With a knack for beautiful and accessible styling, Emma from @thelittlestonecottage has shared her ideas for decorating your dining room table utilising items you might already have around your home. And while, of course, we may not be hosting a dinner party any time soon, here are lots of lovely ideas for when we can again.
Even though we can’t welcome visitors during this time, sometimes it’s still pleasing to dress the table now and again. Whether it’s for a birthday, date night, or just because it will make you feel better! And the good news is, although many of us would usually do this by popping out for a bunch of fresh supermarket blooms, we don’t need to.
And I’m going to show you how…
I have actually really enjoyed being creative with what I already have laying around the house when it comes to styling my table during lockdown. My style is quite country, natural and rustic, but these little ideas can work with whatever style you are into.
#1 Foraging
You may like to use faux flowers if you have some lying around, but if not, the first step is foraging. Whether it’s flowers from your garden or branches from a country walk – there are always bits that mother nature will naturally find for us.
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As those of you who follow me on Instagram will know – we are currently renovating our garden so I have nothing I can forage from there – but I have been picking up anything I can find on our short walks. Now I’m not suggesting that you go and cut down a tree of course, but if there is an abundance of something, taking a cutting will not hurt. Even better, if something is already broken, then take that instead. If I do take a cutting from a branch, I make sure I cut back bits that are overhanging paths or lanes which would usually be done by the council. If you’re lucky, at this time of year you may even find some blossom. Cow parsley is also starting to pop up at the sides of the roads too which can look really pretty in jugs or vases.
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So once you have foraged for your pieces (or have your faux flowers to hand) just pop them in any vessel you currently have in the house. I like using jugs and large vases as they really create a lovely high centrepiece – but equally lower planters and pots would look lovely too. You could even use little tea light holders or jam jars to pop a few sprigs in which would look really pretty.
#2 Repurposing
This brings me onto my next point, about repurposing items we already have. I do have some little dinner candle holders, but for this table I wanted a more natural and relaxed look. I had some little terracotta pots in a cupboard so I popped a dinner candle in them and surrounded them with moss. And voila! My rustic dinner candle holders were born.
You could do this with any little pots you may have – or again jam jars would work well. Just make sure you have enough matter (something dense like moss, sand or soil) around the candle to hold it in place and to stop it from falling.
#3 Texture
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The next thing I’d like to talk about is texture and layering.
I always put as much texture as I can on the table and this goes through from the table cloth on the bottom, to the dried flowers on top of napkins. I like to put a runner and table cloth on our table to emphasise these layers. Another way of creating layers is through crockery (I don’t have suitable crockery to do this but you may have!) Layer up your place setting by starting with your largest plate on the bottom, and ending with a small plate or bowl on top. Pop a napkin in the centre or next to the place setting to add a contrast in materials.
TIP: if you don’t have fancy napkin rings, use some left over ribbon, or string for a more rustic look.
#4 The Finishing Touch
The final touch is a couple of sprigs of whatever you have foraged, or dried flowers you have left over, in my case. You can lay a couple around the table itself for a more relaxed feel, or for a slightly more formal look, place the sprigs in the centre of a folded napkin.
I hope this has been helpful! If you decide to style your table using any of the tips above, please do tag myself thelittlestonecottage and The Cotswold Company so we can see what you come up with.
Happy table styling!
Emma xxx
