Inexpensive DIY Centrepieces

Centrepieces are the focal point when throwing a dinner party, forget them and you take away the wow factor, but do them right and your guests could be talking about it for days. But you don’t have to break the bank! Here are some simple arrangements assembled with items you may have lying around the house.

One of the great ways to add impact to a centerpiece display is by using height. Most people have different sizes of glass mixing bowls or vases around the kitchen so fill them with a few flowers in each and stack them vertically. What’s nice about the glass bowls is that they fill the space yet they allow light to shine through. Depending on the length of your dinner table you may require 2 or 3 of these arrangements.

Use mason jars, empty pop bottles or tall vases and fill with water and food colouring. Choose a maximum of two colours that coordinate with other décor such as your napkins, menus, etc. Add a few stems of white flowers, not coloured so the colour in the vases stands out more. For an added rustic charm, grab a plank of wood that you may have in the garage and lay down in the centre of the table to use as a platform in which to place the colourful vases. It works to ground the display while also creating a nice separation of space.

I love this next idea because as a hostess you’re running around making sure everything is perfect and maybe you completely forgot about the centerpieces. So what do you do? Grab a few wine glasses, differing heights is best…turn upside down and add votives. As a base you can use a platter or mirror which has a great reflective quality when candles are lit. If you have flowers on hand scatter a few under the glass and mirror for a bit of colour.

Another great idea is to gather a few tin pails and spray paint them white, clipping a punch of hydrangeas to fill. Optional: If the dinner party has particular meaning – for example to celebrate a wedding anniversary, add a message of ‘LOVE’ to make it more of an intimate meaningful gathering. Or a Thanksgiving themed message such as ‘Give Thanks’.