An Inexpensive Way To Collect Table Accessories
I have an inexpensive way to collect accessories to use for my dining room table.
When I am out and about where there are dishes and dining table accessories, I have a given strategy for what I will possibly purchase.
Yesterday I went to World Market. It was morning and quiet and peaceful in there.
Kitchen Sections Of Stores:
I always love the section where dishes and all the dining accessories are because I get this feeling of cozy warmth when looking at items related to meals.
Meals are typically the time of day when people gather together.
I guess it goes back to my Granny having blackberry cobbler cooling on the counter when I came home from school.
That smell just takes me back to a time when coming home meant delectable smells from our small and simple kitchen.
The pleasant aroma of cobbler drifting through the open window made you smile before you even opened the door.
Rolling my cart through all the rows at World Market, I chose two dishes, two placemats, and two cloth napkins. This is my approach to collecting table settings for my dining table.
You don’t necessarily need 4 of everything. Or even more. Because you can mix and match what you already have with just two of everything else.
Dishes In One Color Family:
Another tip is to have all your dishes in one color family.
There are red and white transferware dishes in my open cabinet, but that is more for display.
To me, food just somehow looks better and more enticing arranged on white dishes.
If you choose all white dishes, then you can collect any pattern that is also of that color. The various shapes and sizes make for an interesting table setting.
I also bought the wooden measuring spoons for my kitchen. Because wood is another texture and it adds warmth.
What I Purchased:
- Wood measuring spoons – $6.99
- 2 caramel colored fringed placemats – $4.99 each
- 2 white plates – $5.99 each
- Buffalo check cloth napkins – $3.99 each
Rounded off to the nearest dollar, that comes to less than $40 for a whole new look.
The wooden spoons were the most expensive thing I purchased and really for my kitchen.
A Cheap Way To Have A Different Look For Your Table:
So if you take that purchase out of the equation, then you bring the price of adding two of everything to your dining collection down to $30.
I have other placemats and cloth napkins in various colors I can mix for a table setting for four. It makes things more interesting to not have everything match.
At one point I had 3-4 sets of dishes of all colors and patterns. But I find that having white dishes and various colored placemats and napkins is just easier to put everything together.
Here are a few tablescapes to show you how I mix and match what I had with the elements I purchased yesterday.
You Don’t Have To Buy Napkin Rings:
First of all, you don’t have to buy napkin rings.
I often just cut strands of ribbon and tie them around cloth napkins. Ribbon is cheap. You can often find it half off or on clearance.
I’ve been thinking about crafting napkin rings with some of the wood beads I have. That might be a fun project.
I have mixed the gold and caramel colors with two yellow placemats. There are no rules!
I like all the shades of yellow, going all the way from pale yellow to a deeper gold.
Above are two plates I purchased at some point at Tuesday Morning.
That’s a great place to pick up a couple of plates cheap. They’re usually under $5 each.
Greens & Golds:
I’ve tried to unite the green plants and wall decor with the golds and caramels of the dining table and place settings in the photo above.
Using just a few colors in various shades is a great way to unite and define a room or space.
Add whatever you want as the centerpiece for your table. Like this milk glass bud vase with one flower stem between a salt and pepper shaker.
To me, greens, golds, and browns are the color of nature and the earth which are so important to me.
Mix & Match:
In closing, mix and match what you have with a couple of dishes, placemats, or cloth napkins and you can save yourself a lot of money.
And you’ll still have something different to use for your dining table. You’re not striving for perfection. You just want a cozy space to dine with friends or family.
And another thing I think is important is setting a pretty place at the table for just you. Why not? You don’t have to have company over in order to treat yourself special.
I agree – my dishes are white , and I like to mix and match. I think it looks more interesting when everything doesn’t match. Your table looks pretty with the back drop of your floral pictures!
Hi Brenda,
Just curious…. What did you do with your washer from the other place? I know the new place provides a washer/dryer combo for you.
What a beautiful table setting! Just FYI, places like Goodwill, Savers and other nicer thrift shops often have a multitude of dishes and at excellent prices. All my current dinner plates have been thrifted from Goodwill over the years. My white plates are from England and were only 99 cents each. Same with my blue and white “fancier” plates that were made in Germany.
Brenda, while moving, did your watch and the red checked curtain ties that Ivy loved turn up? Also, does Ivy play in the new bathtub(s)?
I love how your new home is coming along. Thank you for taking/sharing photos. You have always been an inspiration going back to your Texas days with your red & white decor.
Yes, they turned up. Ivy would be lost without her curtain ties. My daughter and her kids are bringing supper over. I just walked down the hall picking up random red and white curtain tiebacks. One is hanging from her cat tower. She drags them around every single day.
Your table looks lovely! The dining chairs are stunning. Your posts are inspiring my downsizing. Enjoy your weekend and your beautiful new home.
I love the mixing and matching of your dishes. Like some of the other ladies the stoneware dishes were way too heavy for me. I have been collecting Corelle from a great Senior Living quarterly tag sale. I finally found a Corelle set that I loved and splurged on. It is Bella Faenza and it is all white. Your home is looking so cozy and I am so glad the neighbors are friendly. Have a good weekend!
My dishes in the cupboard are only about 2 feet from my dining table. I don’t have far to carry them. Planned it that way.
Love the dining table set up!
So glad to hear you favor white dinnerware. I took cooking lessons in the past from some well respected chefs and the message was loud and clear: white dinnerware does not fight with the food so stick with white. Restaurants serve food on white plates so the diner can enjoy the food visually as well as sensually. The home cook should also receive full credit for visually attractive food.
Love the new plates. Your table setting looks pretty. Have a good weekend.
I would love to pick up some white plates….but possibly at a thrift store. I have one set of dishes, service for 12, in warm earthy tones but they are getting pretty scratched and beat up looking after 11 years of solid use. I don’t have space in my kitchen or dining room to store multiple sets of dishes, however, so they may have to give me a few more years of service.
Oh my Blackberry cobbler…wonderful stuff!! We had a ton of blackberries in our backyard when I was young, so often during the season we had blackberry pie for 3 meals a day…sometimes it was all I ate for breakfast!! You can never have too many I think!! And maybe you know this, but a home remedy that works, if one has diarreahea is blackberry pudding…not kidding. Tis a ton of work to make cause you cook the berries till soft, then strain well, and use that juice to make the “pudding”.
I have been turned off the past several years of having everything match but for me, trying to mix and match was looking chaotic in my home. You show how to accomplish that and still have a beautiful, cohesive look. Guess I have been overthinking it and maybe using too much color. I would have never thought of buying dishes like that. I have been wanting new dishes, but did mot want to buy a whole set. Now I know what to do! Thanks!!
I totally agree with you Gail as I also have been overthinking dishes for every day lately. I am tired of my heavy stoneware set which we don’t use half of it so maybe just plates and bowls would serve us better. I was looking for something pretty and colorful but now that I see the white and and it’s uses, I am more inclined to believe food would look better on white.
Thanks Brenda for enlightening me.
That’s it!!! That’s what’s been missing for me!!! I’ve been waiting patiently for you to start decorating the surfaces. You may or may not remember that I said earlier this week that something was missing for me. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was until I opened your post a few minutes ago. You have such a gift for mixing it up and making it look stunning! And, it never occurred to me to purchase just two of everything. It was an “aha” moment for me!
I love the different tablescapes and I also like using a ribbon instead of a napkin ring!
Hello Brenda
I’m loving your new home. It looks so peaceful and calming. You are doing a beautiful job! Everyday I’m excited to see what room you’ve worked on and what you’ll share with us. Love the tablescape too. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents. We appreciate you!😊
Mix and match is the way to go. Love the color combinations you chose for today’s blog entry. They’re homey, warm, and just goes to show that golds, mellow deep yellows and greens aren’t just for around Halloween/autumn.
Everything is so very pretty! I get such inspiration by all your posts! 🙂
I think you struck “gold”. Looks nice. Wish we had that store here. The prices sound good. Your post makes me want to set a nice table setting today. Thanks.
I love the colors you chosen.
Thank you for the great ideas ! Your table is beautiful and brings in nature . I love it !