Loose vases, plants and jars you have to remove one by one for every meal. On a tray or a bowl they stand together and you can grab everything in one go.

With a raised edge whatever is on it stays on the tray when you carry it. The Cookinglife Dienblad Wilgenhout ø 35 cm from our own brand has such an edge, 5 cm high.

Put items on it that won't tip over or leak when you lift the tray: a plant in a pot, a pepper mill, a few apples. A tall, narrow vase with water and a handful of loose small things is better left off.

Choose in advance a fixed spot where the tray will stand during the meal, for example the countertop, a sideboard or the windowsill.

Almost nothing can also be decoration: a fruit bowl already counts, and you use it every day. The Cosy & Trendy Fruitschaal Forest ø 33 cm is dishwasher-safe. After sticky fruit you can put it straight in the machine. If you work or study at the table and need every centimeter, feel free to leave the table empty.

On a wooden table a candle needs a base that can withstand heat.

For every candle on the table follow these three rules:

• A holder with a sturdy bottom, without plastic, because a thin bottom can cause a dark mark in wood and plastic sleeves can catch fire.
• A place out of the draught and away from dry twigs or a Christmas arrangement, so the flame can't spread anywhere.
• Someone in the room as long as the candle is burning, because you may notice a spreading flame too late otherwise.

The WoodWick Geurkaars Mini Vanilla & Sea Salt - 8 cm / ø 7 cm - Geurkaars in Glas - Houten Lont should, according to our product information, be placed on a heat-resistant surface. Never leave it burning for more than 4 hours at a time, and light it at the table 30 minutes before dinner. Our article about the proper use of a WoodWick candle goes into more detail on burning and trimming the wooden wick.

Under a chafing dish or warming plate you should place a trivet of stainless steel or chrome from our pan trivets, because those models are, according to our product information, heat-resistant. If there's only a cloth underneath, the table is not protected: the tabletop can scorch even under a cloth.

Buy the base once, and the filler can come from the garden, nature or your kitchen cupboard.

Four moments to change the filler:

• In autumn place pine cones, beechnuts and sweet chestnuts on the tray or in the bowl. Turn the chestnuts regularly: they can start to rot, and that way you'll notice it in time.
• At Christmas add baubles and ribbon, on the same tray or in the same bowl, so nothing extra ends up on the table.
• After the holidays the table can suddenly look bare without the Christmas items. Dried flowers or curly branches in a heavy pot without water you don't replace every week, and if you lift the tray nothing will tip over.
• In spring choose lighter colors like pink, and at Easter add eggs and little chicks.

You can make things yourself with what you already have at home or in the garden:

• Jam jars with a ribbon around them and a tealight inside: choose long-burning tealights so you don't have to change them during the evening.
• Hydrangeas from the garden in small glasses or bottles, spread over the table when guests come, so you don't have to buy a bouquet.
• A low bowl filled with pebbles with a few tealights in glass, so the lights stand firmly.
• Empty bottles and jam jars painted in one color so they match as small vases.

You can paint bottles and jars, but a pumpkin quickly looks fake when painted, so leave it in its natural autumn color. For a festive or luxurious dinner homemade crafts can look shabby, and then it's better to leave them out.