Dining Alfresco: Melamine Dinnerware and Stemware

As summer dawns, we all begin to turn to alfresco dining. What’s better to dine on outdoors than melamine? This material is great for outdoor summer entertaining, because it is virtually unbreakable and relatively inexpensive.

Let me share with you some of my favorite colorful and durable options currently on the market.

I just love the Pottery Barn Rope Outdoor Dinnerware collection and the four colors it comes in.

These Williams-Sonoma Seashell Dinner Plates would be just the ticket for a beachside dinner.

You know I adore plaid! How fun are these selections from French Bull’s Multiplaid Collection??

These Kaleidobug plates by Anthropologie remind me of a vintage print and could really go with any setting or theme to create an eclectic look.

For the beach or the lake, these West Elm Schooner Plates make a fun red-white-and-blue statement for all the summer patriotic holidays.

This pair is just screaming for a garden party! Marimekko Unikko Green & Blue and Marimekko Sateenkaari (both from Crate & Barrel).

If you want a piece that will take you well into fall, I suggest Pottery Barn’s Talavera bowls.

Pottery Barn also has some perfectly lovely outdoor tumblers and stemware. Here are my top picks:

Pottery Barn Hobnail Outdoor Drinkware

Pottery Barn Oceana Outdoor Drinkware

And last but not least, the lovely Pottery Barn Vallarta Outdoor Drinkware.

I hope this gives you all some good ideas for starting your outdoor tabletop collections for this summer.

Happy picnic-table setting!

~Kathryn