What do you have on your daily used dining table?

[SwigofBaileys]

20 years ago I have moved in with now DH and yesterday we have bought out first dining table together - his old one is to be disposed of to charity, still Ipin good condition. Now we have a much bigger table but only two us empty nesters, so we can have it dressed up nicely maybe with something in the middle, like a tray with a vase and a candle. Lots of inspiration on SM but would love to hear if anyone makes an effort with a real life dining table?

When I had a kitchen table for all meals and a rarely used dining table there was a huge footed fruit bowl (35cm diameter) on a runner, with the week’s offerings artfully arranged. It was the youngest person’s job to fetch and wash the fruit for everybody.

Then it was the place for fabric cutting and sewing machine, school projects, Lego and jigsaw puzzles, homework checking and a general dumping ground. Plus the small artificial Christmas tree and wrapped gifts when the kids stopped believing in Father Christmas.

If you’re only using one end for dining, maybe have a fancy tablecloth you can fold back and easily washed placemats for meal times. A little basket nearby with cruets, cutlery and napkins or even a smart trolley (I had a Foppapedretti one and called it The Dessert Trolley).

A runner and a fruit bowl, gets used every day for at least breakfast and dinner so no point having loads of stuff on it

Currently on mine we have a fruit bowl with slightly over Bananas....and a cardboard box bed for the cat 😂😂 cat tax paid 💗

I only use mine when I have people round for dinner, so I usually have junk on it. I now have a laundry basket on it, to put bits in; as I recently adopted a spaniel who has an incredibly long reach. The first thing she nabbed was my reading glasses, and chewed the earpieces off! So until I get back into the habit of putting things away, into the basket they go.

Ours gets used for every meal. It has a round marble tray with some hydrangeas in a little vase im drying out, a candle and an oil burner.

What an odd perspective.
Most people deal with the reality of a table and chairs just fine 😬

Candles, a plant, salt and pepper.

We have every meal at ours. we have a fruit bowl in the centre and put it on the sideboard when we lay the table.

A silver mirrored tray with candles on it

Just the 2 of us and we sit at the table for all meals. I have a runner, vase of flowers and salt/ pepper grinders.

A pile of table mats 😂

Mine has table mats and coasters on it.

I alternate between two runners

One that DH brought back from a work trip to India and the other a gift from my best friend when she went to Kenya. They’re bright bold and joyful.

Place mats ,a desk lamp,a decorative glass bowl that usually holds all manner of letters.

Place mats, coasters, salt, and a lemon tree that is more of a plant currently so its on the DT to get a lot of sunlight while growing.

We have some placemats and fruit bowl as official items. If DP is home his wallet will usually be sitting in a corner

Ditto

I literally have nothing on it! Maybe the occasional vase of flowers. We do use it every day but I put placemats etc on it at lunch time and supper time. I like the idea of something in the middle though.

I have a vase of lego flowers.

Our table is used constantly. Currently has some magazines, a load of books, some colouring pens, an old bit of homework, an iPad, a kindle, a fern and a pepper grinder!

A table runner, a log slice that had a wedding cake on, a wax melt burner and some flowers in a small vase.

At the moment, my laptop, notepad, headset and mobile as I work from it.

when I’ve finished, just 4 placemats piled in the middle. Our two boys use it every evening to have their tea. Me and OH watch the TV in the lounge. They survive without us there, they are 18 and 23, so don’t care.

I live alone, so whatever I'm doing at the time. (used to be mostly a jigsaw puzzle or Lego 🤣) I'm currently using a lot of rehab stuff after my stroke, so colouring books/pencils, puzzles, writing paper, special putty, buzz wire, pressure pegs, etc. looks more like a child's space 🤣🤣

We’ve just decorated the house for autumn so at the moment, a table runner and autumn garland. Before that, a runner and a tray with candles and decorative stones

just a scented candle in the middle, i like tables etc to be as clear as possible.
in summer i switch to a vase of flowers