A new way to set the table

At the Pioneer Woman Mercantile, an Oklahoma home goods store run by Food Network star Ree Drummond, one of the displays that drew a consistent crowd on a recent March afternoon was the table set with a few hundred salt and pepper shakers in every motif imaginable — pairs of pink fish with lipsticked lips, little bears dressed as brides and grooms, dachshunds dressed in Elvis costumes with black stylized wigs on their head.

Elsewhere in the store there were butterfly-shaped wooden bowls, ceramic berry bowls and thickly crocheted potholders, amidst floral-patterned dinnerware and jadeite mixing bowls.

These are the types of things that consumers want on their tables.

Today, the best-set, most Instagrammable tables are all about the décor and the accessories that make it fun, unique and inviting. Search “table settings” on Instagram and you’ll find videos of people unfurling tablecloths, placing supermarket flowers in simple but attractive arrangements, and laying flatware and wine glasses just so, garnering hundreds of thousands, and in some cases, millions, of views in the process.

The more confident, experimental consumer

It represents a potential shift in buying and gift registering behavior when it comes to tabletop.

“Vietri has seen a shift, with more demand, more searches, on our website for tablecloths and linens and candlesticks, and we’ve been developing product to support that,” said Holli Draughn, the tabletop company’s president. “It’s more of that quest to dress the table.

“Maybe 18 to 24 months ago, fine china had a kind of resurgence,” she said. “Now accessories have had a resurgence.”

According to market research firm Circana, in the last six months of 2024, overall serveware sales declined, but pockets of it grew, said Joe Derochowski, vice president, home industry advisor. Chip ‘n dip servers, for example, grew 8% in the past 12 months from a unit perspective. Divided dishes grew 13% and cheeseboards and trays grew 3%.

During that time, Derochowski noted, Americans ate more meals and entertained more at home. “Anything related to entertaining did well,” he said. “As we go forward, I suspect we are going to continue to entertain at home.” Not only is it cheaper, he said, it fulfills the human desire to connect.

“People are using the table setting for mood and for fun,” said Susan Miller, vice president, partner success, at MyRegistry, the universal online gift registry platform. “The old rules are being thrown away. People say, ‘I want it to reflect me’.”

Items that 15 years ago would be placed on wedding registries are now just as likely to show up on gift lists for other occasions, she said.

She also noted growth in people buying things with a seasonal look, a trend cited by several tabletop companies at the New York Tabletop Show last October. “Maybe they don’t mind splurging on just a few pieces to feel festive or align with a life theme of that moment and not be overburdened with too much junk,” Miller said.

The rise of vintage

Mix and match tableware, once defined in the industry as using more than one dinner plate pattern on the table or mixing a solid color plate with a patterned one, now refers to mixing and matching between brands, between materials, and between old and new.

“I have absolutely been hearing from readers, from stylists, from acquaintances … who are definitely aware and have a more acute interest in vintage,” said Keith Recker, the co-founder of Pittsburgh-based Table magazine, a consumer publication that celebrates food, drink and interior design. “But I hear people articulating what they’re finding at thrift store and antiques shops … People are talking technique, detail, shape; it’s so interesting. There’s such enthusiasm about it, I’m surprised. It’s all age groups, down to young people in their 20s.”

Students in the Introduction to Home Products class at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology provided feedback in response to a Home Accents Today question about what type of tabletop product they find most interesting and what they would buy for their future homes.

The overwhelming response was about combining vintage with new, according to adjunct professor Carolyn D’Angelo.  Many said they have received things from family that they cherish (such as “grandma china”), and many look for unique products that they can mix and match old and new, she said.

“Key products are dinnerware, with many stating they like to have ‘mismatched’ plates to create something interesting,” D’Angelo noted. “They want durability and function. Some also say white dinnerware as a base so they can incorporate other colors.”

At least half of the students replied that playful glassware is a definite purchase. “They like the different shapes for drinks, love colored glass (some said they like depression glass). Several mention vintage table runners and placemats. … Overall, vintage, handmade (or at least handmade looking) came up repeatedly.”

How to sell new

“The consumer embraces eclecticism. We have inspired them to trust themselves,” said lifestyle trend forecaster Tom Mirabile, founder of Springboard Futures. “We have made our bed. Now we have to show them they can trust us to produce products that meet their lifestyle.”

Tabletop companies hoping to lure consumers with new products have to offer something that’s better than what’s in the attic, Mirabile said. “New product has GOT to be better. That’s the definition of value. [There must be] a reassessment, a revaluation, a re-imaging of the product, the design, the materials.

“The best brands put us in touch with ourselves. The need to connect is one of the few things that can step above price. The manufacturer and the retailer must collectively be merchants,” he added.