Storage for Your Tablescape Collections

I was asked to write a brief post about storage on a tablescaping Facebook site that I belong to and I decided to add more content and post it on my blog too. If you read my blog you saw this photo before with a blog post about storing napkin rings and place card holders. I decided to repeat that information in this post and add content about the storage of other tablescaping items. To start, I have been tablescaping for about 16 years. We are empty nesters and I have taken over some of the space that our three children used when they lived at home.

Tablescape Storage for Napkins and Place Card Holders

My system evolved as my collection increased in size. This is a photo of a corner of my study. While it isn’t a particularly pretty area, it works very well for me and I am the only one who comes in here most of the time. I spend a lot of my time in here on the computer doing genealogical research and planning tablescapes. Online you will see gorgeous photos of shelves with perfectly staged minimalist decor, that’s not me. I like to be surrounded by all my bits and pieces. This room was my daughter’s bedroom until she grew up and moved out, it isn’t very large. We added custom built in floor to ceiling book shelves mostly for all my genealogy books but many of them were out of date so I weeded the collection to create space for my napkin rings and place card holders. I use clear shoe box sized plastic containers and I label the end. I like them because I can see what is inside. We bought them on Amazon and at The Container Store. If I were a perfectionist I would create and print out labels to use but I just wanted to get them organized quickly so I could find things. Before they were scattered all over the house and I wasted a lot of time looking for things.

The containers are arranged by holiday, theme, or color because that is the way I create tablescapes. These are some of my Christmas napkin rings and place card holders. Keep in mind I have been tablescaping for 16 years, lots of stuff! I have inventoried all of these napkin rings and place card holders. Each one has a photo and a record of how many I have. I have the information stored in folders on my computer. The folders are arranged by holiday, theme, or color. I can easily look at the photos and think about the tablescape that I want to create. I am still working on inventorying other tablescape items. People often ask me how many I have of things and I always say I don’t know. Once I have inventoried them I do know but I don’t say!

We had the custom book shelves turn the corner and had them put a large desk area in the corner for me so I could spread out all my paperwork when I am doing genealogy research. It created a large deep space underneath the desk and to the right you can see more containers of napkin rings and place card holders. To the left are boxes of table scatter and other miscellaneous table decorations. To the left of the boxes are my containers of flatware. I will talk about them next.

Tablescape Storage for Flatware

I store my sets of flatware in clear containers as well. They are easy to see. I tried to keep them alphabetical by color but I finally gave up because they are in constant use and the colors move around. I am fortunate to have all this space under a large desk and out of the way. (My sterling is in silverware chests and hidden elsewhere.) When you are thinking about storage look down and up for ideas.

Tablescape Storage for Dishes and Goblets

My dishes and goblets are stored in the garage on racks that Hubby reinforced because of all the weight. This is a part of my charger collection. When I started tablescaping I decided that storage of the item was just as important as the item itself and I needed to buy whatever was needed to protect it. I have labeled on the lid or the box label what is in the container even if the container has a window. When I started tablescaping I bought the containers at our local Container Store but they were discontinued so I moved to Amazon. I buy a brand called Household Essentials China storage. (Keep in mind that they are made of cardboard and canvas.) If I had a huge house I would definitely have a dish room but this works for me.

The containers come in different sizes depending on the size of the dish or goblet.

The racks came from our local Costco and Hubby bought the heavier wheels at our Harbor Freight store. He added a wood base for more support. Because of the wheels I can move the racks around by myself although they are very heavy. (We have been married 50 years this year and we have never put a car in the garage since the beginning. There was always too much other stuff in there! Hubby does woodworking and we used to camp often.) We live in Southern California so the cars can sit out in the driveway. A few of these racks could sit along the interior garage wall easily if necessary as long as they could be swung out to reach the other side when needed.

Tablescape Storage for Tablecloths

In the top of each of our closets was a long shelf that was about 12” wide. I suddenly realized that I could double the space by having Hubby build another shelf just like it in front of it. You can see under the shelf in this photo how he used a bracket to join the two pieces of wood together. This additional space allows me to add a double row of stacked tablecloths.

My tablecloths are arranged by holiday, season, and color just like my napkin rings and place card holders. I have also taken photos of each one and put them in folders on my computer. You can see in the photo how I can store two stacks with the increased width of the shelving. I suspect that some might bring up the fact that these tight folded stacks are not good for the fabric but there is constant movement with them (I do a new tablescape every week) and from time to time I refold the tablecloths in a different pattern.

In one of the closets I only added the additional width to the top shelf and I left the bottom shelf as is.

The ideal storage for tablecloths would be to hang them in a closet on a special hanger like this one that I bought on Amazon however I have way too many tablecloths to store them like this. I do use these hangers for a few really heavy tablecloths like this one.

This is another special hanger from Amazon that you could use for tablecloth storage if you have the closet space. I use them to hang all my table runners.

Tablescape Storage for Napkins

My napkins are stored just like my tablecloths. I do take a photo of the entire back row of each shelf before I add the front row so I know where napkins are when I am looking for them. I do the same for tablecloths.

Storing tablescaping items by holiday, season, and color saves so much time when you are looking for something. You can see my fall napkins on the bottom shelf in one stack and my patriotic napkins on the top shelf in another stack. To choose what I am looking for I can either look in the appropriate folder on my computer or look at the stack on the shelf.

To see over 260 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas or click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553689988183392

For lots of other Tablescaping DIY tips and tricks click here: https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/tablescapehowto

If you live in Southern California join our Facebook tablescaping group Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 We are planning a gathering for tablescapers in January in the Los Angeles area..

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week, please check back!