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15 Essential Tabletop Items for Entertaining

Choose these basic serving and dining pieces and you’ll be ready to throw a dinner party or host a crowd

Laura GaskillNov 29, 2019

Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Get my bi-weekly email: https://www.lauragaskill.com/thesimplelist/

Whether you’re setting up your first home, downsizing or just hoping to streamline that overstuffed china cabinet, this guide can help you begin. With the 15 items on this list, you’ll be in good shape to host dinner parties and family gatherings with ease. What you won’t find here: holiday-themed dishes, oyster forks, martini glasses or any highly specialized items. Instead the focus is on versatile, key pieces you can use year-round at any occasion.

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1. White Dishes

Classic white dishes go with everything, from everyday cereal to a special holiday feast. A set that serves 12 is probably enough for dinner parties and family gatherings. If you have a small household but enjoy entertaining, consider adding a caterer’s boxed set of extra dishes that you can pull out as needed.

2. Candlesticks and Unscented Candles

Lighting candles at the table is one of the easiest ways to elevate a meal. Pick candlesticks or tea light holders that are low enough to easily see over and a box of unscented candles that won’t interfere with the delicious aromas of your meal.

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Studio Gorman

3. A Few Go-To Vases

If you only have room for three vases in your cupboard, go with these:

A tall cylinder vase for branches
A medium-size vase with a wide mouth for full arrangements
Bud vases for holding just a stem or two

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Margaret Wright Photography

4. Versatile glassware, With or Without Stems

No room (or desire) for 10 different drink-specific types of glasses? Just choose one pretty goblet or stemless glass that can serve water, juice or wine with equal aplomb. If you want two types of glassware, go for a stemless option that can serve water, juice or cocktails plus a classic stemmed wine glass.

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Lauren Leonard Interiors

5. Carafes

Glass carafes are ideal for serving ice water, juice or wine at the table. And if you pick a lidded version, you can easily pop the bottle in the fridge after your meal.

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6. Cake Stand

It may not seem like an essential at first glance, but once you own a cake stand you might be surprised at how often it gets called into service. Use one for cake (of course), but also for displaying store-bought pastries at brunch, holiday cookies, quiche or pie. And in between occasions, a cake plate is a pretty way to hold fresh fruit on the kitchen counter.

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Finch London

7. Flatware For a Crowd

Silverware takes up hardly any storage room, so you might as well have enough forks to feed a crowd! Up the number of your regular flatware set, or choose a second set to keep on hand specifically for entertaining.

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Space Craft Joinery

8. Oven-to-Table Baking Dishes

White ceramic baking dishes can take your casseroles and side dishes straight from the oven to the table, and look good doing it. Keep a few sizes on hand, plus trivets or hot pads to protect your table.

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French Connection Home

9. Wooden Boards

From slicing a few veggies to presenting cheese and charcuterie, wooden boards always earn their keep in the kitchen. Marble boards are handy (and gorgeous) too, but if you have to choose, go with the versatility of wood.

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Rikki Snyder

10. White Serving Platters

A few simple white platters in a range of sizes can handle most entertaining spreads. Aim to include at least one platter big enough to hold a roast turkey or other party-size main dish.

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John Lewis & Partners

11. Cloth Napkins

Cotton or linen napkins make your table look thoughtfully put together. Since napkins don’t take up much storage space, consider investing in a stack of them in white cotton or natural linen plus another set in a hue you love.

12. Tablecloth
A tablecloth not only adds another layer of texture and formality, it’s easier to slip on and more elegant than placemats. Natural linen or white is a versatile option that will work for any occasion, but if you want to add a second cloth, pick something in a rich hue or fun print.

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Terrain

13. Pretty Serving Bowls and Spoons

For foods that can easily slide off a platter — think salads and family-style pastas — serving bowls are what you need. Opt for at least two or three in classic white or a pretty pattern you love, plus as many sets of serving spoons.

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Aidan Newman

14. Electric Kettle

An electric kettle can boil water for coffee or tea in a hurry without taking up precious space on the stovetop. And if there are too many cooks in the kitchen, you can move the whole coffee-and-tea-making station to the dining room.

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Tobi Fairley Interior Design

15. French Press

When you need to serve coffee to a crowd, it’s nice to have an extra coffee maker waiting in the wings. A French press makes the cut because it’s compact — and (bonus!) you can also use it to brew loose-leaf tea.

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Share: What’s on your entertaining essentials list? Please tell us in the Comments.

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Comments (30)

See 27 more comments

judygilpin

@Rick Miller, I love the look of chargers also, but stopped using them as the dinner plates slide on them. Very pretty, but not comfortable for the guests to eat from. I now use round grass fiber place mats to give the same effect as chargers.

Gigi Keyes

I have all the above sans #15. I use either my regular coffee maker with K-cups for a small crowd, or my 60 cup coffeemaker/server for a big crowd.

I also agree with the person who commented on having an ice bucket/tub. I have always used one but it was more practical than aesthetically pleasing, so I invested in a beautiful double-walled, hammered, copper tub that I keep permanently displayed on the top of my fridge.

The one other item that has been of more use to me than I ever thought possible is the warming tray I bought on clearance for $10 about 15 years ago. There are instances when using chafers are too much of a hassle and that thing is great for keeping things at a ready to eat temp!

Diane Edwards

granny4eight: When I was a young married wife, we bought an antique table that was pretty square but it had 4 leaves integrated. When open, a regular table cloth did not fit well so I went to the fabric store and bought (I forget how many) yard of a beautiful white on white linen and hemmed it. Voila! I am still using it all these years later - like 30 - although my Goddaughter now has the table and hosts large groups in her home. We pass tables around A LOT!