Summer Table Ideas Lobsters & Patriotism

Celebrate the sunny season with a coastal-inspired summer table setting. Get ideas for a red, white, and blue table with vintage trimmings.

We’re back in coastal Maine,

settling in for our summer stay.

And first on the docket, to help get me in the mood for the 4th of July holiday,

was to create this red, white, and blue summer table setting with all the patriotic trimmings.

Vintage, thrifted, and coastal cottage in design.

Summer Table Wonder

For a festive summer table brimming with patriotic flair, incorporate bright red, white, and blue pops along with coastal New England elements. Add nautical striped or starfish-patterned placemats with a crisp white tablecloth as the base. Fill vases or jars with red and blue hydrangeas, white roses, and sprigs of wheat for eye-catching centerpieces. Place paper cones printed with stars and stripes at each setting to hold warm, buttery lobster rolls on toasted New England-style hot dog buns. Add mini flags or red and blue gingham napkins for an Americana touch. For favors, give out small buoys or shells with a red, white and blue ribbon tied around them.

With sweet lobsters and patriotic decor, this seaside spread celebrates summer and shows your American pride.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Can you envision it?

Authentic Maine Lobster Summer Table

And, of course, I have lobster on my mind!

I can’t wait to dive into some fresh Maine lobster, corn on the cob, steamed clams, and fresh bread this 4th of July.

You may also enjoy a few of these summer table posts and an antiquing trip in Maine:

How to spruce up a table for summer? I’m all about adding red, white, and blue to summer table settings. The colors are not just for the patriotic holidays. It’s classic, traditional, and festive. Add a tablecloth, festive placemats, and colorful glassware as your basic table elements.

Gathering up all my lobster summer table setting rubbles with red, white, and blue trimmings is definitely giving me all the summer and 4th of July vibes. I hope it does the same for you.

I had my little sidekick, Ella, helping me out too. She was freshly groomed with a blue sparkly nose and red bows in her ears, haha. The bows absolutely kill me…

You may also find inspiration in this DIY American Flag with Antique Spindles project.

Summer Table Setting Centerpiece

Last summer, I headed up to Down East Maine to visit with my friend Molly in Maine. I was on my way home when I stopped off at Cabot Mills Antiques in Brunswick, Maine. Oh my goodness, don’t miss this place should you find yourself in the area, just down the road from Bowdoin College.

See more in the post, Antiquing Down East, A Day’s Jaunt. You may also enjoy The Best Antique, Thrift, and Second-Hand Shops from Vermont to Maine post.

There, I found this wrought iron whale weathervane, which will center on the 4th of July summer table setting. Isn’t she an old beauty?

How to decorate a wooden table in summer? Add a tablecloth or layer placemats on a wooden table in the summer to add color and charm. Decorate with summer colors and flowers that match the natural tones of the wood table, like red, white, and blue, which are ideal.

Easy Summer Table Decor Ideas

This summer table setting is a mix of thrifted with new red, white, and blue trimmings on our vintage pine wooden dining room table.

Each place setting starts with a layered style of blue rectangle placemats topped off with a round braided red lobster accent placemat. This gives the place settings more foundation for the messy lobster and adds patriotic red, white, and blue colors to our summer table setting.

What are informal table settings? Informal table settings tend to have less dinnerware, glassware, and silverware. This summer table setting is definitely informal, in my opinion. I’m using many thrifted items and will serve up a casual Maine lobster feast.

Various thrifted blue and white vintage bowls hold my mother’s vintage lobster shell crackers and picks. And will later serve to hold the empty lobster shells.

You may enjoy the post, Coastal Maine Heritage – Embracing My Roots.

Cutlery Couture’s lobster silverware pouches are a favorite on my summer table settings, especially when serving seafood.

And a beach rock collected from our local beach will assist in cracking open the lobster shells.

My favorite thrifted blue goblets paired with sailboat juice glasses will gaily quench that summertime thirst.

Plenty of napkins with a lobster theme will be used to clean up the sloppy mess that eating lobsters will certainly create.

Simple small red votives with candles, which I found in my mother’s drawer, are a colorful addition without taking up too much table setting space.

Little antique butter patties hold sweet cherries for an appetizer or as an after-dinner delight.

Add a simple white pitcher full of faux blue hydrangeas. I don’t always like running out to buy fresh hydrangeas for my summer table settings. And they are the perfect summer table setting blooms. Definitely worth the investment!

And if you saw the traffic this weekend in southern Maine, you wouldn’t want to go, either.

Or maybe a small pitcher full of faux Christmas red berries that I had in a box in our attic.

You may also enjoy the Just 4 Blue Dishes on the 4th of July post.

Happy 4th of July from our summer table to yours!

It ended up being such a rainy 4th of July weekend here in Coastal Maine that we also enjoyed some lobster out at Barnacle Billy’s in Ogunquit, Maine. Honestly, there’s nothing better to do on a rainy day in Maine!

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