5 Ways to Eat in Southern Style

Your table is one of the best places to incorporate southern style into your home. If you have other southern-inspired pieces or rooms, you might feel like this is a difficult style to mirror in your dining room. Luckily, there are actually lots of other ways that you can transform your table so that it matches the rest of your home. If you are looking to add southern flair to your home, here are five ways that you can do just that.

1. Cowhide placemats

Nothing will set the tone of your eating space faster than having cowhide placemats. Even if you use relatively bland plates, cups, and cutlery, your guests will know exactly what style you are trying to achieve if you use this type of placemats. There are actually a number of benefits that come along with using cowhide on your table. Unlike fabric or other woven materials, cowhide is very durable. It will stand up to the rigors of your eating area much better than most other materials. You will not have to worry about damaging the placemat when you put a plate on top of it. The wide variety of colors also enables you to create a place setting that matches the rest of your décor. If you want many different colors and patterns, you can have many different colors and patterns. Cowhide placemats provide such a range of options that you are sure to find something that works for you.

2. Flowers

While you might not think of flowers as something that are strictly southern in nature, the right kind of flowers, in a large bouquet in the middle of your table can go a long way when it comes to making your dining room look like it is straight out of the south. What type of flowers should you be looking for? Blooming tree boughs are always a great option, that are going to evoke spring in the south. Hibiscus is another popular choice, though it may be difficult to find, depending on where you live. The iris is going to be a great option, and one that should be readily available in most parts of the country, during most of the year. There are also a range of different colors to choose from, so you can find that matches your needs. Woodland Phlox is another common option that you’ll see in many southern dining rooms. These delicate purpose flowers will look great on your table!

3. Wooden serving spoons

Nothing will help you achieve the rustic elegance of a southern table like wooden serving spoons and other utensils. While your guests might not actually want to eat off of wood (though wooden chargers or coasters might be a good addition to individual place settings if you want to continue the theme of wood across your entire table), using these utensils to serve up salads or soups is a great option for giving your table a little bit more of that classic southern charm. Especially if your table is not actually wooden and you want to give it a little bit more of that southern elegance, wooden serving spoons can serve you well.

4. Real napkins

Real napkins are a great way to make any occasion feel fancier, and the right cloth napkins can help you achieve your goal of eating in southern style. When looking for the right napkins for your place settings, look for something with a rougher finish. While you might still choose to have them monogrammed (another great way to up the elegance of your dinner), choose neutral colors for both fabric and thread. This will ensure that the napkins do not take away from the other materials on your table. Look for an option that is a little bit plain. You do not want your napkins to clash with your cowhide placemats or with your plates, if they have any kind of patterning or design.

5. The right chairs

The chairs that you put around your table will dictate the style of your eating space just as much as what is on the table. If you really want to make your table look like it was plucked right out of the south, look for chairs that have a little bit of wear to them, but still have an elegant design. Chairs that have been painted over and some of the paint, especially on the edges, has started to wear away, are a great option. If they contrast nicely with the color of the table, you know that you have a winning combination. If you really want to be bold, you may want to even consider cowhide chairs.

When creating your perfect southern table setting, remember that it does not have to be perfect. A little bit of shabbiness will help to contribute to the aesthetic you are trying to achieve. Try to keep all of your elements in the same color family. A few pops of color are fine, but if you branch too far outside of the original color family, you are going to have colors and styles that clash. You really only want to have one large statement element on the table. If you are choosing cowhide placemats, these will usually be the focal point of your table, even if you do also choose to include a flower arrangement. Don’t try to pull your table in too many different directions—this will simply make it look scattered, rather than cohesive.