How to impress every guest you are hosting this summer – and you don’t to spend a fortune, says expert Holly Bennett
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You don’t need a designer budget to make your tablescape look like it was designed by a professional. According to the lifestyle content creator and founder of the seasonal style brand This House GrowsHolly Bennett says some of the most effective tablescape design ideas won’t cost you a dime — and one of her favorite decorating habits involves going for a walk.
Holly Bennett Grows Up in This House
Forget expensive bouquets; choose your own instead. My favorite flower arrangements often cost nothing.
Living in Devon, I regularly fill my home with flowers and leaves collected from the garden and local walks. I can’t resist bringing home cow parsley in the spring, and in the summer I fill tiny bud vases with sweet peas, cosmos and dahlias picked straight from the garden.
I also mix herbs, nasturtiums, and even homegrown veggies to create arrangements that look effortlessly stylish. The best images don’t come from spending more. They come from using what’s already around you.
Holly picks Cow Parsley on one of her walks
No garden? It’s not important.
Think you need a sprawling garden to achieve the ‘natural’ look? Think again.
Whether it’s shells, seed heads or interesting twigs, some of my favorite style finds have come from coastal walks and country walks.
Even a potted plant in the middle of the garden can instantly make the kitchen fresher; Visiting a local flower farm or picking your own is another affordable way to bring seasonal color to your interior. It’s about noticing nature rather than buying more.
If you’ve only got £40 to spend…
Forget cushions and taper candles.
Instead, invest in plants that continue to reward you year after year. My top picks include sage, nepeta, and hardy geraniums, which bloom for months, attracting bees and providing endless amounts of fresh stems to cut for the house.
I would also happily spend my entire budget on a potted David Austin rose because it’s fragrant, sculptural and will keep on giving long after summer is over. It’s also a striking centerpiece, worthy of magazines.
Holly Bennett chooses her secret weapon roses
My easy ten-minute styling trick
You don’t need guests to set the table beautifully. One of my favorite rituals is setting the table, indoors or outdoors, even for a casual weekday meal.
Just open the doors, pick some flowers, light a candle, and add simple tablecloths. It will instantly make everyday life feel a little more special. Mix textures, too: brass vases, glass bud jars, vintage stoneware and natural woods. It will give depth to a scheme.
Also try to keep arrangements toned down by mixing different heights and textures for a relaxed look that never feels overly stylish. It shouldn’t look like you didn’t try too hard.
The tablescape style mistake almost everyone makes…
I try to make the flowers look perfect.
Drooping stems, twisted branches, and shifting leaves are what make arrangements look beautiful and natural. Instead of wasting time and obsessing over symmetry, embrace movement, texture, scent, and everything else that’s naturally in season. The rest will fall into place.
Holly’s tablescapes at home
The flowers I swear by every summer…
If I had to choose just a handful, I would always choose Alchemilla mollis alongside white hydrangeas for a soft, romantic display. Garden roses also always add effortless appeal, while Geranium ‘Rozanne’ provides purple-blue color for months.
What about dahlias? Come to me The more you cut them, the more flowers they produce.
Also, never try to make flowers ‘behave’. My secret weapon is a flower frog or a crumpled piece of chicken wire hidden inside a bowl or flower pot. It keeps the stems in place while still looking beautiful and natural, and no one will know your secret.
