Tablescapes: 20 Finds for Stylish Summer Entertaining

A long lunch on a vine-shaded terrace, breezy sunset suppers by the sea, or perhaps a table set on an innercity rooftop terrace with Table Mountain views… summer in South Africa is all about alfresco feasts with friends and family gathered around your table, wherever that may be. It can be as easy as throwing a pretty cloth over your garden table, piling fresh salads, cheeses and crusty breads into bowls and platters, firing up the braai, and voilà!

We’ve collected our wishlist of beautiful things to add a touch of Cape Town summer magic to your table: hand-painted plates, gorgeous glazes, locally designed fabric prints and a whole lot more. Set your table up for the festive season and summer holidays in sunshine style!

Poetry cabbage platter

Evoking still life paintings by Dutch masters, there’s a timeless charm to this textured cabbage leaf platter from Poetry that turns the simplest of dishes into a work of art. Heap it with fresh fruit and grapes to set beside a cheese platter, layer on a caprese salad of ripe red tomatoes and mozzarella for contrast, or pile it with hummus surrounded by carrot sticks and crudités to dip, the possibilities are endless. It measures 30.5cm in diameter so is a perfect centrepiece for the table, adding some leafy freshness to the feast.
Cost R549
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Floral chair pads

Eating alfresco is always a delight, but sometimes hard garden chairs aren’t designed for lingering long into the evening. Adding a generous layer of comfortable padding, as well as lashings of prettiness, these chair pads from India Ink change all that and ensure the conversation flows all night if you want it to! Stylishly comfortable, they are made of 100% cotton and screen-block printed in this lavishly exotic Garden of Eden flowery design.
Cost R200
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Okra dinner candles

Okra is the go-to South African name for quality hand-crafted candles, and its dinner candles are the essential finishing touch for sultry summer evenings dining by the soft glow of candlelight. Your only dilemma is which of the rainbow colours to choose. Should you match your tablecloth or your serving bowls? Or go for dynamic orange, electric pink, deep red or subtle pastels? Hand-poured with cotton wicks, the candles have a 10-hour burn time and, foodies will be happy to know, they are fragrance-free, so there is no messing with your palate.
Cost R89 (set of four)

Garlic and herb butter candle

One rather delicious and sure-fire way to get the dinner party off to a good start is to gather around this edible candle, dunking focaccia or ciabatta into the garlicky buttery herby richness as it melts and pools. From the farm goodness of Babylonstoren, it’s an artisan buttery delight and the garlic bread aroma is guaranteed to keep the vampires (and mosquitoes) away too! Its burn life is approximately 4 – 8 hours… that’s a whole lot of holiday feasting covered!
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Madison Plates

New in and likely to fly off the shelves in a flash, these expressive limited-edition plates add a summery splash of style to a celebratory feast. Quirky designs by local artist Elise Wessels are transferred onto individual hand-crafted ceramics by Mervyn Gers. Choose between the wavy pink Coral Sprig, dignified and enigmatic yellow sun Sol Mate, sultry palm Tropical Feast, cheerful nasturtium Sunbeam Blossom and other summery designs, all hand-painted with a rim of 18-carat gold to catch glowing candlelight on a festive table.
Cost R1 200
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Hay tint wine glasses

Why drink your chilled chenin blanc from an ordinary wine glass when you could have these colourful beauties on your table? Pink bowls, orange stems to go with flowery summer decor, or  blue bowls, clear stems if your colour-theme is beach and ocean. Designed by Danish home-design company Hay, and made from durable borosilicate glass, the goblets put a fresh contemporary spin on the everyday tablescape and come in sets of two.
Cost R899 (set of two)
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De la Mer oyster platter

Even if you’re not a fan of oysters, this platter casts a summery spell with its vibrant lemon and contrasting mussel and oyster design. Pile it with cut lemons as a centrepiece to a seafood extravaganza, use it to serve a creamy ocean of seafood risotto, or a pretty prawn salad. And just because the design is savoury doesn’t mean it won’t also make a stunning backdrop to something sweet… we’re thinking a creamy lemon cheesecake or a billowy passionfruit pavlova.
Cost R1 490
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Tavola paper napkins

You can add so much style to a plain table setting (and ring the changes meal to meal) just by choosing a beautifully printed paper napkin. These biodegradable ‘slim’ napkins by Tavola go a long way towards adding a splash of summer colour. We particularly love the Leaf design, which comes in green, orange or a bright mustard yellow. And the clever slim dimensions (20 x 40cm) take up less space and create less waste than a conventional napkin.
Cost R120 (24 napkins per pack)
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Shellebrate tablecloth

Photo: Senga van Wyk

Shell magic is preserved for posterity in this glorious woven tablecloth that really could become a family heirloom. This time Lucie de Moyencourt’s beautiful shell designs create the formalised pattern of a double-sided woven pattern in collaboration with African Jacquard, divided by a diamond trellis of twisting seaweed. One side is red on white, the other white on red, and finished with a 3cm mitre-corner hem all round. Made from 100% African cotton, there is a luxuriously heavy drape to this cloth and a festive feel. Measuring 148 x 250cm, it fits an eight-seater table and is fully washable (line-drying recommended). Matching napkins are the finishing touch.
Good to know There are other designs in the Shellebrate series which come in green, blue or dusty pink.
Cost R3 500 excluding VAT
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Poetry scallop-edge bowl

The regular scalloped edges of these ceramic serving bowls have a sculptural simplicity that we love for summer spreads. A lustrous textured glaze changes the mood, depending on whether you choose a foresty green, deep cobalt blue, a light and zesty teal, or plain milk white. And Poetry offer them in both large and medium sizes, perfect for mix-and-match serving bowls.
Cost R849 (large)
R549 (medium)
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Cara Saven Amalfi tablecloth

The inspiring founder of the eponymous bespoke wallpaper company, Cara Saven has recently  turned her flair for colour and design to table linen. The bold, bright and beautiful Amalfi range is perfect for South African summer tables, from the sunshine-yellow stripes and bright-red tomatoes (and Buon Appetito slogan) of the Pomodoro design, to the blue checkerboard and cheerful orange lobster of the Aragosta. Made in easy-care poly-cotton (from 100% recycled materials) the tablecloths are easily washable, require minimal ironing and come in three sizes. You can also get napkins to match.
Cost From R1 699
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Copper Pepper mill

There’s a touch of the nautical about these shiny copper mills that perfectly suits the summer seaside table. The warm gleam of polished brass, the cranking of the shaft to turn the mill, and the aromatic waft of freshly milled pepper drifting over a sizzling steak just off the fire add another sensory dimension to a meal.
Cost R1 490
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Speckled blue plate

The splash of waterfalls on a hot day in summer, sea-spray on a sunset evening… this is what these dinner plates from H&M conjure in our minds. Sturdy stoneware (measuring 20.4cm in diameter), they would go perfectly with any classic blue-and-white colour scheme, adding a carefree randomness as every plate is unique in its speckled splash pattern.
Cost R179
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Porcini Table lamp

When candles blow out in a sea breeze but you still want mood lighting at your outside table, these Porcini rechargeable lamps are the answer. The organic mushroom curves are as stylish as the restaurants we’ve seen them in recently. The light diffuses nicely down onto the table so you’re not dazzled, and the brightness is adjustable (once you work out how the dimmable touch function works!). The lamp comes in black, grey, white or sunshine yellow and gives 6-7 hours of battery life for each charge. Useful for cosy winter evenings too (and loadshedding lighting back-ups).
Cost R1 100
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Kevin Collins artisanal bowl

Irregular edges and sinuous curves are definitely on the menu this summer. Here they get a quirky hand-painted energy in a range of four designs by artist Kevin Collins for AAFRICAA, the contemporary design emporium at the V&A Waterfront. We love the watermelon pinks and stylised patterns that range from palm trees and wine flagons to hieroglyphic-style bird and human figures. We’d be tempted to get a whole set.
Good to know These are individual pieces and the gallery will send pictures of designs currently available on request.
Cost R950
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Ngwenya glass tumblers

There’s a long story behind this Eswatini glassblowing factory that goes back to 1979, when two talented locals were sent over to Sweden to be trained by some of the leading glassblowers in the world. Now Ngwenya Glass pride themselves on using only recycled glass (mainly old cooldrink bottles) and each piece is individually handmade and mouth-blown. These Vulindlela tumblers capture the energy and elegance of the age-old craft with a rippled profile and bottom-heavy design, perfect for refreshing summer cordials, iced water or whisky.
Cost R542 (set of 4)
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Mervyn Gers jug

Every summer table needs a no-fuss jug, and this simple and elegant design by Mervyn Gers has the classic lines we love, with a swooping beak of a spout designed to pour properly. Handmade and beautifully glazed with textured layers of colour, each jug is an individual piece, and they are currently available in two sizes: medium which holds 300ml and is perfect for cream, milk or salad dressing; and x-large which holds 1.2l, just right for water, lemonade, or even as a vase for flowers..
Good to know The jugs are dishwasher safe.
Cost R450 (medium)
R850 (x-large)
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Poetry resin paddle servers

When you’re serving salad (or pasta) within the sound of ocean waves, these are the servers you need to complete your table. One blue paddle and one green, with swooshy marbling of colour in the durable resin, and tactile curved handles, they evoke rockpools and frothy surf with vibrant colour and laidback style.
Cost R399

House of Harhaz placemats

Haute couture for the table… fashion and interior designer Zahrah Moosa of House of Harhaz pays tribute to nostalgia in her homeware collections. These scalloped linen table napkins and embroidered cotton canvas placemats have a timeless grandeur to them, and the rich texture of the embroidery on both pieces adds a simple sophistication to the festive table. They come in four colourways: olive, opal, merlot and bordeaux.
Cost R900 (set of 2 placemats + 2 napkins)
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Siren shell glasses

Photo: @urban_lens_photography_, @hout.events

Channel your inner mermaid with this stunner of a shell glass perfect for the most extravagant of summer beach settings. Each one is an individual artwork made by Bare Home Decor on the West Coast from real seashells that are perched on a delicate glass stem. Sip bubbly or perhaps sea foam-inspired cocktails against a sound-track of ocean waves, while you tuck into oysters and a suitably shell-ebratory feast.
Cost R590
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