dining room table centerpiece on the table.

Mason jars are inexpensive and easy to find either in stores or online.

I use them for all sorts of things around my home.

Larger mason jars store Q-tips and cotton balls in my bathroom.

Small mason jars hold sweetener packets in our kitchen.

And they’re also perfect for storing cut fruits and veggies or making overnight oatmeal.

Since I already had a variety of sizes here at home I just grabbed a bunch from storage to use on my dining room table.

mason jars, candles, flowers and lemons on table

I pulled four of these big fluffy white flowers from my Mother’s Day bouquet.

Does anyone know what kind of flower this is?

I tried looking it up but couldn’t find it.

If you know drop me a comment below…thanks!

You can use any style of flower you’d like or even these pretty faux floral stems if you don’t want to use real flowers.

mason jars filled with water and flower stems in one of the jars for simple summer tablescape

To keep this centerpiece design really simple I removed the leaves from the stems of the flowers.

Then I filled the four 32-ounce mason jars about 3/4 of the way up with tap water.

close up of votive candle jars with mason jars behind on table

I always have a pack of these budget-friendly glass votives on hand because they can be used in so many ways.

They’re a staple in many of my tablescape designs.

And using small mason jars in different shapes and sizes is a perfect option for candle holders.

How to Create a Table Centerpiece That’s Easy to Move

lemon, flower and candles on long tray in dining room on table for summer centerpiece display

This long wood tray was probably the most inexpensive and most used décor piece in our dining room.

I use it all the time for my tablescapes no matter what the season.

It was a steal at Home Goods for just $12 years ago, but haven’t seen the exact one again.

This one from Wayfair is a great option and it looks just like mine if you love it too.

Or I bet you could easily make one…I need to do that someday & write a tutorial blog post.

styled long slim wood tray with handles in middle of dining room table with 4 mason jar vases with one stem in each and other mason jars with candles and lemons in between flowers

Setting the four large mason jars with a single flower in each on the long tray creates an impactful but simple look.

The large flowers look so pretty on their own there was no need to fill the jars with more flowers.

small mason jar with votive candle on wood tray in middle of dining table display for summer

The smaller mason jars are used to hold the small glass votive candles to give them more weight & substance.

Plus it creates a cohesive vibe with both candles and flowers in mason jars.

I used both the 8 oz. pint and the 16 oz. elite mason jars as candle holders.

small mason jar with votive candle next to lemon on table

Since everything was so neutral with the candles and flowers, I added fresh lemons for a pop of color.

Nothing says summer more than lemons…am I right?!

Just a few scattered between the candle and flower jars does the trick.

And just like the flowers you can always use faux lemons to keep your table centerpiece looking great all summer long!

woman standing next to dining table styled with tray filled with mason jars, lemons, candles, and flowers on tray for summer centerpiece

My simple summer table centerpiece is easy to move out of the way when I need to work at the table but it’s also a beautiful part of this gorgeous tablescape for a dinner party.

Every month we share a tablescape & recipe for a different theme.

It’s a lot of fun to challenge and get creative with our choices.

You can see all the different themes here.

wood tray in middle of dining room table with lemons mason jars flowers and candles

Let us know if you have a fun way to style a centerpiece for summer…we’d love to see it.

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collage of products to style a summer centerpiece

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

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