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  4. 40 Ideas for Setting a Stunning Table

40 Ideas for Setting a Stunning Table

Southern Living May 2021 Cover
By Southern Living Editors Updated August 10, 2022
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Choose a Limited Palette
Credit: Charles Walton IV / Styling Rose Nguyen / Food Styling Lyda Jones Burnette, Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

For Southerners, mealtime is always an occasion, and creative place settings only serve to make our gatherings around the table even more memorable. Whether you're working with hand-me-down silver or greenery foraged from the backyard, here are 38 inspiring ways to dress up your table for weeknight dinners, birthday brunches, family holidays, and every celebration in between. 

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Splurge On Linens

How To Set this Sparkling Table
Credit: Photo by: Laurey W. Glenn

The Champagne-colored cotton velvet tablecloth adds a luxurious feel to this pretty scene. High-quality table linens are an investment you'll enjoy forever. 

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Mix Traditional and Modern

Mix Traditional & Modern
Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick

Monogrammed linens, crystal stemware, and silver flatware establish a classic tone while bold red chargers and graphic, gold-trimmed china update this display.

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Pair Cool Colors with Silver

Pair Cool Colors with Silver

A French blue tablecloth highlights the cool undertones of classic silver while basic glasses glow in the candlelight of this setting.

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Mix China Patterns

Mix China Patterns
Credit: Photo by Ralph Anderson / Styling Scott Martin

A pressed linen cloth provides a clean, crisp base for this mixed-pattern place setting. The purple geometric pattern charger coordinates well with the more flamboyant botanical print of the plates.

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Choose a Limited Palette

Choose a Limited Palette
Credit: Charles Walton IV / Styling Rose Nguyen / Food Styling Lyda Jones Burnette, Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Various shades of green, from pale celadon to deep jade, shine among the metallic neutrals of this setting. Napkin rings covered in hydrangea blossoms bring a touch of the lush centerpiece to each setting.

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Layer China and Glass

Layer China and Glass
Credit: Photo: Lauren Rubinstein

Simple white china and clear glass look elegant (but not overly formal) when paired together. It's all in the details, so choose pierced and etched designs to add interest without distracting from the rest of the table.

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Mix Simple and Ornate

Welcome Friends
Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick

Select the basics and incorporate embellishments for a look that is uniquely you. Use simple stemware to counter balance more decorative china.

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Balance an Elaborate Centerpiece with Basic China

Natural Tablescape
Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick

Simple white plates paired with timeless flatware and thin stemware keep this more rustic centerpiece looking elegant. Bold orange napkins give the setting a pop of seasonal color.

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Use a Playful Pattern in a Sophisticated Way

Use a Playful Pattern in a Sophisticated Way
Credit: Photo by Laurey W. Glenn

These black-and-white confetti napkins have a sophisticated yet playful vibe. And at 22-by 22-inches, they're large enough to wrap up small party favors at each place setting.

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Create a Glowing Place Setting

Create a Glowing Place Setting

Add a glow to each setting with votive candles. A tiny candle floating alongside mums and sliced citrus highlights the sheen of the cloth napkin in this setting.

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Keep it Classic

Try a Classic Pattern
Credit: Photo: Quentin Bacon

A classic buffalo-check cloth sets off green glassware and terra-cotta accents in this tablescape. The tiny planter and seed pairings do double duty as both place card and favor.

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Mix Small and Large

Play with Scale
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn / Styling: Mary Leigh Fitts

Playing with scale can create an interesting and unexpected tablescape. Large leaves make a grand statement when juxtaposed with tiny shot-glass vases in this setting.

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Get Creative with Materials

Mix Modern and Traditional Thanksgiving Table
Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Maria Cooke

Who says you can only print on paper? This menu card is actually fabric. The designer cut pieces of thin linen and ran them through an ink-jet printer for menu cards. Do this a day or more ahead of time to allow the ink to dry properly.

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Pair Glamour with Nature

Pair Glamour with Nature
Credit: Erica George Dines; Design: Katherine Cobbs

Rich red, deep brown, and crisp aqua set off glowing gold accents in this setting. A gilded pinecone and an antler motif add organic elegance.

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Mix Formal and Casual Pieces

Mix Formal and Casual Pieces
Credit: Photo by Laurey W. Glenn

If you have more guests than fine china, combine your wedding china with casual dinnerware, like this pewter stoneware charger and cool blue salad plate. Silver and crystal stemware ground the pairing in traditional style.

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Add Black for Big Impact

Add Black for Big Impact
Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick

A black and white color scheme with rich purple accents is sleek and dramatic. Use a black place mat, napkin, and charger, then lighten the look with a white dinner plate.

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Get Creative with Natural Materials

Christmas Decorating Ideas: Cedar Rose Napkin Rings
Credit: Photo by Laurey W. Glenn

Found or purchased natural materials give texture to your table. Make your own custom napkin rings by spray-painting cedar roses (the opened cones of the deodar cedar tree) and gluing them to 2-inch-wide red ribbon. Tuck in a sprig of boxwood for an extra flourish.

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Use Family Pieces

Use Family Pieces
Credit: Photo: Erica George Dines

You can't go wrong with a white and silver combination. This place setting pairs modern pieces with family heirlooms for a casual, but classic look.

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Layer Textures

Layer Textures
Credit: Photo: Howard Lee Puckett

Varying colors and patterns aren't the only ways to make your setting pop. A mix of interesting textures also makes for a subtle and elegant look. Here, rope place mats layered with porcelain dinnerware and twine-tied utensils create a laid-back mood.

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Keep Your Setting Neutral

Keep Your Setting Neutral
Credit: Jean Allsopp / Styling Alan Henderson

For a table that makes a statement, set it with a single color. The food will take centerstage on this all-white table. White linens and candles pair prettily with a calla lily centerpiece.

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Be Inspired by Your China Pattern

Be Inspired by Your China Pattern
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Use your china as the inspiration for your florals. This plate's color palette is repeated in the lush centerpiece.

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Think Small

Think Small

Small touches make a big statement. Tiny fruits and a mini-flower arrangement inspired by the ribbon's color palette bring just the right touch to this simple setting.

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Go Bold with Complementary Colors

Consider Complementary Colors

Use a palette of complementary colors for a bold look on your table. Orange linens heighten the blue patterned dishware's impact.

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Say it with Flowers

Say it with Flowers

A single yellow rose, symbolizing friendship, welcomes each guest to this table.

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Look Outside for Table Decor

Look Outside for Table Decor

Lovely maple leaves in fall colors dress up this table. Turn organic items into place cards by using a paint pen to write guests' names on them.

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Spice Up Your Table

Spice-up Your Table

Add a light fragrance to your tablescape by integrating herbs into your decor. Rosemary napkin rings give a natural feel to this setting.

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Skip the Tablecloth

Skip the Table Cloth

Some dining tables are too pretty to cover up. This aged and distressed one is a beautiful, rustic backdrop for a simple setting.

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Use Vintage Touches

Use Vintage Touches
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Antique-style white wooden chargers and beaded-edge dinner plates play up the table's vintage look. They're topped with vibrant bird salad plates and blue gift boxes, which serve as both place cards and party favors.

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Incorporate Off-the-Wall Accents

Use Chic Accessories
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Use inexpensive wallpaper to craft design-forward placemats, then pair them with gold-edged china and simple flatware.

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Follow Fashion

Follow Fashion
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Just as gold accessories lend an on-trend vibe to an outfit, the warm tones of brushed gold flatware and embellished glasses add finesse and sparkle to a casual table.

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Use Color for Impact

Pumpkin Place Card
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

A neutral backdrop of white linens and dishes puts the focus on seasonal punches of orange and green.

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Give It Some Edge

Give It Some Edge
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Balance a whitewashed table with graphic hits of black and navy, such as black candles and leather chairs, slate-gray woven place mats, and navy-rimmed dinner plates.

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Combine Time Periods

Combine Time Periods
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Here, handmade stoneware chargers lend modern shape and pattern, plus a not-so-serious feel, to antique flow blue transferware plates and ironstone bowls.

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Pile Gold on Gold

Pile Gold on Gold
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Dress down a formal place setting of gold Wegwood dinner plates and vintage glass dessert plates by using wood Florentine trays as chargers underneath.

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Simple Elegance

Simple Elegance
Credit: Photo: Jim Franco

This place card only looks high-end. Back a simple white card with patterned paper and then thread with sumptuous red velvet ribbon. When wrapped around white dinnerware, these crafts store finds are instantly elevated.

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Layer on the Patterns

Mixed pattern tablescape
Credit: Robbie Caponetto; Styling by Buffy Hargett Miller

Soft tones of red and green are a great starting point. Pair them with autumnal browns in the tortoiseshell glasses and plaid tablecloth to take the look totally out of holiday territory. From there, it's all in the prints. Recreate old-school combinations that you grandma probably went for like floral china with a checkered tablecloth. Don't be afraid to mix and match—it's much more fun this way.

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Celebratory Details

Glamorous Details
Credit: Photo: Jim Franco

Add instant whimsy with a sprinkle of confetti atop a mix of gold-trimmed china at each place setting. Cut a slit in the top of a Champagne cork for an instant, clever place-card holder.

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Rustic Wonderland

Rustic Wonderland
Credit: Photo: Jim Franco

Create the perfect mix of elegant and organic by using pieces that take inspiration from nature, such as wood-handled flatware and faux-bois and mushroom plates. Runners placed crosswise down a farmhouse table give the texture of table linens without covering up the rugged beauty of the furniture—plus they double as place mats.

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Layer with Ribbons

Layer with Ribbons
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Top a white tablecloth with red ribbons cleverly laid in a spokelike pattern to mimic peppermint candy. It will accent your holiday china without distracting.

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Teal Soiree

teal tablescape
Credit: Robbie Caponetto; Styling by Buffy Hargett Miller

Teal? For fall? Summer may stake a claim to the ocean hue, but strategic styling can make it an all-season star, says home goods store owner Emma Allen. She recommends pairing teal with darker tones and the right flowers. Finish off the look with a Southern statement piece. Every table needs a conversation starter, whether it's a set of plates with artisanal flair or your mama's butter dish.

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    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

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    View All

    1 of 40 Splurge On Linens
    2 of 40 Mix Traditional and Modern
    3 of 40 Pair Cool Colors with Silver
    4 of 40 Mix China Patterns
    5 of 40 Choose a Limited Palette
    6 of 40 Layer China and Glass
    7 of 40 Mix Simple and Ornate
    8 of 40 Balance an Elaborate Centerpiece with Basic China
    9 of 40 Use a Playful Pattern in a Sophisticated Way
    10 of 40 Create a Glowing Place Setting
    11 of 40 Keep it Classic
    12 of 40 Mix Small and Large
    13 of 40 Get Creative with Materials
    14 of 40 Pair Glamour with Nature
    15 of 40 Mix Formal and Casual Pieces
    16 of 40 Add Black for Big Impact
    17 of 40 Get Creative with Natural Materials
    18 of 40 Use Family Pieces
    19 of 40 Layer Textures
    20 of 40 Keep Your Setting Neutral
    21 of 40 Be Inspired by Your China Pattern
    22 of 40 Think Small
    23 of 40 Go Bold with Complementary Colors
    24 of 40 Say it with Flowers
    25 of 40 Look Outside for Table Decor
    26 of 40 Spice Up Your Table
    27 of 40 Skip the Tablecloth
    28 of 40 Use Vintage Touches
    29 of 40 Incorporate Off-the-Wall Accents
    30 of 40 Follow Fashion
    31 of 40 Use Color for Impact
    32 of 40 Give It Some Edge
    33 of 40 Combine Time Periods
    34 of 40 Pile Gold on Gold
    35 of 40 Simple Elegance
    36 of 40 Layer on the Patterns
    37 of 40 Celebratory Details
    38 of 40 Rustic Wonderland
    39 of 40 Layer with Ribbons
    40 of 40 Teal Soiree

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