How to Style a Tabletop for Everyday Use

Many of us use our tabletops for more than just eating. Whether you have little ones running around, or a need to set up shop for a side hustle, it's not necessarily practical to have full linens and fine china set out on a daily basis. The tips in this post will help you bring a bit of beauty into your domain without sacrificing the surface space needed to launch your dreams.

I have a desk in my home office but the dining room table tends to become a console of sorts during the workweek between setting my purse down, eating a quick bite, and organizing paperwork for my day job, the blog, and other adulting topics like property taxes. 🙂 Maybe your table is sometimes a catch-all, too? Or maybe you have curious little hands (or furry paws) reaching and running around that prevent you from going all out with tabletop decor? Whatever the reason, many of us want our spaces to look pulled together without a lot of fuss or cause for concern that things will get knocked over and broken. Check out three simple ideas below to help you style a tabletop for everyday use.

Focus on the Center

To maintain the most surface space for your daily activities, focus your styling elements in the center of the table. A vase or set of vases and perhaps a table runner can provide polish without interrupting your flow. Using a set of vases provides some flexibility in as you can incorporate one or more on the same surface or move pieces from the set into different rooms as see fit (think coffee table, kitchen counter, nightstand, etc.).

Keep it Lowkey

Since nobody wants to create more work for themselves, you might be avoiding accessorizing your tabletop for fear that little ones or pets will disrupt your decorating groove. Using relatively short elements like the vases shown here will help minimize the likelihood they'll get knocked over. Also, I highly recommend using a tray to house multiple decorative accessories. I use one on my coffee table,which keeps everything together and is easy to move when I'm entertaining or just need to make room for activities.

Style Seasonally

A simple way to minimize fuss is to follow the seasons. In this case, we're talking spring. There's no shortage of colors and varieties at this time of year so it's easy to be choosy and bring a beautiful burst of spring to your table without spending too much time or money. For day-to-day styling, go for whatever blooms look best to you whenever you make your grocery, farmers market, or nursery trips rather than hunting for a specific type of flower or greenery.

Sticking to a color palette is another way to simplify styling flowers on your tabletop. The mini arrangements I styled here have a mostly muted color palette and are made with tulips, baby's breath, and silver dollar eucalyptus. Focusing on a single color might be the simplest way of all (think: a fresh mixture of greenery or an all-white arrangement using hydrangeas, roses, and lilies. Each of these combinations is an easy way to bring spring indoors as you style a tabletop for everyday use.

Full details on the rest of my dining room decor are in this post and you can find more decoration inspiration here. If you have any tips for simple home styling, please share them below. Thanks so much for reading!

P.S. more flower vibes:

• DIY Spring Flower Bar
• Hacks for Saving Money on Flowers
• Valentine's Day Flowers