“Consumers want pieces for their home that are both functional and beautiful,” says Sandra Christopher, owner of Colonial Collectibles in Warsaw. “This trend means many practical pieces are also beautiful enough to play a role in your home décor.”

Serveware is coming out of the cabinet, Christopher says, with creative designers and homeowners incorporating beloved pieces into their everyday decorating. Here are some tips for tuning in to this sensible and exciting trend:

• Don’t feel limited by the piece’s purpose when choosing where to use it in your décor. “Serveware definitely doesn’t have to stay in the kitchen or dining room,” Gwen Bevans of Riverside Accents & Gifts says. That same casserole that looks so great on your holiday table can do year-round double duty in your living room if you use it to show off fresh blooms, brightly colored glass marbles or even a collection of antique Christmas ornaments.  “There are no rules about where you can place a piece you love.”

• Decorative serveware bowls are great vessels for seasonal displays. Position the bowl in a spot where it will greet your guests as soon as they enter your home, and fill it with natural items that evoke the essence of the season. In spring, your display might feature a scented candle and some buds, fresh leaves or even fruit from your own back yard. For fall, choose brightly colored gourds and crisp autumn leaves.
• Polished platters hung on the wall can give the same light-amplifying and space-expanding visual impact without the potentially overwhelming reflective effects of mirrors. A polished platter can also be a great platform for a piece of artwork that you want to draw attention to.
• Sauce cups can be used on a table in your foyer or entryway as a place to store keys or other small items needed when coming and going.  “A small pewter oyster shell would be perfect for holding pocket change,” recommended Jennifer Vaughan, owner of Crying Shame in Tappahannock.  These small dishes could also be placed beside bathroom or kitchen sinks to hold jewelry when washing hands or dishes.
• Napkin holders can be a creative way to display photographs, postcard collections or even paper mementoes like ticket stubs and admission passes. “Placing a decorative napkin holder filled with photos or memorabilia on a coffee table invites the guest to pick up, look through, handle and share in your memories,” suggests Christopher.
• Pitchers easily double as vases.  In the spring fill your beautiful glass pitcher with a bouquet of fresh flowers, in the fall try dried plants such as wheat or cattails.  “There are a wide range of decorative flowers that are already arranged or sold separately and can be used in any room in your home,” added Bevans.
• Decanters can be used in the bathroom to hold bath salts or oils.  “Bath salts and oils are so beautiful by themselves that it is sad to have to store them away in a medicine cabinet or closet.  Why not use them as part of our everyday décor?” stated Vaughan.
• You can even use a favorite serveware piece as the inspiration for the design of an entire room. Pulling color, texture and even theme from a single piece of artwork or furniture is a simple staple used by interior decorators and savvy homeowners when dressing a room.  For example, Crying Shame carries many Rivah inspired platters, with motifs ranging from crabs to oysters to sailboats, these can be used to dress up a river cottage or bring the feel of the river home with you into your kitchen or sunroom.  These serving pieces decorated with sand or seashells can bring the feel of the rivah to your home even if you have come in from the beach.

“Whatever serveware piece you choose to incorporate into or inspire your interior décor, remember the most important consideration is not the piece’s function or style, it’s how the piece makes you feel,” Vaughan says.

So, when you are packing up your serveware after a nice dinner maybe you should ask yourself whether it should go in the cabinet or on the coffee table.