How I Store My Table Decor

I often get asked how I store my table decor. I have decorated my dining table for holidays ever since my dad built it about 13 years ago. Prior to that we did not have a dining room. And, the fact that my dad made this table makes it very very special. I like to honor my dad who passed in 2018 by continuing to decorate the table as much as I can. A few months ago, I made a vow to myself that I would set the table nicely once per month. I love to set a beautiful table (but it does take some time)! And, every year, I purchase two or three more items to help me switch things up a bit.
But how do I store my table decor? Let me show you!

1. In large drawers...

Back when I was designing the plans for our addition and renovation, I knew I wanted to have lots of storage. As a result, a "bar" of sorts became part of our dining area and kitchen. Right smack in the middle of that bar are three large drawers. The top one holds rectangular placemats and the bottom two hold tablecloths and round placemats in various colors. I do need to sort through these as my husband thinks the weight is a bit too heavy for the drawers themselves.

2. Inside this built-in...

This little niche came to be during renovations when we added a new set of stairs to the basement. It fills in the one side of the fireplace in our living room. We have another space like this on the other side of the fireplace as you go up the stairs to the attic. But this one is finished and useful! On the shelves, I use some decorated "suitcases" to hold little pieces of greenery and my little burlap sacks that I like to use for silverware.
(Oh, and that basket on the bottom shelf there - it holds items that have to go back downstairs after I've brought them up to do work in the kitchen.)
Down below, inside the cabinet, I use a shoe organizer to house all of my charging plates (as you can see, I do have quite a lot!). This space is directly off of the kitchen so it's very convenient!

And here's Lucky taunting our cat, Cinnamon, who happens to be on the steps...

3. Inside this console unit...

A few years ago, I went on the hunt to find a piece of furniture that could sit behind the sofa and, at the same time, serve as storage for my table decor. (It has since moved to this spot on the wall in the living room.) It's not often that I come across the exact right piece, but this time I did! And I got a bit of a deal on it because the side had a crack the whole way down (but you can't see it now). It was the only piece in the store (At Home Stores) and I knew it was perfect.
The little drawers are the exact size for folded napkins. You'll also find napkin rings, Easter eggs and place card holders in these drawers.

Inside the large cabinet in the middle, I store my extra set of dishes from The Pioneer Woman (Walmart). (You'll also find more napkins in here... I have so many napkins!)

Always consider function as well as form in design...

All being right in or right off of the kitchen, these three places make it very convenient for me to easily grab my table decor. I'm very fortunate to have this. I was also very intentional about designing my new kitchen and living spaces to be open and as functional as possible. In addition, with every piece of furniture I purchase or re-purpose, I almost always have to have some type of storage as part of it's function. One can never have too much storage, right? If you have a china cabinet, you can arrange your items inside to look pretty. I pull cake stands from my glass cabinets over the bar to help with centerpiece ideas quite often. I store seasonal items like the pumpkins and lemons in what used to be our spare room, along with a room full of staging items. Most of you are likely not trying to take photos of pieces of furniture or signs and home decor to list in your online shop. So, using an entire room for staging items is probably not feasible! I do really miss our spare room...

So what can you use?

Something that works well for storing charging plates or table decor is stackable hat boxes! Keep an eye out at places like Homegoods, TJMaxx and Marshalls for things like this with lids that you can stack and double as a side table. It doesn't matter if your stacked decorative baskets or boxes live in your living room, your kitchen or your bedroom... at least they provide storage if you don't have a ton of built in space! You could even use an inexpensive round wooden table that comes with screw on legs and a glass cover. Simply throw a round table cloth over it and hide a box of table decor underneath!
I just love decorating my table in different ways within and around all of the seasons! I hope this give you some ideas to help store things right at your fingertips. Or, at least, within a room's reach! Here are some of my recent tablescapes!


 

I created a short little video of some of my tablescapes over on Instagram and you can catch it here! Want to see more? Check out my Five Easter Tablescapes post or How to Incorporate Buffalo Check into your tablescape!