Setting your table for the day should take no more than five minutes—ideally, that is. Special occasions might call for your porcelain set and heirloom flatware, but on most days, you want an everyday table setting idea that’s both stylish and time-saving. For folks who love to style the dining table, but are usually pinched for time, try these everyday table setting ideas. The best part is you can dress these table spreads up or down with other accents.
What makes a table setting casual yet elegant?
A table setting is casual, but elevated when you take a few elements of a formal dinner setting and inject a bit of personality into the arrangement. This might look like leaving out the soup spoon, dessert spoon, and salad fork, and instead using just a fork, spoon, and knife.
A casual everyday table setting idea is further made elegant when you use table napkins with coordinating table runners, table cloths, or even kitchen curtains. Additionally, introducing a table centerpiece is such a simple, but impactful move when you want to keep it family-friendly but fashionable.
Another small touch you might incorporate is a napkin ring set. It takes just a minute or two to place them around your cloth napkins, and when you’re feeling fancy, you can go all out with different napkin folds such as a fleur de lis, bow, or leaf.
Five everyday table setting ideas to impress the family
Setting the dinner table every night means you might settle for ordinary tablecloths, dinnerware, and placemats in the name of functionality. After all, you don’t want to use your finest china for dinner seven nights a week. But make no mistake—there are plenty of extraordinary everyday table setting ideas that prioritize both form and function.
1. Provence French
Make your dining room feel like a Southern French town with traditional tablecloth designs and authentic touches.
Our Morning Dew collection captures the carefree, effortlessly graceful style in this French region. Plenty of florals, pastel tones, plus elegant accents like our Kapula dinner candles transform your table setting from humble cottage to exquisite resort.
Sage Paisley ~ Hand Painted Taper Candles
Morning Dew ~ French Country Provence Yellow Blue Dinner Napkins
Morning Dew ~ Table Placemats (Set of 6)
Au Bon Gout Boutique
Lu Cluny, Monaco Cream French Provence Bread Basket
For meals with all-you-can-eat, freshly made bread, this cotton-lined wicker basket is a fitting serving container. The quaint, cotton fabric features flowers, fruits, and leaves in purple, blue, and green with ivory pillars.
The Mint Julep
Medium Centerpiece
Overflowing with vibrant ranunculus, peonies, roses, and decorative branches, this centerpiece brings life to the muted pastels in Morning Dew. The arrangement adds a freshness to your table setting, no matter the time of day.
2. Unexpected prints
Seize the opportunity to play with patterns and unexpected color schemes to impress the family at meal time.
Paisley Au Lait is truly one of a kind with its generously spaced black paisley motifs bordered by an elegant border, all on a milky white backdrop. Pair it with the Spice Route dinner napkins and Vanilla Glace placemats for an inventive pattern mix.
White Filigree ~ Hand Painted Taper Candles
Spice Route ~ Red Mandala Sun Print Cloth Dinner Napkin
Vanilla Glace ~ White Gold Table Placemats (Set of 6)
Houzz
Black With White Lines Set
Made of porcelain and glazed in black and white, these plates and bowls are a perfect match for the black-and-white Paisley table cloth. The matching colors as your table cover keep the striped pattern in harmony with your paisleys and florals.
Overstock.com
Rangeene Handmade Finely Beaded Black Dinner Napkin Rings
These beaded napkin rings in black are available in sets of 4, 6, 8, or 12. Simple, but impeccably made, it’s thoughtful details like these that will show off your styling skills to the whole family.
3. Fit for a king
Royal-inspired dining sets don’t have to be limited to plain porcelain, shiny crystals, and gilded silverware. Oftentimes, regal is an attitude, which you can convey with more practical and family-friendly materials.
Just take a look at the Memories of Shalimar tablecloth, inspired by the palatial gardens in Lahore. It exudes a stately air, yet it does not fight for your attention. Paired with warm, homey accents, it’s the perfect base for a family dining setting.
Hamsa Blue Protection ~ Hand Painted Taper Candles
Vanilla Glace ~ White Gold Romantic Elegant Luxury Table Runner
Bonanza
Stainless Steel Copper Dinnerware Traditional Dinner Set for Indian Food
This traditional Indian dinner set is a hit for any household, especially for those who love sides and soups. The copper and stainless steel materials are suitable for everyday use, and are less likely to get damaged than, say, ceramic or glass—a bonus for homes with kids!
Petals
Calla Lily & Rubrum Lily Silk Flower Arrangement
This 22-inch vase with clear, acrylic water holds white and pink lilies you might find on an afternoon stroll around Shalimar Gardens. Set atop your green tablecloth, this centerpiece brings cheerfulness to every meal.
4. Jewel-toned table setting
For dining rooms with darker wood furnishings, this jewel-toned table setting meshes well with your current setup.
Ruby Kilim may be festive, but it works as an everyday table runner, bringing excitement to your bare dining table. Pair it with turquoise accents for a complementary color scheme.
Ruby Kilim (CP) ~ Rustic Red Sheer Beaded Window Valance
Wayfair
Ruby Red Starry 12 Piece Dinnerware Set
This stoneware set features a ruby red that fades into a turquoise for a beautiful dinner set that perfectly matches the ruby red in Ruby Kilim. Each kiln-fired collection differs in color and graduation, thanks to a handmade approach.
Hudson & Vine
Fianna Turquoise Mix Napkin Rings Set/4
These handmade glass beads from India can be used with any size table napkin. Again, you can incorporate turquoise into the mix, plus warm accents like brass and brown to acknowledge Ruby Kilim’s rustic charm.
5. Hobbit banquet
Host a Hobbit-inspired meal from breakfast to supper with nature motifs and organic materials.
Woodland Ferns brings you to a verdant landscape with forest creatures chattering in the background. Like The Shire from Tolkien’s famed Middle-earth, a Hobbit-inspired table setting is full of life’s simple pleasures.
Ivy Lace ~ White Country Cottage Floral Kitchen Curtain
Ivy Lace ~ Elegant White Cotton Cloth Dinner Napkins
Moonlit Taj ~ Blue Linen Table Placemats (Set of 6)
Uncommon Goods
Ceramic Wine Goblet
Compared to glass or silver metal, these stoneware goblets bring warmrth to your table setting. Use it for serving chilled wine at dinner, or to keep red wine from turning lukewarm. Make sure to take one in every color to bring out the blues and greens in Woodland Ferns.
The National Wildlife Federation
Nordic Wood Trivet – Leaves
Take inspiration from the wood-heavy furnishings of a Hobbit Hole with this wooden trivet adorned with leaf sketches. Keep a few on the dinner table when serving hot dishes to protect your surfaces from heat damage.
Flatware and dinnerware everyday table setting ideas
A formal dinnerware setting is rarely necessary, unless you’re hosting an evening soiree or a formal reception. For everyday use, a basic or casual table setting will more than suffice.
The bare minimum
For busy bees or those who want to streamline the table setting experience, a basic table setting may be the way to go.
- Placemat and napkin
- Dinner plate
- Fork, knife, spoon
- Drinking glass
A happy medium
For more casual table settings or for dinner courses that include appetizers and drinks other than water, this upgraded table setting is a great alternative.
- Placemat and napkin
- Fork, knife, spoon, and soup spoon
- Soup bowl, salad plate, and dinner plate
- Water glass and wine glass
Additional ideas for an elegant, everyday table setting
There are many ways to keep your table setting relaxed, yet undoubtedly tasteful.
1. Keep the table cloth or runner on
Others might suggest skipping the tablecloth or table runner, but even with casual settings, these covers take your arrangement above and beyond. Plus, washable fabrics like cotton can also be spot-cleaned if you have a weekly washing schedule.
2. Install dimmable lights
A pendant light or low-hanging chandelier with a dimmable feature can help set the ambiance at your dining table. Exposed bulbs, caged pendants, and modern candelabra chandeliers are especially stunning.
3. Use seasonal decor
Switch it up monthly by incorporating seasonal elements into your table setting. Think, pumpkins and gourds during fall, freshly cut flowers during spring and summer, and foraged pinecones and evergreen branches during winter.
4. Personalize place cards
This accent is usually reserved for wedding receptions and banquets, but at home, it’s a thoughtful touch that enhances your casual table setting. Some ideas include laser-cut wood name cards, painted porcelain cards, or custom acrylic place cards.
