How to Make a Seashell & Floral Centerpiece for a Seaside-Inspired Table

Add some coastal charm to your table and find the steps to create a flower arrangement and centerpiece incorporating shells for a seaside-inspired summer table setting. Additionally, you’ll find seaside floral and table inspiration from my Monday Morning Blooms’ friends.

Happy July!

It’s one of my favorite days of the month when I join my

Monday Morning Blooms’ friends to share some flower therapy.

You can find my Monday Morning Blooms friends’ floral inspiration at the bottom of this post.

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Our common theme for July’s edition of Monday Morning Blooms was ‘seaside’.

If you can’t go to the beach, bring the beach to you via the table!

To incorporate the shells into my floral arrangement,

I used a favorite ‘vase within a vase’

method for flower arranging.

Adding shells to the walls of your vase is an easy way to add some seaside charm

and interest to your glass vase,

as well as a decorative way to conceal your flower stems!

Start with two vases, a smaller one, to nest inside a larger one.

My larger vase is 8 inches tall x 6 inches wide and smaller vase is 6 inches tall x 4 ½ inches wide.

You can find affordable glass vases at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Target or Walmart.

I added some smaller shells to the bottom of the larger vase to elevate the smaller one,

 and then began filling the walls of the vase.

You can add your shells randomly or for more of an arranged design, use a bamboo skewer

to help shift the shells as desired as you fill the walls of the vases.

I used a Lazy Susan Turntable that I use for flower arranging,

to rotate my vase and help add the shells evenly around perimeter.

Sand dollars, found on a family trip to Harbor Island several years ago,

were added along the top of the vase.

Once you have your shells arranged to your liking,

add water to your inner vase, filling it no more than about 2/3 full,

to prevent it from spilling over onto the shells between the walls of your vase.

For easy flower arranging, I used a favorite tool, chicken wire, to support the flower stems.

Chicken wire is an eco-friendly alternative to wet flower foam as it is reusable.

Cut your chicken wire at least 4 inches wider than the opening of your container,

so you have some excess wire to bend and hold against the walls of your container.

Any chicken wire will work, but I like a coated or painted wire which is rust resistant after repeated uses.

Now you’re ready to add your flowers!

I used some white alstroemeria and white hydrangeas from the grocery store

and blue hydrangeas from the garden for my seaside arrangement.

To add some additional shells to the arrangement,

bamboo skewers were tucked in among the flowers.

The shells slip over the top of the skewers and the

 starfish in the arrangement is light enough

to rest on top of the hydrangea blooms.

Join me at a table on the dock. . .

we’ll pretend that we’re beachside instead of lakeside!

Have a seat. . .

Pillow covers provide some coastal charm to our chairs with shells, starfish and coral design.

A jute tablecloth provides a sand-colored foundation for the table. . .

With patterned napkins layered as a placemats,

providing additional shells to frame the placesettings.

Assorted shells, sand dollars and starfish provide a seaside-inspired runner for our table. . .

I always comb the aisles of HomeGoods like a shell seeker ;)

and where the shell chargers washed ashore several years ago.

If you’re feeling crafty, you could easily make your own chargers with rattan chargers,

seashells, and a hot glue gun.

My shell seeking also uncovered beaded seahorse napkin rings,

to pair with sealife melamine plates, for carefree outdoor dining.

A shell vase provides a vessel for serving Starborough Sauvignon Blanc

to enjoy by the water. . .

And seeded glass goblets give the illusion of watery bubbles while

twisted rope flatware adds a nautical detail to the table.

Here are few tips to help extend the life of your flowers in your arrangement:

🐚 To keep your cut hydrangeas from wilting:  Use Alum!

Hydrangeas are notorious for wilting and alum allows hydrangeas to draw more water from the vase.

Cut your hydrangeas in the morning with they are fully hydrated and not stressed from the heat.

When arranging them, cut each stem at a 45 degree angle for maximum water uptake

and dip 1/2 inch of each cut stem in alum powder.

🐚 Change your vase water every other day if possible.

🐚 Keep your flower arrangement away from heat and direct sunlight.

🐚 To get the longest vase life from your flowers, use

Crowning Glory, an anti-transpirant spray that seals in moisture.

It dries clear and is safe to use on all flower types, especially beneficial

for flowers that are prone to wilting due to moisture loss, like hydrangeas.

I’ve had flower arrangements last two weeks using Crowning Glory.

Crowning Glory will dry within 30 minutes to an hour, depending the temperature and humidity.

Note: Wait to spray roses with Crowning Glory after they are open

as it will prohibit them from opening further.

Table Details:

Couleur Nature Burlap Natural Tablecloth / Amazon, several years ago

Shell Chargers / HomeGoods, several years ago

Flatware / World Market, several years ago

Pretty Shell Flatware: Towle Antigua 16-Piece Flatware Set

Seeded Goblets / Artland Iris

Seahorse Napkin Rings / Tahari Home

Napkins / Pottery Barn, several years ago

Seahorse Starfish Melamine Plates / Sigrid Olsen, Similar HERE

Visit my flower friends to see their floral inspiration:

Pam at Everyday Living

Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse

Our ‘real feel’ with the humidity was 108 °F on Sunday

and the lake water temperature was a warm 88.7 °F !

Hope you’re staying cool where you are. ♥

Thank you for your visit!

Sharing with:  Between Naps on the Porch