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Refreshing Poolside Dining Table Ideas To Beat The Heat

Beat the heat and enjoy your meals outdoors! There’s nothing like dining by the water; these refreshing poolside dining table ideas will keep you cool all summer. I’m sharing easy, budget-friendly poolside table ideas for your next dinner party. Entertaining doesn’t have to be expensive with these poolside decor ideas.

You don’t have to have a pool to create this poolside table ambiance. Reimagine your deck or patio with a poolside aesthetic. I’ll show you how.

poolside dining table with thrifted white cast aluminum table and chair and gazabo pier on the pond.

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Poolside Dining Table Ideas

Dining outdoors in the summer is a casual and relaxed way to entertain. The dress code is easy, with guests wearing anything from bathing suit coverups to sundresses and sandals. Therefore, the poolside table decor can be just as relaxed. From a casual sit-down meal to buffet-style dining, your guests will enjoy the outdoor setting.

creative poolside decor ideas with thrift store finds and DIY projects.  Budget-friendly dinner party ideas.

Supper Club

Today’s tablescape is part of our monthly Supper Club Series.

If you are joining us for the first time, we are a group of friends who love to entertain, and when entertaining in person wasn’t recommended, we started a virtual supper club in January 2021.

We are from different areas of the country, and it’s always fun to see each person’s interpretation of the monthly theme. Meet the Supper Club Hosts.

  • Michele, Vintage Home Designs from Texas
  • Jennifer, Midwest Life & Style from Nebraska
  • Anne & AnnMarie, Simply 2 Mom’s from North Carolina
  • I’m also from North Carolina.

This month, our guest hostess is Wendy from WM Design House, who is from California.

Poolside Decor Ideas

This month’s supper club theme is Just Smoke It, and the menu will revolve around smoked recipes. You can enjoy entertaining around the pool while the smoker does the work.

Y’all know that when planning for our supper club events, I like to stay within a budget and use items I already own to create my table decor. This month is no exception.

creative poolside decor ideas with thrift store finds and DIY projects.  Budget-friendly dinner party ideas.

Second Hand Poolside Dining Table Find

First, we recently found a great second-hand outdoor table set. It’s perfect for a poolside table. Naturally, I couldn’t wait to decorate the table for the Smoke It dinner party.

The table is round and allows for seating of six. Perfect for our small pool area.

Poolside Dining Table filled with thrift store tableware and DIY projects.

Thrifted and DIY Poolside Table Ideas

I used several thrifted poolside table ideas and my recent DIY block print napkins to decorate the table.

The woven placemats, silver water pitcher, napkin rings, and botanical plates are inexpensive thrifted finds. I was so excited when I ran across the Spode Botanical salad plates in a consignment shop. They inspired the colors of the DIY block print napkins and set a perfect tone for the poolside dining table.

creative poolside decor ideas with thrift store finds and DIY projects.  Budget-friendly dinner party ideas.

A set of thrifted metal lanterns was given a fresh coat of white paint before flicker candles were added. They decorate the poolside bar which serves as an appetizer and cocktail station.

Hydrangea Centerpiece

To save money on the centerpiece, I used blue hydrangeas from my garden and filled a large ironstone vase with them. The red berries and baby’s breath are from Trader Joe’s.

Blue hydrangea centerpiece in ironstone vase with baby's breath and red berries.

The combination of red, white, and blue adds a patriotic feel to the tablescape.

Blue hydrangea centerpiece in ironstone vase with baby's breath and red berries.

A touch of green in the flowers draws the eye to the green botanicals in the Spode salad plates.

Blue hydrangea centerpiece in ironstone vase with baby's breath and red berries.  Thrifted plates and DIY napkins

The Place Setting

The poolside dining table begins with woven placemats topped with white dinner plates.

Blue hydrangea centerpiece in ironstone vase with baby's breath and red berries.  Poolside table ideas

The Spode salad plates have different botanical prints and colors to match the fun block-print napkins.

Simple white ceramic napkin rings don’t distract from the fun prints on the napkins. Casual bamboo silverware and plastic beaded wine glasses complete the poolside decor ideas.

Poolside decor ideas with DIY block-print napkins and thrift store finds.

Poolside Diner Party Without A Pool

No pool? No problem! Want to create a poolside dinner party but don’t have a pool? Here are some ideas to bring the poolside vibes to your party:

Beach Bash: Transport your guests to the seaside with sandcastle-building stations (use a sandbox!), colorful beach balls, inflatable palm trees, etc.

Splash Fun: Set up a few kiddie pools so guest can dip their feet and cool off. Add folding beach chairs around the pools.

Backyard Oasis: Create a relaxing and luxurious atmosphere with water-colored rugs, colorful throw pillows scattered around, and string lights overhead for a touch of magic.

Water Games: Fill balloons with water for water balloon fights or use water guns.

Beachy Vibes: Hang colorful beach towels on chairs, string up some seashell garlands, and scatter inflatable palm trees around the space. Encourage guests to wear beach attire such as bathing suits and coverups.

Poolside table ideas with thrifted placemats and bamboo silverware, hydrangea centerpiece and beaded wine glasses

Poolside Games, Cocktails, and Appetizers

Even with the benefit of a pool, be sure to plan some poolside games. We like to set up Corn Hole Boards and a giant Jenga table. You can provide water guns, pool volleyball, and pool floats to keep your guests occupied. I also set up our poolside bar with a beverage station for cocktails and appetizers.

creative poolside decor ideas with thrift store finds and DIY projects.  Budget-friendly dinner party ideas.

Be sure to check back on Saturday for the Supper Club menu and recipes. One of the desserts featured is the Easy Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate Brownies with Candied Bacon recipe.

Smoked Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Brownies with candied bacon and strawberries on botanical plate.

Resources

Video

I hope you enjoyed today’s poolside decor ideas. I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you.

Supper Club Tables

Now it’s time for the remaining hostesses to share their dining table ideas with you. Click the article title to follow along for more inspiration.

Wendy’s – How to Create A Simple Smokin Hot Table / Michele’s- Decorate a Red, White, & Blue Table

Jen’s How To Plan A Backyard Cookout / AnnMarie – 7 Perfect Summer Outdoor Table Ideas

Pin It To Remember It

Did you find some great ideas you’d like to save for future reference? To save, hover over the images and pin to your favorite Pinterest Boards when you see the PIN button in the upper left-hand corner.

Poolside Dining Table Ideas for Summer Entertaining.

AnnMarie | Simply2Moms

Monday 1st of July 2024

Rachel you created such a fun colorful summer table! Love the hydrangea with pops of red mixed in...so pretty. Pinned!

Rachel

Tuesday 2nd of July 2024

AnnMarie, You are so kind. It was a fun table to put together.

Jen

Saturday 29th of June 2024

Your table is beautiful, Rachel. I love the gorgeous hydrangea centerpiece. It's been so hot here lately...I'd love to come and enjoy a dinner by the pool.

Rachel

Monday 1st of July 2024

Jen, I'd love to have you join us. Thanks for stopping by.

michele - vintage home designs

Saturday 29th of June 2024

Your table is lovely and the setting is perfect! I love those adorable napkins!

Rachel

Monday 1st of July 2024

Michele, So glad you like the napkins. Thanks for stoppin by.

Wendy McMonigle

Thursday 27th of June 2024

Your poolside table is so pretty Rachel. I love the repurposed lanterns and the fresh blue hydrangeas so much.

Rachel

Friday 28th of June 2024

Wendy, Thank you for stopping by. I'm glad you liked this table setting.