What do you have on your table - place mats, candles, tablecloth...

[KIN]

I'm needing something to spruce up my table. We only have one, LOL. It is attached to our kitchen, so it is a kitchen/dining room. I think some colorful place mats would be fun, but I'm not sure they would be fun to clean around. What do you have for a centerpiece on your table? Or is your table bare? I'd like to have a bowl of fruit, but I also need to have napkins on the table. Maybe I need to switch to cloth? Inspire me.... :)

[Susan in IL]

I have different colors that coordinate with the kitchen colors. I also have holiday ones that I used the week or so before a holiday. Fabric ones are easy to pick up and take over to the sink to brush crumbs off or to wipe off the table. Then when they are dirty, I throw in the wash.

 

I tried the bowl of fruit thing for a while and also a centerpiece but had to keep moving it when we read the paper, or to put the food on the table. It got to be more of a pain than a nice decoration. The placemats are enough.

[Alice]

Books usually...:)

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I have a longeberger padded table runner and a square napkin basket that my longeberger selling friend gave me.

[Kelli in TN]

A big pile of pink and purple bath towels.

 

 

That would be my 17 year old daughter's idea of decorating.

 

But normally I have, in the middle of the table, this bowl that a potter friend gave me. He made it by pressing the soft clay into a basket so that the basketweave is imprinted. It is a one of kind thing. It's filled with pebbles with a candle in the middle. My daughter says it looks very zen. I guess her towels must be zen too. Maybe she could fold those and put them away today? That would be nice.

[Pamela H in Texas]

LOL....this is SO not what you were looking for. I have a 4x8 piece of plywood on top of which is a guinea pig mansion :)

 

 

BTW, it is my GOAL to get another table soon so the piggies are no longer in the dining room (and having to be moved every time we have a gathering or family or whatever.

[Rhonda in TX]

Books, shopping bags, papers, colored pencils...

 

Does that help? :lol:

 

If it's cleaned off, nothing. I'd love a pretty table, but I know it would just get shoved aside by whatever else "needs" to be there. :o

 

I like to see a simple centerpiece, placemats, and a cloth napkin in a napkin ring in the middle of each placemat.

[sweetbaby]

I need to spruce up mine but it keep returning to the same look, a centerpiece of fruit and books everywhere.

[Cindy in FL.]

Nothing! Boring, I know.

 

Cindy

[JFSinIL]

My centerpiece is my new digital camera and several books on Photoshop Elements 6. There is no shelf safe from cats on which to place my camera ("my Preciousssssss"), and I need it accessible or what was the point of getting it. :001_smile:

Otherwise, school books and mail, newspapers cover half the table. i shove stuff to one side to sit and eat - hubby just sets his plate down on top of everything.

NOTE - I do try and put stuff away (except the camera!) - it is hubby who sets papers etc. down and expects to find them in the same spot weeks later! His folks have the same table - he grew up in clutter.

[Part-Time Homeschooler]

On our kitchen table there is a vase with flowers. The dining room table has a set of 3 wooden hurricane candle holders from Southern Living at Home.

[sheryl]

We have a bowl of fruit which I'd like to move and we display a candle holder (candle on top of wooden base) as a centerpiece. It's NOT fancy, but this acknowledges her in another way. HTH. Sheryl <><

[Krista in LA]

We have some woven cloth placemats (easy to clean) and a handmade pottery bowl in the middle. Sometimes we might put something in the bowl, but most of the time it's empty.

[Peela]

I like to have the table bare. We have a beautiful large slab of wood, and when it is clear of clutter, the room looks spacious and lovely, even if other parts of the room get a bit cluttered.

My favourite thing on the table is a bunch of fresh flowers. And nothing else.

We don't use napkins (yes, apparently thats unusual in America but here, it's kind of something we do at Christmas :) ) , we dont use placemats or a tablecloth. The wood is varnished and can handle plates without getting stratched.

I like it. Minimal clutter, minimal extra things to clean and wipe. Simple, looks good.

[Kari C in SC]

My first thought was JUNK! :lol: Seriously, my table tends to collect stuff all day. The only thing that I actually leave on it - is my laptop. I am thinking that is not what you had in mind.

 

Currently, there is the following on my table:

 

can of Mountain Dew

kid's toothbrush and toothpaste

handheld basketball game

nerf airplane

cup

nuby cup

2 batteries

a pipe cleaner

 

I will go through my morning routine and clean it all off except the laptop. Then, somehow, it will all magically reappear. If I tried to put pretty stuff there - where would my 3 year old keep all of his goodies he needs to assemble on my table each day?

[elegantlion]

Well ours is currently covered with binders, books, pencils, scissors, a portable keyboard, a school bell, glue and a placemat with the Presidents on it. :001_smile: We eat most meals at the kitchen table which is covered in just a simple tablecloth.

 

When our dining room was used as such, I used a table cloth (solid color) and put a table runner(print or contrasting color) over it. In the center I had a silver candleabra with a few large seashells placed around it. We're beachy people.

 

I like the idea of placemats, but I finally gave up on using them. I found they got dirty and even if you tried to spot wash them or hand wash, they turned out not looking the same.

[KIN]

O.K., that cracks me up! :) I don't think I'm going for the ginuea pig route! :)

[RoughCollie]

Elegance is not my middle name. On our dining room table are: a globe, a pencil cup, a napkin holder, a candy bowl with starlite mints in it, and 2 bottles of daily vitamins for the kids. It is covered with an oilcloth tablecloth to protect it from the kids. During the day we do some schoolwork and homework there. The table is cleared of schoolwork for meals, so I have that going for me. :001_smile:

 

Until we moved him to the living room, we used to keep our (now dead) tarantula (in his tank) in the center of the dining room table. That way, everyone who came into our house could have the privilege of seeing him.

 

RC

[riada]

We have placemats that I change for the seasons and in the center is a lazy susan that I painted some pansies on and on top of it is a napkin holder, salt, pepper, and a small vase of some cut flowers from the garden. At meal times I just move the vase to the kitchen and we are ready to eat. If I don't have fresh cut flowers then I do a bowl of fake (very real looking) fruit or if I am lazy then nothing goes in the center and atleast the lazy susan is painted pretty!

[Kris]

When I try to get fancy with seasonal place mats, flowers or other goodies, I'm always disappointed. I don't have the "knack" for it, and it never looks like the pictures. :-)

 

*But* my new dining room table is the only place in the house that isn't piled with books and papers -- we work hard to keep it that way so we have some place to eat besides the sofa in the living room. I have a lace table cloth with a plastic protector on it (yes -- it looks just like my Grandma's, which is what I was hoping for) and a Princess House pie saver that's managed to last thirty years. That's it! :-)

[Diana in OR]

My favourite thing on the table is a bunch of fresh flowers. And nothing else.

We don't use napkins (yes, apparently thats unusual in America but here, it's kind of something we do at Christmas :) ) , we dont use placemats or a tablecloth. The wood is varnished and can handle plates without getting stratched.

I like it. Minimal clutter, minimal extra things to clean and wipe. Simple, looks good.

 

I'm like you. I like fresh flowers. Spring through fall, I'll cut something out of my yard and stick it in the vase. Sometimes in the winter I surprise myself with what I'm able to find in the yard.

 

We do use napkins, and sometimes placemats, but I put those out for the meal, and don't leave them on the table. I work very hard at keeping the table clear.

[Vida Winter]

We sometimes add a centerpiece when we serve dinner but most often the food itself is the main attraction.

[PinkInTheBlue]

I have a big sort of twig made dark wood boat filled with those vine balls. It's not too much smaller than my actual table (unextended). We are using the table for school right now so I purposefully don't have much on it.

[Judy in WA]

We always use a (cloth) table cloth. I just like the way it looks. At different times of the year, I add different things. Right now I have flowers on the table. The kids made sand candles last summer while we were camping. I put those on the table to remind us what a great time we had.

 

As to placemats... the kids usually get a placemat of something we are studying - presidents, states and capitals, units of measure... you get the idea.

 

Judy

[Crissy]

On my dining room table you will always find a tablecloth and a centerpiece of either candles or fresh flowers.

Placemats are only out for meals.

[Rich with Kids]

Spots of syrup, spaghetti sauce and a bottle of sunscreen.?! :tongue_smilie: I usually have fresh flowers in a vase.

[KidsHappen]

When not, absolutely nothing. My db, who watches HGTV all the time, tells me I need more fru fru in my house. I like is plain and spare, thank you very much. :)

[percytruffle]

Every day table: a wicker basket just the right size for napkins and our Pfaltgraff Tea Rose salt and pepper shakers. In the winter sometimes I add woven placemats. Dining room table: silk table runner with a candle in holder surrounded by a floral wreath. In the winter I exchange the runner for a lace tablecloth and placemats. It cuts down in the dusting to keep the table covered :-)

 

A Swiffer duster works well to clean up around the placemats if the mess is not wet. As someone else said, taking the placemats to the sink to shake them off is easy and they wash well, although I do have to iron ours because they are cotton.

[Michelle T]

Along with a few plastic, "educational" placemats, scattered pencils, and a Trader Joe's "Frequent Flyer" mailer.

Michelle T

[Old Dominion Heather]

When I want it to look nice, I put a row of about nine or ten round white pebbles down the center. Our table is dark wood and I think it looks very nice. I also will use antique medicine bottles in different colors, or even a bare branch laid down the center.

 

I use mostly earthy stuff. I'm way too cheap to purchase stuff that will end up destroyed by my boys.

[Tina]

I have a placemat in the middle with a metal openwork fruit 'basket' and a paper mache bowl dd made that matches the placemat that holds our napkins.

 

The boys don't think it's necessary. :)

[Mrs Mungo]

I have a table runner and a huge wooden dough bowl.

[Chris in VA]

Tee Hee! Me, too, and ds' laptop!

 

I keep a small vase for the various weeds, I mean, flowers dd is always bringing in. And we have a napkin holder and the salt shaker. Blah at our house. I could go for a pretty bowl of fruit. I've got a beautiful table, but we always have a table cloth on it with pads under so as not to ruin it.

[mcconnellboys]

I choose placemats that I can wash constantly. My table is covered with a heavy glass top, so we can clear it and clean it off pretty easily. I recently purchased a small lazy Susan from a Mennonite family that I have in the center of my table. It can hold the salt and pepper mills, my napkin holder and some condiments, too. At holiday times, I sometimes also have a small decorative piece in the center of the table, as well.

[Elaine]

I have two tables, the dining room and kitchen.

 

On the kitchen table I have my spring fabric placemats in the center with a Longaberger basket with paper napkins in it. On my dining room table I have a 20 inch antique lace runner with an urn of hydrangeas in the center. (They are silk flowers that I arranged.)

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I have a pretty table cloth, covered with a clear vinyl tablecloth which is held tight with bungee cords underneath. It looks pretty all the time, and is easy to clean. Sometime, my kids put their art work under the clear cover, and sometimes we put a map or two under there. I've put other things under there, too: multiplication tables, memory work, etc.

 

Right now, though, it's just the pretty tablecloth under the clear vinyl.

[Another Lynn]

on the dining room table... a couple chess boards are set up almost all the time. If we use it for special occasion it gets dressed up with table cloth and two candles, each in hurricane glass.

 

on the kitchen table - I'm scared to look, but probably some dirty dishes:tongue_smilie:

[ShelzNH]

Some dried jelly from yesterday. Coloring books and crayons. A Singapore math book. Very decorative I know...

[lynn]

An arragnement of what looks like miniature white daffodils (from Michaels), cast iron blue napkin holder (from target), and a box of dh wants me to mail today.

[Sharon in SC]

placemats under a glass table top with cloth napkins/pretty napkin rings for each place setting that sits on top of the glass over the placemats and a small dried flower arrangement in the center of the table.

 

The glass table top was the best thing we've done with our table - it keeps food from slipping into the seam of the table leaves and the finish never gets marred from hot bowls, etc

 

I'm needing something to spruce up my table. We only have one, LOL. It is attached to our kitchen, so it is a kitchen/dining room. I think some colorful place mats would be fun, but I'm not sure they would be fun to clean around. What do you have for a centerpiece on your table? Or is your table bare? I'd like to have a bowl of fruit, but I also need to have napkins on the table. Maybe I need to switch to cloth? Inspire me.... :)

[JudoMom]

Usually a boy is there.

 

Right now I've got a vase of fresh flowers that dh gave me last week.

 

Sometimes there is a pile of napkins.

 

But the only authorized centerpiece is flowers. If I don't have fresh flowers it is supposed to be empty.

[ChristyB in TN]

A National Geographic

My daytimer

my dd's laptop

today's local newspaper

a pack of crackers

Prevention magazine

American Eagle gift card

unfolded map of China that came in the National Geographic

my keys

Ask magazine

last week's Time magazine

:D

[Lizzie in Ma]

I can't imagine the luxury!! If, there were ever a time when schoolwork wasn't strewn all about the table..... my Mom has this gorgeous candle thing.

It is fairly large and is has like a sleeve inside it that she filled with sea glass and then she puts a tea light inside and lights it, it is so very lovely.

I am also a huge fan of a simple bud vase and candles.

[HollyDay]

right now??

 

Kitchen: Blockus game

Dinning room: dh's bag he takes to work.

[DIY-DY]

I'm needing something to spruce up my table. We only have one, LOL. It is attached to our kitchen, so it is a kitchen/dining room. I think some colorful place mats would be fun, but I'm not sure they would be fun to clean around. What do you have for a centerpiece on your table? Or is your table bare? I'd like to have a bowl of fruit, but I also need to have napkins on the table. Maybe I need to switch to cloth? Inspire me.... :)

 

It holds the napkins, salt and pepper, pepper sauce, etc. that live on the table. The boys just really loved the box, and I needed a condiment corral, so we put the two together. We've thought about painting it or covering it, but really, it works just as it is. Our table is a long, country-style table and the box "fits".

 

Aunt B sent us a lovely washable plaid table cloth a few months back. I hesitated to use it (five kids, times three meals a day, plus a toddler's habit of yanking on things... *cringe*), but man, am I glad I put it on! It makes the dining room look "ready", and since it's machine washable, it doesn't take any more effort to keep it looking nice than it did to scrub the table down, anyway.

 

And when flowers are blooming, I usually also have several small Gatorade bottles filled with water and various flowers from the yard. Those don't last long, but they do make me smile. :)

 

Dy

[Trivium Academy]

Only the most attractive synthetic placemats I could find. They aren't fabric, they seem to be a cross between foam and plastic. They add color to the table and are easy to clean. Our eating table only seats 4 so a centerpiece is too much. I'm not domestic enough to be willing to dry clean, iron or whatever others do to fabric napkins and placemats.

[Sharon in SC]

Our eating table only seats 4 so a centerpiece is too much. I'm not domestic enough to be willing to dry clean, iron or whatever others do to fabric napkins and placemats.

 

See, that's why I love my arrangement (suggested by my mom, go MeMe!) - the glass topper allows me to use nice placemats without any fear of soiling because the placemats sit between the table and the glass topper. For me, this is even better than using easy wipe of placemats because all I have to wipe is the table top - no placemat wiping for me! ;-D (I'm just really excited about this option 'cause my mom had to talk me into it and I'm so glad she did!)

 

I, too, have my breakfast area table downsized to a 4 seater (table leaves are stored for when we do need them). I found a beautiful small arrangemet at Kohl's that sits very nicely in the center with plenty of room to spare. I do like the color that it brings to the area.....

 

Just thought I'd share, fwiw.

Blessings,

Sharon

[CalicoKat]

Books usually...:)

:lol: always books here too! And a diaper changing pad with a couple diapers & pull-ups ready to use.