DIY Life

I love old five panel doors. They are nice and sturdy and they can last forever. If forever is too long for you, you can replace them with new stylish doors, and then prop the old doors up against a wall in your garage like nearly every other homeowner does. After all, you will use them for something again someday. Guess what? That day has come because Design*Sponge reader Julie found an old door at the salvage yard and decided to make a new dining table from said door.

Julie cleaned the door and attached four IKEA table legs to it. She laid decorative paper in the panels and then topped the door off with a sheet of tempered glass she found at an auto repair shop. Can you say genius?

I love the finished product and it sure would be a conversation piece at a dinner party. The possibilities of what you can create are endless, so go out to your garage right now, clean that old door, and then head down to your auto repair shop to get a piece of tempered glass. Viola, a new table on the cheap!

[via:Design*Sponge]

OK, you already know how to set a bang-up place setting. You can also give that dining table a special touch that your guests will notice if you learn how to fold your napkins restaurant-style. Or, dining-with-the-rich style.

Or any one of thirteen styles that About gives photo tutorials on how to fold. Heck, that is so many that you could have each place setting sport a unique napkin fold.

But let's not get carried away. From the simple scarf fold or traditional fold, to the super-fancy Three Point "Hat" Fold, you can take you pick. You are sure to find one that suits your fancy.

For the picture I took to go with this post, I chose to try the Goblet Fan Fold. The instructions were easy and clear, and I was happy with my results, even if my napkins are a bit floppy.

How do you fold your napkins to give your table that special touch?