What Should Be on the Kitchen/Dining Table: Flowers.
Bijou & Boheme blogger Christine Dovey keeps fresh blooms, paired with a gold candelabra, on her
kitchen table at all times. You can add greenery to your dining space without spending a small fortune each week. Choose varieties including roses (which last up to 10 days), lilies (14 days) or orchids in pots (about a month), Dovey suggests. Other affordable options include the elephants ear plant with leaves that you can stick in a beautiful vase with water or long-lasting succulents placed in a ceramic pot. Stay away from hydrangeas that usually last a day -- and peonies, which stay fresh for only about three to four days. Another budget-friendly option: fake flowers. "I recommend ones that you get from a real florist," the Ontario-based stylist says. "Have a little pot of fake flowers for day-to-day. When people come over, you can get fresh ones."
What Should Not Be on the Kitchen/Dining Table: Your olive oil decanter. The table is a convenient spot for the bottle when you're ready to chow down salad or
sourdough with dinner—but keeping the vessel off the table might even preserve the oil's quality and taste. Keep it in a cool, dry, dark cupboard -- away from
damaging heat and sunlight. If you've got beautiful bottles, glassware and decorative shakers, display them on shelves, in pantries, armoires or buffets, Dovey says. "For a dining table setting, I'd only leave out perhaps a beautiful vase and some candle holders -- all else should be away until it's time to set the table."