Earlier this week I completed a beautiful red paint finish on a set of dining chairs.

I decided having these red chairs on hand would be perfect to set the stage for a fun patriotic tablescape.

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for. Decorating for any patriotic holiday is probably the easiest of all holidays to decorate for. It’s really simple with the consistent red, white, blue colors. It’s a matter of picking one or two colors as the dominate color(s), then accenting the space with American flags. You are golden if you follow that little rule. Maybe it’s not really a rule but more of a good standard to go by when figuring out what do first in decorating and styling. You can’t go wrong if you follow that formula.

White and red were my choice.

Aren’t these chairs a beautiful red?

They will be perfect for someone who really enjoys traditional French country colors, or Americana home decor styles.  Since the dining table that goes with the chairs isn’t quite finished,  I borrowed a patio table from my lower deck.

When it comes to July 4th decor, I have always used white as the dominate color.

Red is the secondary color.

Blue is not used anywhere else in the tablescape design other than what is on American flag.

While I was working outside, the children in my neighborhood were playing fetch with my sweet dog and making me laugh the entire time I was taking pictures.

One of the little boys said, “This is so fancy.  It’s like the White House and it’s sooooo beeeeauuutttiifull.”

Ha ha!  I don’t know if this up to snuff for White House extravaganzas, but it thrilled me that the children thought it was as pretty as everything they have ever seen involving White House dinners.  I adore the kids around here.

Creating this look was simple.  I just used what I had on hand.

The table-cloth is nothing special.
I mean it’s really nothing special at all…..it’s a bed sheet.

I pinned up the edges so it would lend an air of elegance instead of looking like… well… just a bed sheet thrown over an old patio table.

The runner is a scrap of muslin material that I had on hand from another project.

Red Transferware

White cloth napkins, vintage silver flatware tied with a piece of twine, are simple touches that add a hint of elegance to the most casual of celebratory dining tables. Any type of ribbon or string would work.  I just kept it a little more country cottage style by using some scrap twine.  I love that stuff by the way.

I have collected a few pieces of red transferware dishes. Most of them are not identical, and even fewer are made by the  same manufacturer.

 I love the pretty pastural scenes and period style designs of each plate.

  As long as each dish is a similar color hue, it doesn’t matter that they aren’t a complete matching set of dishes.

In my opinion, the mismatched patterns add interest to almost any style tablescape; formal or casual.

The wood piece in the center is just an old cutting board from my kitchen.  It’s no longer used for its intended purpose as a cutting board.  I shuffle it around and use it in a variety of decorative ways. This is something you will see more of in future posts.

 The flowers were gathered from my yard.  They are the very last of the peony blooms; my favorite flower in all the world. You can read more about that here.

I don’t think any 4th of July celebration is complete without strawberries and blueberries.

Don’t overlook the value that food has to add patriotic presentation and decorative interest to your tables.

Food can work double-duty to add interest to your table, while also feeding your guests.

I had a craving for chocolate cupcakes with lemon infused icing.

 The mint garnish really adds a nice layer of flavor to the chocolate and lemon.

The children were very interested in what the green leaves were on the cupcakes.  We had fun crushing mint leaves up, smelling them, and taking little bites of the leaves. I explained that mint is very good for keeping the mosquitos and flies away too.

Poking a flag into a floral arrangement is really all that’s needed to add a July 4th patriotic touch to almost any centerpiece.

Minus the flag, what we are left with is a simple, yet pretty, French country cottage style dining table.

Nothing more than a few flags and a vase full of flowers is all anyone really needs to set the decorative stage for a July 4th bash.

Although I don’t have any big plans, or even a big celebration planned,

in my heart I am celebrating the birth of our wonderful country.

Later on today I will be fixing a Low Country Boil.

I wish each of you a happy and safe July 4th.

Here are some fun trivia facts about Independence Day.