Elegant but Simple Table, done Two Ways

Have you ever wanted to do a fancy or elegant table but don’t know where to start? Keep reading for some tips and inexpensive ways to bring some bougie into your dining room!

In the above image there are four elements that bring this table into the fancy realm. Let’s go over them!

1- The dramatic black “velvet” tablecloth.

2- The glass and gold place settings.

3- The candles, any shape and size.

4- Fresh Flowers!

Let’s talk about the tablecloth. It’s not a real tablecloth. An actual table cloth of this size and fabric would be pricey. Get yourself to a fabric store and look at black/stretchy/MACHINE WASHABLE ie: Polyester/velvet or velour fabric. Make sure it’s at least the width of your table, plus 8 inches and the length of your table plus 8 or more inches. I bought this at JoAnn’s many years ago and it has survived SO many washings. To fit my fully extended table, I bought 5 yards (15 ft.). It drapes nicely at each end, probably too much, lol. BUT it only hangs over my table on the sides by 4 inches. It’s not very much, but it’s also not in anyone’s way as they scoot in and out from the table, so it works and I love the look of it!

On to the next element: Place Settings!

You can’t go wrong with Gold, Glass and Black if you want fancy. Everything in this place setting was bought at the dollar store, made or thrifted (EXCEPT the gold flatware, which I inherited from my mom and is near and dear to my heart). The goblets, glass plates and chargers are from the dollar store, the white salad plates are from the local Deseret Industries. None of the salad plates on this table are the same. I just bought 12 white salad plates and they’re all different and special. The black “napkins” are pieces of fabric I cut up and fabric glued the hems. If you want to invest in some matching plates, then please do. But you can work with what you have or go treasure hunting, I mean thrifting, and just get some white or glass plates, that’s where I would start!

On to the candles! One of the most beautiful elements in a table…

I bought a set of three gold colored candles from Hob Lob a couple of years ago and use them all the time, they’re so versatile. Also, I have these mercury glass tealight holders I bought years ago (from a garage sale) and use them constantly as well! I like to use at least two sizes of candles and use a lot of them, mainly because we like to turn off the dining room lights and have the soft ambiance of the candles. Candles will always elevate your table and I love how their light reflects in the glass goblets, such a winning combo!

Element 4… Fresh Flowers!

Ahhhh, fresh flowers. Fresh flowers are a must for an elegant table. They can be simple and small, like a few roses in a bud vase for two people, or multiple kinds in different vases. I opted for five glass vases of vibrant colored flowers because of the length of the table. The black “backdrop” set off the colors so beautifully! My hubby picked up four bouquets of flowers from Costco and I put them in the vases. Just a few tips on flowers- if you buy a bundle of flowers in plastic wrap, give the stem bottoms a fresh cut with sharp scissors or a knife before adding them to your vase (filled with water of course). Sprinkle in the packet of “food” into your water, stir it and let it settle. I usually start by making an arrangement in my hand and adding flowers here and there, while holding them. When I get it how I like it, I cut the bottoms off about the height of where I want them to be in my vase and put them in. The middle bouquet is a little too high for the “rules” of centerpieces, you do want to be able to see the person across from you, but sometimes I don’t follow the rules, lol! Also, I happen to know that the people that will be sitting here are very tall (teenage boys, actually)!

There you go! You can do this! Just add the four elements for your fancy table and your friends or family will think you were stressed out over this, which you were not.

See below for a little different spin on this theme…

Two years after the first table, we did this dinner again, but this year I had these lighted orbs. Aren’t they just the coolest? So beautiful, I use them on my mantle too!

One more view of this table…

You can see the tables are different, with the silver goblets and lighted orbs instead of candles. I like the glass goblets and candles better, but we were switching things up a bit!

Also, below is one of the invitations to this dinner. In our neighborhood, the youth (ages 12 - 17) did a Questival where they completed Christmas activities and service around the community and the teams received points. Then the groups who scored the most got to come to this dinner as a reward. It was really a fun night, lots of laughing and energy, but that’s what gathering is all about, right?

One last thing… my hubby is an amazing cook and one of the things we served was a new recipe that everyone loved and ate every drop of, so I thought I’d share it. It looks very fancy too, but is easy…

Pomegranate Pistachio Spread:

Press down and spread one round of Garlic and Herb Boursin Cheese to about 1/2 inch thick on a platter or butter board. Do little dollops of Fig Jam all over the cheese. On top of that sprinkle Pomegranate Seeds, then on top sprinkle coarsely chopped Pistachios. Drizzle Hot Honey all over the top. Serve with sturdy crackers.

Good luck to you in all your endeavors to host, entertain, gather, or whatever we are calling it nowadays!

Patrice