A new way to set the table

2025-07-24 15:38:03

At Pioneer Woman, an Oklahoma home goods store run by Food Network star Ree Drummond, one of the displays that drew the most customers on a recent March afternoon was a table of hundreds of salt and pepper shakers in designs ranging from pink and red fish in lipstick to bears dressed as brides and grooms to dachshunds dressed in Elvis costumes and black wigs. Elsewhere in the store were butterfly-shaped wooden bowls, ceramic berry bowls and thick crocheted potholders, as well as floral-patterned dinnerware and jade mixing bowls. These were the kinds of food that consumers wanted to see on their tables.

Today, the most beautifully set, Instagrammable table is all about decor and accessories that make it fun, unique, and inviting. Search “table setting” on Instagram and you’ll find videos of people laying out tablecloths, placing supermarket flowers in simple but pleasing arrangements, and carefully arranging tableware and wine glasses, with hundreds of thousands of views, some even millions.

More confident, more experimental consumers

It represents a potential shift in table game purchases and gift registry behaviors.

“Vietri has noticed a shift, with an increase in requests and searches for tablecloths, linens, and candlesticks on our site, and we’ve been developing products to meet that demand,” said Holli Draughn, president of the tableware company. “It’s more of a quest for table decoration.”

“Fine china was all the rage about 18 to 24 months ago,” she said, “and now there’s a resurgence in accessories.”

La Boule by Villeroy & Boch combines all the pieces needed for a two-piece dinner set into a sphere that’s both decorative and functional.

Overall dinnerware sales declined in the second half of 2024, but some categories grew, according to market research firm Circana, said Joe Derochowski, vice president of home industry consultants. For example, sales of potato chip dippers grew 8% in the past 12 months. Divided trays grew 13%, and cheese platters and trays grew 3%.

Derochowski noted that Americans have been dining and entertaining more at home during this period. “Anything that’s entertaining is doing well,” he said. “Going forward, I suspect we’ll continue to entertain at home.” Not only is it cheaper, he said, it also taps into people’s desire to connect.

“People are using table settings to set the mood, but also to entertain,” said Susan Miller, vice president of partner success at MyRegistry, a general online gift registry platform. “The old rules are falling away. People are saying, ‘I want it to reflect my personality.’ ”

Items that were on a wedding registry 15 years ago are now likely to appear on gift lists for other occasions, she said.

She has also noticed an increase in people buying seasonal items, a trend several tabletop companies mentioned at the New York Tabletop Show last October. “Maybe they don’t mind spending a lot of money on a few pieces to get into the holiday spirit or fit in with the current theme of their life so they’re not overburdened by too much junk,” Miller said.

Author:

Mr. Jarek

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jarek@freewayglass.com

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