Beautiful salt and pepper shakers, show-off salad servers, cheese domes (yes, a cheese dome)âthey sound like just the sort of fancy tabletop items that most of us never buy for ourselves. The truth is, we’re usually too resigned to the bargain basics we got when we moved into our first apartment to spend our money on upgrades such as these. So let’s hope somebody else does it for us. Behold, seven gifts that’ll instantly upgrade any host’s dinner table.
Table-worthy salt and pepper shakers
Surely there will never be a need to adjust the seasoning on your cooking. So these handsome shakers are really just to gaze at under a candlelight glow. (Until your sister brings over her famous mashed potatoesThen you’ll break out the salt.)
BUY IT: Sagaform Oak and Glass Salt and Pepper Shaker Set, $31 at Wayfair
A showcase for the last course
It’s great for cheese and perfect for dessert, but this glass-and-wood dome really excels at keeping people at the dinner party until the very end. Who’d leave early after staring at the last course all night?
BUY IT: LSA International Cake and Cheese Dome, $120 at Amara
Candlestick holders that don’t look like they came from the set of Game of Thrones
Swap out your mother’s gothic candlesticks for these sleek, shiny holders, and dinner at her house will no longer feel like eating at a Renaissance faire.
BUY IT: Bloomingvale Copper Taper Holder, $16 on Amazon
A so-pretty-it’s-distracting platter
Store-bought cookies. Roasted vegetables from the deli down the street. A grocery store rotisserie chicken
BUY IT: Hawkins New York Jackson Serving Platter, $108 at Need Supply Co.
A water pitcher that makes waves
Nobody likes to see a Brita in the middle of the table. But this beauty? Let’s just say your guests will be very well hydrated due to their not being able to take their hands off it. Bonus: at the end of the meal, you can use it as a teapot.
BUY IT: Glenna Teapot, $68 at Anthropologie
Napkins that hide a stain
You can wash and scrub and bleach all you want, but those drops of red wine are never going to come out of those white napkins. But a spill on these napkins? Who’d ever notice?
BUY IT: Sandia Napkins, $7 each at Anthropologie
A big-ass salad bowl
The bigger the salad bowl, the better. Of course, when the bowl is this stunning, you’ll keep it out at all times, whether it’s filled with salad, fruit, or nothing at all.
BUY IT: ‘Legacy Heritage Collection by Fabio Viviani’ Mescolare Salad Bowl, $119 at Nordstrom
Want more gift ideas? Check out our entire 2018 gift guide
All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
