Affordable Everyday Table Setting Items From Amazon
Why I Always Have My Table Staged
Coming from an event planning background I always like to have my table set. Having your table staged or set with practical items makes the space more inviting. Instead of having an empty table and spending 20 to 30 minutes setting up the table when I have dinner guests, I stage it with my everyday items that I would use anyway. Of course my table changes with the seasons and holidays, but having an everyday setting for the in between months is essential. You don’t want to eat on easter plates during Halloween!
“What if I don’t use the dinner table every night?” Well, we don’t eat at the dinner table most nights. Its only two of us in the house so we use paper plates and sit at the counter every night. That doesn’t take away from having a really pretty table for those unexpected guests. Plus, you don’t want your table looking bare. This is like giving your table a new outfit, making sure it has “clothes” on.
I compiled a list of everyday items that I utilize to stage my table.
Reasons Why I Use These 9 Items
Water Glasses: This is a versatile item, its not just for water. you can use them for soft drinks as well. I use these water glasses at home and at work, they look great and they serve their purpose. Why have water glasses, because you’ll look silly drinking water out of a wine glass or a pint glass. Water glasses are fairly inexpensive and they add a certain sophistication to your table.
Wine Glasses: Mikasa makes great lead-free wine glasses. Why lead-free? because no one wants to put heavy metals into their body. Having classic stemmed wine glasses (without designs or etching) is essential. They’re timeless! They don’t go out of style and they are elegant. I’m not one to say that you shouldn’t get cheap wine wine glasses or stemless glasses, because I have a total of 32 wine glasses at home. I have a lot of friends and they are somewhat careless, so having cheap glasses are great to have as well. I’m just saying, Good quality timeless wine glasses = elegance and sophistication, which is what we’re aiming for here.
Dinnerware: This item is all about preference. I like the look of clean, sleek, timeless and minimalistic. So I went with dinnerware that had no rim. Rims on plates are very outdated, when you go out to trendy new restaurants, you’ll notice that their plated are flat or rimless, thats because its easier to get your food on your flatware. I opted for white, again because it’s timeless and elegant. That doesn’t mean I don’t have dinnerware for all holidays and moods, because I do! This dinnerware set is gorgeous and durable and it will look great on your table.
Flatware: Your flatware is very important, of course it’s a preference thing. The look, the weight, they all are factors when you’re purchasing flatware. Thats why I was hesitant in adding it to the list. I added ones that are similar to my every day flatware set. Yes, I have multiple flatware sets, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. These are simple modern and sleek. Personally I like to go to the store and touch them, lift them up and hold them in my hand, but I live extremely far from all the nice stores and amazon has been my best friend.
Placemats: I use placemats or chargers as much as possible. I don’t like the look of table cloths all the time and my dinner table is extremely large where most table cloths won’t fit the way they should. So I use placemats. Like I mentioned before I have family and friends that are rather careless and I don’t want my table to have food everywhere, so I use placemats. These placemats are wonderful, because you can shove them into the dishwasher right after you finish having dinner. We’re all about easy clean up around here! This picture doesn’t do them much justice, but they’re a really nice light grey color that goes well with the neutral color scheme.
Table Runner: OMG table runners. I LOVE TABLE RUNNERS! Why do I love table runners so much? Because they dress up the table beautifully and they add a protective layer down the middle of your table in case you have candles, flowers, or hot casserole dishes. These table runners are very inexpensive, and they’re very lightweight. I love them and use them all the time because they’re so easy to clean and set up. They look great and they’re not overwhelmingly fancy. They make a great base layer for simple decorations.
Cloth Napkins: This is the one item that sets your table aside from any other. Cloth napkins make you feel like you’re at a restaurant, yet they’re so inexpensive to have at home. Cloth napkins are a beautiful way to dress up your table. Napkin folding is an art form that takes a lot of time to master, but there are easy folds that can turn your table into an elegant setting. Most of the time I simply fold my napkins in a trifold and tuck them between my salad plate and dinner plate and it looks beautiful and elegant. These napkins are wonderful and machine washable.
Planter Boxes: I keep a few planter boxes around for easy decorating. Fresh flowers are beautiful and there’s always a few arrangements around my house. But never on the dinner table. I don’t set fresh flowers in my planter boxes because I use them for my everyday table settings. Maintaining fresh flowers on a table is hard work, it take watering, checking for dead flowers and cleaning petals and debris every day. I like the set it and forget it method, set the table and forget it until it’s time to change it again, or use it. So I use these planter boxes, garland and some fillers to make an easy arrangement to dress up the table.
Salt & Pepper Shakers: Oh the salt and pepper shakers, such useful items that are often forgotten. Everyone in all events forget to put down salt and pepper shakers. It has become an ongoing joke to remember the salt and pepper shakers. This is honestly like a finishing touch to a set table. Once the salt and pepper shakers are on the table, it shows the table is finished. Aside from them being the most useful items on the table, having really cute ones helps. Mine are full stainless steel shakers, but I love these so much that I ordered them! you could never have to many salt and pepper shakers.
It's So Easy To Have an Elegant Table
Using everyday items to stage your table is so easy. I’ve been lucky enough to make this my profession and work everyday with making table setting beautiful. Follow me on Instagram to see more table setting ideas.
