My Five Favorites | Tabletop Accessories

Hello friends! Can you believe it’s already the first Tuesday of OCTOBER? Is anyone else wondering where this entire year has gone? I love the first Tuesday of the month because it’s the day I host My Five Favorites along with my inspiring friends Kris from Driven By Decor, Pam from Simple Details and Jennifer from Dimples & Tangles. I always look forward seeing what these ladies come up with each month and hearing from you on your favorites too. This month with the holidays fast approaching, we are all chatting about our must-have tabletop items for entertaining.

With tables in mind we are beyond excited to have the creative and talented Kelley from Kelley Nan guest hosting with us! You probably already know Kelley from Instagram (if you happen to be one of her 106,000 followers!); Kelley’s blog is also filled with all sorts of beautiful vignettes and gorgeous tablescapes.

Thank you for joining us today Kelley!!

I typically gravitate towards simple and easy tablescapes, but there are some items I love to use that elevate a dinner to a special event. And you know my mantra…..

 

Here are a few of my essential table accessories.

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LINENS

I have several beautiful, fine tablecloths, but I love to use scarves and wraps on my table too. They can give a table an unexpected and colorful punch. I threw this one on the diagonal to lend a little interest and let the wood tone peek out.

I handwashed the scarf after I used it on the table and it was good to go. I’m so glad I busted it out of the drawer and enjoyed it!

Blanket scarves are so big this year. I keep an eye out at Charming Charlies or TJ Maxx for inexpensive, pretty wraps that could work in my house. I just ordered this black and white plaid one to wear to football games this fall, and I’m thinking it would be fun to do a Thanksgiving table with it with deep garnet and magenta colored flowers. You can also drape a blanket scarf over the back of a chair or your couch for a touch of cozy this fall. See – I can think of all sorts of ways to justify a purchase! Just ask my husband 🙂

 

In addition to something special on the table, cloth napkins are a must. The entire wicker chest in my foyer is literally stuffed with linens of all colors,

but truthfully my favorite napkins are simple white cotton ones.

Tarjay has hemstitched 100% cotton napkins, 4 for less than $8 and you will have them for years. Definitely an essential tabletop item! Soaking them in diluted white vinegar is a great way to get stains out and keep them white.

WHITE PLATES

Best thing we registered for almost 20 years ago, hands down! Our white dishes are used daily and dressed up for special occasions too. We also have fine china but our white dishes are so versatile that 9 times out of 10 we use them rather than the china. They easily mix with other white pieces, work with any season and color palette, and food looks great on white.

Our set is Staccato by Crate & Barrel and it is SO hard wearing, we still have most of our original set after 2 decades and a family of five abusing it every day.

I picked up 4 of these scalloped plates last spring to have extras for a crowd and think the edging is cute. The center of the plate is not as deep as my Crate & Barrel ones but they do the trick for a dinner party.

CRYSTAL & GLASSWARE

Break out the good stuff for special and ordinary occasions alike! I like mixing in my Galway or Waterford Crystal wine glasses with everyday drinking glasses.

I love the way crystal catches the light and sparkles, it makes a table dance and come alive!

My blue glasses are from the Chistmas Tree Shoppe and they have been surprisingly decent quality for $2 apiece! Be careful when you buy colored glass that the glass is actually colored and it’s not clear glass that has been dipped into a colored solution, which wears away in the dishwasher eventually.

 

CHARGERS

Water hyacinth chargers are great for bringing a little texture to the table. I use them all the time, not so much to protect the table but more because I just like the way they look.

Ikea has similar place mats for under $4. These chargers are sold in a set of 4 and look like better quality than the ones I have.

FLOWERS & GREENS

My #1 favorite element for a table – fresh flowers or greens! They make such a difference to brighten and cheer a space!

Hooray for Trader Joes and a yard of overgrown vegetation!

Even for Sunday brunch, just a few cuttings from the yard bring some life and cheer to the table. (Those apple cider donuts were insanely good by the way, they were devoured before the rest of brunch could be served!)

Light | Lantern (similar) | Chairs | Chargers | Plates | Glass Hurricane | Crystal