Everyday Dining Table Centerpiece Ideas

A gorgeous dining table centerpiece doesn’t have to be reserved for special occasions. With a few simple touches, you can make everyday meals feel special, too! In this post, I’m sharing easy and creative dining table centerpiece ideas to add charm to your table, no matter the occasion.

dining room with a striped tablecloth and a simple centerpiece

My Personal Rules for Dining Table Centerpieces

First of all, let me give you a rundown of my own personal rules for dining room table centerpieces. We use our dining room table every single day. We eat dinner there nightly, we’re always working or playing games or doing homework at the table. So, we need a pretty minimalist setup because that table sees a ton of use.

Here’s what I try to stick to when I’m planning dining table centerpieces:

It has to be easy to move. We often use the whole length of the table for games and crafts. So, I need my centerpiece to be easy to pick up and move.
We have to be able to talk around it. While I love the look of a really tall, elaborate vase of flowers, it’s just not practical! I need to be able to sit across from my family and actually see their faces while we’re eating.
It can’t be too precious. My centerpiece won’t always get moved before a craft or a game. So, it needs to be able to withstand kid messes, getting bumped and knocked over, and all sorts of chaos.
It can’t take up too much space. And finally, I need it to not take up TOO much space. Again – this table gets used a lot. So, if I’ve got a centerpiece that takes up half the table, I’m having to move it every single day!

Of course, sometimes I do like to play around with more elaborate centerpieces. But, when it comes to the day-in-day-out look of our table, I always follow these rules.

Dining Table Centerpiece Ideas For Everyday

dining room table with a tray and several items as a centerpiece

Corral Things In a Large Tray

This has been my go-to option for years now and, honestly, it’s really a great formula. Pick a beautiful tray, gather a few pieces of table decor for it, and corral it all together. It’s really easy to pick up and move, it creates a great focal point, and it looks great.

I like to place a vase with some greenery or flowers, a candle or two, and a little bowl with our dinnertime conversation cards on the tray. This is a really simple approach, and it always looks good! Honestly, the only reason I’m wanting to change things up is I’m just feeling a tad bored by it after so many years.

dining room table with a large vase and oversized florals as a centerpiece

Use Faux (or Real!) Florals

One of my favorite really simple approaches is to just add a big, sculptural vase and toss in some flowers. They can be fresh flowers or faux blooms – it doesn’t matter! The key is just to grab some flowers or greenery that make you smile and toss ’em in a vase. You don’t have to get too fancy or complicated with your floral arrangement here. Grocery store flowers work great! I definitely gravitate to faux flowers, except for in the spring when I can grab tulips from Trader Joe’s. Because tulips are always a good idea.

dining room table with two bowls being used as a centerpiece

Set Out a Large Bowl (Or Two!)

If you want to keep it really simple, a big ol’ serving bowl in the center of the table makes for a great centerpiece. You can fill it with a bowl filler or fresh fruit, but you can also just leave it empty and let the beautiful bowl speak for itself!

I ordered a set of two white bowls with black rims to test this approach out, and I love the look. The symmetry of two bowls together on the table looks really nice, and it’s a super simple way to fill up some space.

A few ideas of what you can fill your bowl with (whether they’re real or fake):

Lemons
Artichokes
Pears
Gourds or small pumpkins (perfect for fall)
Ornaments at Christmas-time

Use Candlesticks

I would estimate that 90% of the dinner parties we have feature a collection of candlesticks as the centerpiece. It’s such an easy go-to for an elegant tablescape! I have all sorts of candlesticks and candle holders, and I love playing with various combinations.

dining room table with flowers, a pitcher, and a candle as a centerpiece

Add a Trio of Anything

Have you ever heard of the “rule of three” when it comes to home decor? Basically, it’s the idea that if you have a collection of items you’re displaying, a group of 3 is a no-fail approach! When it comes to your dining table, this can take on a variety of forms. You can do three small vases holding fresh flowers. A large vase, a candle, and a small bowl grouped together. Three big ol’ candles. The sky’s the limit!

Basically, as you’re planning your table, just remember that a simple grouping of three will pretty much always look good.

Play With Layers

If you want to display more than one thing on your table, using items of different heights can add a lot of visual interest. For example, pair a tall vase with some pretty summer greenery with a low bowl filled with fruit. Or, set out a couple of tall candlesticks next to a low, small tray with a small plant.

Anytime you’re working on styling a shelf, a table, or anything else, considering height is really important. As long as you also pay attention to making sure nothing is so tall that you can’t see your dinner companions, of course!

tableware being used as centerpiece on a dining room table

Use Your Tableware

Want to keep things looking really beautiful but also super practical? Use your tableware as a centerpiece! Setting out a beautiful serving dish, or even a stack of your everyday dishes can be a great look that doubles as super practical.

I think this is a particularly great idea if you’re having guests for a casual dinner. Toss out some placemats, put a big stack of plates and cups in the center of the table, and let everyone grab their plates as they go. It’s pretty enough to be left out all the time, and might even encourage you to eat at your table more, since it’s already halfway set.

large dining room table with a striped tablecloth

Add Some Table Linens

I love having a good table runner out on the table! I fall out of the habit of it because it gets dirty, I have to wash it, and then I need to iron it. Ironing is the worst. So, I pull it off and never put it back on. But, I was feeling particularly inspired when I was writing this post and I grabbed a beautiful, simple tablecloth to try out for the summer months. It’s nice and neutral so it looks great year-round, but it adds some good texture and visual interest to the table! I probably won’t leave this on all the time (it’s not a great option when the kids are crafting), but it sure does make me smile.

Adding table linens to your table is always a good way to add some a pop of color, and maybe even a bit of elegance. Tablecloths don’t just have to be for a special occasion! If you have an extra long table like me, it can be hard to find a good one, but they’re out there!

Leave It Blank!

And finally, I wanted to give a little shout out to acknowledge that the simplest option also can work great. Your dining space doesn’t have to be full of decor! You can leave your dining table or kitchen table absolutely empty, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Sure, a beautiful centerpiece is fun to have, but if you don’t want to put in the extra effort, it can still look beautiful.

Sometimes with all of the inspiration out there on Pinterest and Instagram, we can feel a lot of pressure to always have a picture perfect home. But, in the end, all that matters is that it brings you joy. And if playing around with decor for your dining area doesn’t bring you joy, then skip it! I promise, it doesn’t make your home any less cozy, welcoming, and beautiful.

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How do you like to decorate your dining room table?! All of these dining table centerpiece ideas are leaving me so excited to play around a little more with my own table!