The dining table is a fundamental part of the home. From formal dinner parties to morning breakfast dashes, food brings people together. And the dining table serves as the backbone of this unfolding.
As functional as the dining room table is, it should also be inviting. For centuries, families accomplished this by adorning it with beautiful table settings. With the centerpiece as the cherry on top, naturally.
You may be looking at your dining room table and thinking that it deserves a centerpiece of its own, but you need a little inspiration. Consider it done.
Here are some fresh ideas for centerpieces for the modern dining room table:
The New Plant Centerpieces
Traditionally, people would add a beautiful green plant as a centerpiece on their dining room table. But as lovely as greenery is, it’s overdone.
The modern take on this centerpiece involves much less water. Hardly any, in fact, if you use air plants. These otherworldly looking plants are a piece of art when you place them in cylindrical glass vases with colored rocks as a base.
You can also use a moss based centerpiece, making it look like a piece of the forest has come to rest on your dining table. Of course, you would want to keep it off the actual table. A shallow dish would work well here.
Succulents are a popular design trend now, and they work for centerpieces as well. Place these cute little plants in virtually anything, and they look good. Learn how to care for them so that they live long enough for you to enjoy them.
The Non-Fruit Centerpieces
Instead of using fruit centerpieces, which are lovely, but not unique, try finding vegetables to showcase in your centerpiece.
The right veggies are colorful and have texture. A good example would be to display broccoli and cauliflower with a sprinkling of foliage around them.
Purple and green artichokes are visually exciting and last for days on the table. Consider which vegetables you display based on the seasons.
In the fall, multi-colored corn bouquets would be suitable. In the winter, you could display a couple of stems of Brussels sprouts still attached paired with silvery dusty miller to mimic snow.
Summer could bring a string of hot chili peppers, and spring can include a cornucopia of fresh veggies.
You can mix your vegetables with plants or flowers in an eclectic arrangement.
The Modern Take on Candle Centerpieces
Candles are probably the oldest table centerpiece, due to the need for light to dine by before electricity became a household utility.
How can you give homage to this age-old centerpiece in a new light? (A little play on words for those who appreciate that sort of thing.)
One fantastic way to display light in a centerpiece is by circling twinkle lights around one pillar candle in a hurricane vase.
You can also focus the attention on the candlesticks instead of the source of light. Modern sculpture candlesticks are trending.
You can also incorporate a water element for some reflecting light. Try adding floating candles to a low rectangular vase filled with water.
A Fresh Group Centerpiece
The best way to make a group centerpiece interesting is to mix the unexpected. You already add more visual interest by having more than one item, but when you deliver something unique — even better.
Display a ceramic Grecian bust with bright floral vines. Old fashioned lidded candy jars filled with rocks and seashells. Or a planter box filled with candles and small vases that hold a single stem.
You can also mix time origins by filling an antique bowl with modern sculpture balls or having a deco art vase with a post-modern design sculpture.
Living Centerpieces
If you really want to keep the attention of your guests and add real life to the party, why not consider a living centerpiece?
Invite your goldfish or beta fish to entertain the masses by placing their bowl amid your centerpiece. Think of all the fun to be had with a cute little swimming guest at the table.
If you are brave, you can also display your turtle tank. Although it might take up a lot of room, it will certainly dazzle your guests.
Of course, you’ll want to make sure that it is well kept and won’t crawl out, or you might find more than just dinner on your plate!
Splurge on the Functional
If you are more of the functional type, but you still want to look stylish, you can splurge on decorative containers for the items you use regularly.
You need to make sure that whatever pieces you choose will fit the overall theme and not clash with one another.
You can find decorative salt and pepper shakers, oil and vinegar dispensers, and napkin holders. Or for coffee and tea lovers, a matching sugar bowl and cream pitcher.
If you have other condiments that you regularly use like hot sauce, find a dispenser to match your current table setting and fill it. No one will know the difference.
This will allow you to access all your regular table condiments without making the table look cluttered or messy.
Conclusion
Now that you see how to dress your table with the perfect centerpieces, you can choose your favorite or pick a couple and switch them out.
Different occasions call for different centerpieces. First, decide which you will adopt. Then have the items on hand when the situation arises so that you can adorn your table with eye-catching centerpieces — even at a moment’s notice.
You’ll please your guests and keep your dinner atmosphere engaging by taking a little more time to add unique detail to your centerpiece. A good host always delivers something unexpected!
Author Bio: Susie is our General Manager and has been with Copper Beech for ten years! Susie is a huge asset to our team. In Susie’s spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, her three boys, and her dog Gunner.
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