Sheila Schmitz For an easy, longlasting centerpiece that's pretty and carefree at the same time, I love: a bowl of fresh lemons, an orchid, a ceramic pitcher with bunch of flowers from the grocery store, a narrow wood tray with nuts or apples, a pretty lantern with a candle, a row of glass votive holders with beeswax candles, or that pretty plate you got for your wedding. Nothing too tall that looks like it might fall over. Nothing too fussy that looks like it might need dusting. And on a table like this, a runner under anything that might drip or scratch.