Dining table

Painting three ways - projects from Woman's Day magazine

Bring some colour to the table with these fun setting ideas from Emily Somerville-Ryan.

1. Table runner

What you’ll need:

Resene testpots
Fabric
Paintbrush
Sewing machine
Scissors
Iron

Table runner

Instructions:

Add a splash of vibrant colour and originality to your dinner table with this pretty hand painted table runner. Cut a piece of white cotton fabric to roughly 40cm in width and to approximately 40cm less than the length of your table. Sew or iron under both sides to prevent fraying. Paint scattered shapes directly onto the fabric using a paint brush and a combination of your favourite Resene paint colours. I started with Resene Feijoa, and added layers of colours one by one using Resene Vista Blue, Resene Moby, Resene Cupid and Resene Cabaret. Using a fine brush, paint patches of dots, spaced out evenly down the fabric in a darker hue. I’ve used Resene Retreat for my dots. Once dry, set the table using your new fabric as a centrepiece runner down the middle of your dinner table. When styling your table setting, draw on the colours from your runner, repeating its colour accents in the flowers, napkins and napkin rings.

2. Centrepiece vases

What you'll need:

Resene testpots
Resene primer
Old pots
Paintbrush
Pencil

Centrepiece vases

Instructions:

Collect up old dated vases and give them a new lease on life worthy of the most glamorous dinner tables using Resene paints. Paint all vases and pots with two coats of Resene Quick Dry primer. Once primer is thoroughly dry, divide pot into sections with a pencil. Paint each section with a different Resene colour. I’ve used Resene Feijoa, Resene Vista Blue, Resene Moby, Resene Cupid, Resene Cabaret and Resene Retreat. Once dry, fill with gorgeous greenery and place as a centrepiece in the middle of your dinner table.

3. Napkin rings

What you'll need:

Resene testpots
Craft knife
Scissors
Paintbrush
Pencil

Napkin rings

Instructions:

Turn your recycled paper rolls into fun napkin rings and jazz up your dinner parties. Cut a collection of paper rolls down to 3.5cm in width. Paint each napkin ring with two coats of Resene paint. I’ve used Resene Feijoa, Resene Vista Blue, Resene Moby, Resene Cupid, Resene Cabaret and Resene Retreat. Once dry, add a pattern to each napkin ring using a contrasting Resene colour. I’ve mixed it up with horizontal stripes, vertical stripes and spots. Keep the collection coherent by using the same six colours in different combinations. Once completely dry, pull your napkin through the ring and fold into a cute bow or just leave as a simple rectangle.