Affordable Decor – Entertaining Dishes

Now that I no longer have a roommate, I feel a bit more comfortable investing in pieces I love for the kitchen and entertaining. When people come into my house, I think there’s always quite a bit of surprise when they realize this girl that loves bows and sweet dresses has a home styled in an industrial-rustic way, with loads of black pieces and natural wood anchoring a bright, open space.

I love this aesthetic because it allows me drop in mirrored pieces, touches of pink and pattern without my house screaming “single female”. Everything is functional, comfortable and durable for when I want to have a few friends over. When I bought my home I didn’t have much in the way of decor, and expensive projects like custom blinds sucked up all of my “fun” money I had laying around. When I realized things like dishes and glasses were being accidentally broken by my roommate, even when I had the money, I just didn’t buy things I saw and liked because I couldn’t stand the idea of them being broken and my money being wasted.

Now, I don’t have much money (even less being roommate-free) but I do feel more comfortable buying things I love. One of the first areas of decor I wanted to tackle was affordable serving ware, because I wanted to be able to use these pieces for this blog as well! I think you can tell so much about someone’s personality by what type of dishes and serving dishes they use. I took my mum’s advice and rather than investing in matched sets of things, I chose an anchor of blue and white to complement my all-white dishes and orangey-red Le Creuset that I display in an open shelving unit. By not having perfectly matched items, if one meets an untimely demise, it won’t ruin the entire set.

This two-tier baking stand started the process. I love that it’s two patterns in the same color, I think it’s so whimsical. Like mostly everything I picked up, it’s from Homesense and was incredibly affordable. Below are a few of the other items I picked up- keep watching my food posts to see the rest!

This paisley print mug (my sister actually bought me a second one when I only bought one, which was incredibly sweet of her) was on sale at Urban Barn (along with a couple of tapas bowls). I love that the red dots add a bit of extra color, and its extra large size is perfect for sipping coffee on cold days!

This cake stand was a great buy in my books as well, because its white base is livened up by cute scalloped patterns and the raised edge makes it perfect for serving everything from pies to frittata. It was also a Homesense find.

This jug is from Pier One, and my mum felt I needed to have it! I agree, although at the point I saw it I was already past what I wanted to spend in the day. So, my mum being the awesome lady she is, picked it up for me. I love that the main colors are my scheme of blue and white, but it adds pops of other bright colors to complement. I like that it’s the perfect size and shape to serve water at a dinner, or showcase flowers.

Lastly, I bought two of these organically shaped bowls at Homesense. I love their imperfect shape and mismatched patterns. I eat a lot of salads and hearty bowls, so these will be a great complement to my style of cooking.

What kind of serving ware do you love? Let me know in the comments below or by tweeting me @TheBrokeBloggr.