Summer is a season for celebration. (No school! No tasteless tomatoes!) An ordinary dinner feels like a special occasion when it's served outdoors. And there's no need to buy expensive patio furniture or fancy dishes to dine gracefully under the stars.

SET THE MOOD. A plain discount-store folding table (which you can reuse at Thanksgiving if your dining-room table can't accommodate all your guests) becomes an elegant tableau for a midsummer night's meal when covered with a crisp white cotton tablecloth.

ELEVATE THE ORDINARY. Instead of cut flowers, use clay pots planted with fragrant herbs (such as rosemary and thyme) and hardy annuals (such as white geraniums and impatiens) for centerpieces all summer long. Create pedestals for the pots out of inexpensive cylinder vases (left over from Mother's Day bouquets or bought at yard sales). Yes Supply Company vases, $1.50 to $3.50 (six-vase minimum), www.yessupplyco.com.

SIT PRETTY. An eclectic assortment of chairs — borrowed from inside your house or from neighbors — seems like a matched set when they all wear the same seat cushions, which will encourage lingering over dessert. Cotton seat cushions, $13 each, TAG, 773-697-6300.

RECYCLE AND REFRESH. Instead of serving tap water in pitchers, use bottles that originally held wine, sparkling water, or Lorina French lemonade ($7, www.ryecountrystore.com). But first remove the labels by soaking them in hot water for about 20 minutes.

DISH IT UP. Pretty dish towels make chic and casual napkins when the menu includes messy foods such as ribs, burgers, corn on the cob, or watermelon. Striped-border dish towels, $3 each, TAG, 773-697-6300.