This post will give you five tips for a dinner at home table setting, plus an easy tutorial on how to make an appliqued napkin.
Because many are staying home this Valentine’s Day, why not enjoy a beautiful dinner at home?
I can’t help you with the dinner part, but I can give you tips on setting your table to give you the feeling of being at your favorite restaurant.
In fact, if you need ideas regarding decor, lifestyle, and crafting, sign up for my email list, so you don’t miss out on DIY, crafting, and lifestyle content.
Here are my five tips for a dinner at home, table setting that can be applied to any special occasion, not just Valentine’s Day.
One quick thought before designing your table setting, make a mental note of what you have on hand so that you can coordinate these items into your design.
1. Choose A Color Palette
To begin, choose colors or patterns that will evoke emotion. Do you want a table design that is big and bold or calm and cozy? Your color choices will affect the overall atmosphere of the table design.
Gone are the days that traditional colors are your only choice. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be about pink and red, as Christmas doesn’t have to be about red and green. It is about the colors you love and a reflection of your style.
I chose a pink palette because I have pink dinnerware.
In fact, I have a lot of pink dinnerware!
2. Table Linens
Table linens are a great way to add color and pattern to a table design.
Let me show you how I embellished an appliqued heart onto these inexpensive cloth napkins from Walmart. It was a quick and easy project that enhanced the Valentine table design.
Cloth Napkin Tutorial
Here is a quick, easy, and inexpensive tutorial to make the heart napkins.
Supplies
- White Napkins – Amazon and Walmart
- 1/2 Yard of Cotton Fabric 1/2 yard Cotton Fabric -Hobby Lobby or JoAnn’s Fabrics
- Heat and Bond – Amazon
- Iron
White Napkins
- Iron White Napkins
Iron napkins so there are no wrinkles and fold to the desired shape. I folded them in half and then again and ironed the creases, so the napkin laid flat.
- Iron Fabric to Remove Wrinkles
- Place Heat and Bond on Back of Fabric
Turn the fabric over, cut a piece of Heat, and Bond the same size as the fabric. There is a rough side and a smooth side on the Heat and Bond. Make sure the rough side is facing down on the back of the fabric. Once in place, iron onto the fabric back.
- Cut Out Design
On the Heat and Bond side, draw a heart shape and cut them out. If you have a cutting machine with a fabric blade, this can also be used.
- Peel Off Back of Shape and Iron onto Napkin
Place the shape where you want it on the napkin. Once this has been decided, peel off the back and place the iron on top of shape and leave for a few seconds. Allow cooling.
Doesn’t that look easy?
3. Dinnerware
Every Valentine’s Day, I bring out the “pink dishes.” They are perfect for our Valentine’s Day table setting.
Not everyone has a set of pink dishes!
But…if you have china from your grandmother, or that mismatched set of thrift store dishes you love and collect…bring them out!
Adding items with a special meaning will add interest and richness to your table.
Use it all!
Click here to see other table settings from the blog.
4. Add a Centerpiece
The centerpiece is the focal point of the table.
It is usually beautiful flowers or a grouping of candles.
Although it is tall for a centerpiece, I used the heart-shaped topiary to enhance the Valentine’s Day theme.
If a centerpiece is too tall and bulky, it can obstruct the guests’ view, which could impede the conversation; but, because this was slender and the heart was open, it worked.
I also added red and pink tulips from the local grocery store for a pop of color.
If you are a gardener and have flowers in your yard, put them in a vase and add them to your table.
To find the complete tutorial on making this heart-shaped topiary and other topiaries, click here and here.
5. Add Ambiance with Candles
The ambiance of candlelight is a must for any table setting design.
The flickering of the lit candle at night is romantic and adds flavor to the room’s atmosphere.
I love these small pink bowls and even-though they are not candleholders….I added a floating candle to each one.
Again, use what you have and think outside the box.
A favorite of mine are these beautiful glitter vases I made for our Holiday table. To see what ambiance a candle can give, click here.
Bonus
Have a little fun…
Make a dinner menu using your computer. It is quick and easy and a detail that won’t go unnoticed.
Other suggestions are….a guest book to remember your guests or a journal for guests to write life lessons to a new mother at her baby shower.
This blog post on how to create a Valentine album would make a thoughtful hostess gift.
The goal of an inviting dinner table to allow guests to feel comfortable.
To stimulate conversation to make new friendships and enrich old friendships.
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Leave a comment and let me know about your past or upcoming dinner parties.
Karen
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Denise Dresner says
Great ideas! I love the napkins and your pink dinnerware…definitely a table design that could be used throughout the year! The tulips, topiary, and candles blend so nicely into your whole theme!