The Best Tableware Trends for Summer 2026

Words by Eliza Warden

Holistic hosting is this summer’s biggest tableware trend, which means that how you style and decorate your table holds as much importance as the food you serve.

The talented in-house styling experts from our Home & Furniture department have curated six key tablescapes for hosting in the summer season.

Expect Hamptons with an haute cuisine twist, idyllic safari settings and pops of potent pigment, be they tomato red, cabbage green or zesty citrus.

Pick and choose your favourite ideas, or contact our Interior Design team to have your favourite tablescape curated.

Italy’s pomodoro, its ‘golden apple’. France’s pomme d’amour, the ‘apple of love’.

As the foundation of so many mouthwatering meals, the tomato’s bountiful personality and varied colourways make it excellent inspiration for summertime styling.

Colour-drench the table in red hues, but leave room for oranges, yellows and splashes of blue to capture Mediterranean vivacity.

Start with a red, green, blue or yellow striped tablecloth – we love Summerill & Bishop’s designs – then accent the table with vintage tins filled with fresh flowers. Finish with rustic touches, such as oak bowls and warm candles in frosted-glass votives.

For statement pieces, there’s always Bordallo Pinheiro’s tomato tureens, pitchers and plates, but if all you’ve got is a fresh grocer’s nearby, a centrepiece of cascading tomatoes from bottle-green boughs in a vintage vase will do.

The safari tablescaping trend captures the quiet peace of a day well spent – without having to catch a flight.

The slow pace, long sunsets and company of only those in your inner circle have made these adventure holidays a top choice for jetsetters this year, and now that warm intimacy extends to your dining table.

Don’t be afraid of mixing prints when setting this style. Leafy accents are important, whether as a pattern on the plates or the tablecloth. Cabana Magazine’s Horezu plates are perfect for this setting.

Use textured layers, burnt umber hues, rich browns and soft, organic curves to create an ambience of warmth and intimacy.

Fill decorative stone urns with reeds, long grass, dried pampas and pale yellow flowers. Choose glassware blown with soft oranges and light burgundy tones, such as these Prada plinth glasses. Top up pedestal dishes with green olives or, better yet, incorporate still-on-the-branch olives into your floral arrangements.

Crisply cut crystal, charming chinoiserie and silver-tone accents – this trend is all about timeless elegance.

Welcome to your summer home, where sea breezes and yacht trips mingle with garden parties and sun-kissed skin.

Outdoor living rules in the Hamptons so calming sea blue and grass green take centre stage in this tablescape, with details consisting of woven raffia and leather. Find objets d’art inspired by marine life and beach finds and opt for florals with body and volume: hydrangeas, Queen Anne’s lace and white roses will do perfectly.

For your linens, choose natural fibres with florals or nautical stripes, and silver-tone or wood-handled cutlery. Glassware should be textured and if coloured, done so with soft pastels, while plates with scalloped edges or a chinoiserie pattern work best.

We may be biased, but is there an aesthetic so pleasing as the quintessential summer picnic?

The lavender is in full bloom, the bees buzz and the aroma of freshly mown grass permeates the sunny air. Strawberries, anyone?

Rusticity and authentic charm are the key pillars of this tablescape. A touch of the farmhouse will go a long way: accent gingham tablecloths with wooden serving boards and fresh daisies in varying types of glassware. For a playful twist that captures the verdancy of this aesthetic, candlesticks can be placed in heads of leafy bok choi as an alternative to traditional candlesticks.

Coloured glassware pairs perfectly with lemonade and textured cream table linens such as Summerill & Bishop’s Lily of the Valley collection. Touches of yellow can be incorporated through bowls of lemons and the use of soft browns – Pimm’s in the Waterford Circon pitcher, perhaps – help create a warm tone.

Of course, it’s not a picnic without some baked goods: MacKenzie-Childs’ check cake stands or Burleigh’s Asiatic Pheasants three-tiered designs will present your cupcakes and cucumber sandwiches in style.

This is dopamine dressing, for your dinner table. The vibrant shades of the jazz age will inject energy and zest into your next party plan.

Clash your patterns, mix your most colourful glassware and bring sculptural serveware to the fore. Rich reds, bold blues and dramatic silhouettes capture the playful bonhomie of the Art Deco period. Place bright flowers in chromatic vases, use twisted taper candles in sculptural candlesticks and layer brightly patterned table linens over placemats accented with scallops and contrasting trims.

Dolce & Gabbana Casa’s Carretto range captures the multi-hued energy of this style perfectly, while playful glassware from Les-Ottomans and Baccarat allow you to inject this trend into your everyday settings, too.

The serenity of the Douro or Napa Valley and its relaxed dining vibe has long inspired the creativity of our in-house experts.

Whether it’s wine or olive tasting that’s brought you to our table, we can show you how to capture the vintner’s dolce vita from the comfort of your dining room.

This tablescape is all about simplicity and warmth. Choose linens in natural materials and tones – Maison Margaux’s range has an abundance of choices – and decorate with patterns that represent the rustic aesthetic of a vineyard: citrus fruits, leafy prints and organic shapes.

Put olive branches bursting with leaves into clear glass or clay vases, and their fruity bounty into earthenware or wooden bowls. Place minimalist plates and bowls atop woven rattan placemats, and opt for unadorned or slightly shaded glassware – soft burgundies and warm browns work well.

To finish, arrange fresh fruit and seasonal vegetables across the centre, creating an aesthetic that captures the quiet landscape and celebrates its bounty.