I bought tablecloths, placemats, plates and more from two of the high streets most popular stores for homeware and one of them is perfect for Easter
Our family is incredibly guilty of using the kitchen table as a dumping ground for handbags, parcels, bits and bobs, rendering it entirely useless for its intended purpose of, well, dining. It’s our biggest kitchen ick, but I think I’ve found the solution – and it’s surprisingly affordable.
Earlier this week on This Morning, experts from Primark, Next, M&S and John Lewis shared their top tips on how to get your home looking stylish for spring, and tablescaping was among the most popular.
So armed with a budget of £35, I headed to Dunelm and Primark to see if I could create a seasonal display that would not only look great, but also help us kick the habit of cluttering the kitchen table to keep our home looking fresh and guest-ready for Easter.
I managed to spend exactly £34 in both high street retailers on things like plates, napkins and tablecloths, but one was certainly more impactful when it came to being Instagram-ready. Here’s what I picked up, and how I styled my dining table for spring at each retailer.
Dunelm Tablescape
As I headed into Dunelm, I was on the lookout for eye catching pieces in bold colours, so the first thing I picked up was gingham runner for £10 , but since it’s reversible, you actually get two designs in one, with the underside being plain blue (girl math makes that £5, right?)
The checked design is giving me all the Spring picnic vibes and would be the perfect base on which to build the rest of my table setting. And it’s got a glowing five star rating from shoppers , too, with one commenting: “A lovely, well-made table runner that has the bonus of being reversible – either gingham or plain blue. High quality fabric and very well finished. Makes our table look very country-fied! Extremely pleased with this purchase!”
In the pictures on the Dunelm website, the runner is styled with these Pink Scalloped Edge Placemats, which cost £6 for two, so I knew I had to get them because they pair so perfectly and the colour class is gorgeous. The placemats are thick and high quality, with on-trend embroidered scalloped edges, and really brighten up the space.
Some shoppers loved them so much that despite not being a homeowner, they couldn’t help but snap them up, commenting: “Love these placemats. Don’t currently have a house to use them in but I couldn’t not get them they’re so unique. And a great price.”
Another added: “Great product, much cheaper than other stores. Very on trend.” However, some have mentioned issues with washing them, saying they ‘shrunk’, but another wrote: “I’m not sure why these have some bad reviews. They’re stunning and a fraction of the price of something similar in other shops. I bought 8 and they washed perfectly.”
Next on the shopping list was napkins, and I managed to get a four-pack of green Isabel napkins for £7 , which are 100 per cent cotton and I can attest that these do wash beautifully and hold their shape well.
As for plates, I opted for two large scalloped edge porcelain dinner plates at £4 each , with floral side plates at £1.50 each.
I then laid the table taking inspiration from the Dunelm website, adding a vase of tulips from the supermarket, which really set it off and gave it that spring feel.
Primark Tablescape
I won’t lie, I had expected Primark’s selection to be a little cheaper, but I did end up spending the exact same amount of money to the penny in the budget retailer, starting with a £10 white and green striped tablecloth with pink edging, which featured on This Morning during their homeware segment. While I loved the design of this cloth, I definitely preferred the look of a runner on my wooden table.
As for placemats, I plumped for a pair of scalloped straw placemats, which have a rustic feel – and at £5 for the two, I did consider them quite the bargain.
I couldn’t decide on napkins, so got two sets – one for under the plates and one for the cutlery, with the pink seersucker striped napkins complimenting my pink side plates beautifully – although these I thought were on the pricier side at £3.50 each.
The second set of napkins were a gorgeous scalloped number, which actually look like they’d pair better with my Dunelm table setting, and were also £2.50. Having tried to hunt down napkins like this online, they’re insanely expensive with this set of four costing £32 .
Since I didn’t buy any dinner plates from Primark as they would have taken me over my strict budget, I decided to spruce up the table with a pink and green striped candlestick holder to match the cloth, which cost £4.
My verdict
Overall I was incredibly surprised at the affordability of Dunelm’s tablescaping products , as I had expected Primark to be much better value, but this wasn’t the case for the items I was looking for. For example, four napkins at Primark cost £10, but at Dunelm, they cost £7, with Dunelm’s large plates only being 50p more than Primark’s small ones. However, I do think I got a lot for my money at both stores.
I personally much preferred the look of the complete Dunelm table setting, which felt more polished and put together than Primark’s. I like how the runner also shows off the table rather than hides it, and the fact the runner would fit most tables no matter the shape or size.
Our Dunelm design got much more positive compliments from visiting guests, some of whom even went on to tell me they’d purchased some of the items since, and I love that you can read the customer reviews online at Dunelm to help make an informed decision on purchases.
And what’s more is that, since sprucing up the table for Easter, we’ve even stopped using it to dump clutter, leaving our kitchen feeling much more homely and bright, perfect for Easter. You can shop Dunelm’s range of homewares here.
