The dining table is often the biggest surface in the house and the hardest to keep looking good between meals. The answer is not more things but the right few: a runner, one low centrepiece, something fresh and a little light, all easy to lift off when it is time to eat. Here are ten dining table decor ideas for every day, plus how to scale them to your table. Prices were correct when we published this guide, and each product page always shows the current price.
The short answer
Lay a runner, set one low centrepiece in the middle, add fresh or dried stems and a candle holder or two, and keep everything in the middle below about 30cm so people can see each other across the table. Choose pieces you can lift off in a minute at mealtimes, and change the stems with the seasons.
1. Start with a runner
A linen or cotton runner down the middle anchors everything on it and protects the wood. On a long table, stop it short of the ends; on a round table, a short runner or a single round mat in the centre does the same job.
2. Choose one low centrepiece
One good piece in the middle beats several small ones. For a long table, the extra large double piece on wood (£76.80) sets two hand-blown glass bowls on one piece of gamal wood about 75cm long, low enough to see over; it weighs about 10kg, so give it a permanent home. For a smaller table, the wavy glass bowl on wood (£18), about 18cm, is just as easy to live with.
3. Add height at the ends, not the middle
Taller pieces belong at the ends of the table or on a sideboard nearby, where they do not block anyone's view. The large glass bowl on a wooden stand (£35) and the slim molten glass vase on wood (£31), about 27cm tall with a narrow neck for a single branch, both work there.
4. Fresh stems, changed weekly
Flowers make a table feel looked after. The medium vase on whitewashed wood (£35.75) takes three tulips or a small bunch, and the small flower vase on wood (£12) holds a single stem. Keep the water inside the glass and the wood dry, and refresh the water every few days.
5. Dried stems when you are busy
Dried lavender, bunny tails, pampas or eucalyptus last for months and need no water at all. Our dried flower arrangement ideas show what suits each vase.
6. Candlelight for dinner
A row of tealights makes an ordinary weeknight meal feel like an occasion. The triple candle holder (£30) holds three tealights in a low row on one piece of wood, and single candle holders (£11 each) can be spaced along the runner. Keep stems and napkins well clear of the flames, and never leave candles burning unattended.
7. A bowl with nothing in it
A beautiful empty bowl is decoration enough. The molten glass sweet bowl (£29.50) sets a wavy-rimmed glass bowl into a chunky block of wood; leave it empty, or add pine cones in winter and smooth stones in summer. Our guide to what to put in a decorative bowl has more ideas.
8. Something living
A glass terrarium is a centrepiece that never needs a florist. The large diamond terrarium (£29), about 20cm tall in a brass-finish frame, has room for a small fern, an air plant and a cushion of moss. Plants are not included, and it is happiest out of strong direct sun.
9. Make it easy to clear
Everything on the table should lift off in under a minute, or it will not go back after dinner. Group small pieces together on the runner or a tray, so one move clears the space for plates.
10. Change it with the seasons
- Spring: tulips or daffodils in a vase on wood.
- Summer: garden stems in a bud vase, and an air plant in a terrarium.
- Autumn: dried grasses, pine cones and a candle holder.
- Winter: fir, eucalyptus and tealights. At Christmas, see our Christmas table centrepiece ideas.
Scaling it to your table
- Long table: one long, low piece down the middle, or three smaller ones spaced along the runner.
- Round table: one central piece, with a candle holder or bud vase either side.
- Small table for two: a bud vase and a single candle holder are enough.
- Height: keep anything in the middle below about 30cm.
Common questions
What should I put on my dining table when it is not in use?
A runner, one low centrepiece such as a glass bowl on wood or a terrarium, and fresh or dried stems in a vase. Keep it simple enough to clear in a minute.
How tall should a dining table centrepiece be?
Below about 30cm in the middle of the table, so people can see each other. Put taller vases and bowls on stands at the ends or on a sideboard.
How do I decorate a round dining table?
Set one central piece on a small runner or mat, with a candle holder or bud vase either side, and leave room for a serving dish.
What can I put in a dining table bowl?
Pine cones, smooth stones, a little moss or nothing at all. See what to put in a decorative bowl for more.
Browse our bowls, vases, candle holders and statement pieces, or style the rest of the room with our guides to styling a console table and what to put on a coffee table.
