Style Icon Aerin Lauder Shares Her 3 Secrets to a Stunning Summer Tablescape

Published on June 21, 2025

Style icon Aerin Lauder, granddaughter of makeup legend Estée Lauder and herself a creative director and businesswoman, knows how to set a beautiful table. In fact, she's written multiple books on the subject, including her latest, Living with Flowers.

When it comes to setting a table for summer, whether it's alfresco or in the AC, Aerin likes to use a mix of garden colors, natural materials, and simple flowers. And though her table certainly looks elegant, the elements are actually pretty simple. It's all in how she combines them. Discover Aerin's three musts for a gorgeous summer table.

1. Mix, Don't Match

Mixing plates in the same or similar pattern but different colors adds playful sophistication while maintaining visual harmony. Here, the sunny yellow tablecloth, echoed in the color of the dahlias and some of the plates, serves as the anchor color, with thoughtful touches of pink, blue, and lavender creating depth. "I love mixing colors," Aerin says. "Tablescapes should always offer an element of surprise." Clear glassware, meanwhile, visually recedes to let the color palette shine.

2. Always Include Naturals

Natural materials like rattan and bamboo harmonize beautifully with an outdoor setting while adding relaxed charm to a tablescape. For this gathering, Aerin incorporated wooden folding chairs with woven seats, rattan chargers, and bamboo-handled flatware, even tucking some of the flower vases into small woven raffia baskets. "Because they're made from plant materials, raffia, straw, wicker, and rattan provide a natural backdrop for any type of flower, particularly in summer," she explains. "I love their airy texture." Look for rattan napkin rings, bread baskets, and drinking glass holders at thrift shops for additional charm.

3. Keep Flowers Super Simple

When your table is long and narrow, multiple small flower arrangements ensure that every guest enjoys a front-row view of the blooms. "I love using small bud vases, which creates an effect of effortless entertaining with a very organic appeal," Aerin says. The trick to making it easy is to group bunches of the same flower together, all one color, all one type. Aerin used cosmos, dahlias, and ranunculus. Just clip and place loosely in the vase—no need for accent flowers or filler greenery. No matter the arrangement style, “keep flowers below chin height to ensure easy conversation,” she says.