I have a giant dough bowl on the center of my dining room table.

Affectionately called the rowboat by my husband.

I adore it and it gets on my nerves all at the same time.

It’s amazing because it fills up the space and looks cute and vintage and the texture is amazing and it’s a statement piece.

But.

Don’t you love a decorating post that starts with a coordinating conjunction?

But I never really am sure what to put in it.

Sometimes I fill it up and it looks like utter nonsense and I roll my eyes at myself.

And then?

Every now and then on the first day of spring with the birds chirping and the sun shining and the day bright and full of promise….

…I fill it with something amazing.

Just. Like. This.

Jasmine.

I wish you could smell my dining room right now.

It smells like a little bit of spring.

I found these pots at Trader Joe’s for $5.99 a piece. The dough bowl is over 4 feet long, so I needed five pots to fill the center with extra spillage.

But.

But how do you put the pots in there without ruining the bottom of the dough bowl when you water the plants.

No worries.

I got us.

Here’s the solution.

Large freezer bags.

They are sturdy and flexible and fit easily around the bottom of the plant with extra room.

All I did was roll down the sides of the freezer bag.

Slip the freezer bag around the bottom of the jasmine pot.

Then place it in the dough bowl.

Here’s the first pot in the center.

And.

(total aside: another coordinating conjunction that I love).

And I repeated the same process with all five jasmine plants.

All jasmine pots are not created equal.

Some have more jasmine on one side than the other.

I turned the plants this way and that way to make sure there was extra spillage on all sides of the dough bowl.

Then I pinched off any stems that were too long.

The jasmine will continue to grow and bloom in place.

You just don’t want to add too much water because you don’t want to have standing water in the bags.

Here’s my finished centerpiece.

It only took me five minutes to create the entire centerpiece.

You could add any plant to the center, just make sure it’s one that’s a continuous bloomer so it lasts longer.

And now?

Want some other dough bowl inspiration?

Here are a few more things I’ve added to my dough bowl over the years.

In the fall, I added pumpkins.

Sometimes all the same type of pumpkin.

Like this.

And sometimes an assorted variety.

Like this.

I’ve filled it with pinecones.

Like this.

And pine cones and fabric-covered balls and ribbon.

Like this.

At Christmas time, I fill it with tons of white ornaments.

All different shapes and sizes.

Like this.

I’ve also (I couldn’t find a picture of it) stacked books from end to end it in.

Here are a few more ideas of things to decorate a dough bowl with:

  • faux branches
  • ivy
  • shells
  • faux fruit and eucalyptus
  • moss
  • dried hydrangea
  • apples
  • mercury glass
  • painted white faux fruit
  • dried lavender

And on and on and on.

Can you see why I adore it?

So much potential just waiting to be decorated.

Now, how about you?

Do you have a dough bowl and if so—what’s your relationship status?

Feel free to drop all the dough bowl decorating ideas below.

It takes a village to decorate a table. 🙂

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Posted On: March 22, 2021

Written By: KariAnne Wood

Comments

  4. Image for Tracey Tracey

    Oh this is so pretty! I have a dough bowl. I found it at a yard sale years ago and I was so happy to find it. It was one of those things I always wanted but never could afford. Thank goodness for yard sales! I now have a real problem with this dough bowl. I CAN’T FIND IT! I would totally love to decorate with it but.....I recently picked up a copy of the book The Home Edit and I’m on a mission to organize my house and (eventually) garage. So far I’ve gotten rid of a ton of clutter and filled a clear plastic bin with fabric ( my addiction). Maybe in going through stuff I’ll find my dough bowl. Maybe I can put pumpkins and pinecones in it for fall. I’ll keep you posted. Have a great day!

    Reply
  8. Image for JC JC

    Oh I just love the pink jasmine in your Noah's arc size dough bowl! I bet your whole room smells amazing. I can almost see the butterflies flying around inside!😉 I have a smaller dough bowl and a long narrow one and have used them for all sorts of things.....herbs, lavender, pretty linens, decorative whatnots... Have you seen where they use a dough bowl and make it into this amazing european farmhouse style bathroom vessel sink? They must seal it to make it waterproof and use it in a powder room where it doesnt get much use. There are only a few pics on Pinterest, but each one amazing! The skies the limit with a dough bowl 😊.

    Reply
  9. Image for MaryPat MaryPat

    Your ideas are great! I have two dough bowls, one is 12 inches long and the other is 24 inches long.. The short one has become the catchall for the kitchen island, it has everything from odd keys to change found in the laundry! The longer bowl is now holding fruit snacks for the small people in the house. They love the individual packages of fruit snacks for a quick treat. Thanks for the ideas, I will be looking for a flowering plant or two this week..

    Reply
  10. Image for Angie Angie

    I have a huge dough bowl too and the struggle is real! I have a love/hate relationship with it because I never know how to style it. Last year at Christmas I filled it with bottle brush trees in different heights and colors (green, cream, blush, tan). It looks so cute that since they are not traditional Christmas colors, I have left them in there. My daughter loves them and says they don’t look to “Christmasy”. You have me motivated to go find some jasmine or other flowering plant and move my dough bowl from my den to my dining room table. Thanks for sharing all your dough bowl decorating ideas!

    Reply
  11. Image for Sherry Duff Sherry Duff

    Dough bowls are my favorite and I have one on my kitchen table. I find it easy to decorate for every season—right now with an Easter sign, greenery, eggs, and a really cute duck!! And it is easy to remove if the space is needed for dishes of food. Just so many possibilities!!

    Reply
  16. Image for Karen M. Karen M.

    I have a 3 foot dough bowl in my kitchen on top of cabinets. I fill it with faux french bread loaves and some smaller boules.

    Reply
  18. Image for Chelly Chelly

    I have a dough bowl & feel the same as you, never quite sure what to put in it!! At the moment, I have some vanilla scented potpourri with flameless candles of different heights. Thank you for the idea of the plastic bags. I'm headed to Trader Joe's for flowers! P.S. You look great!!

    Reply
  20. Image for Vicki Vicki

    Oh, Kariann! I inherited my PaPa's open top rectangular tool box (more like a really big bin) when he passed away many years ago. I've always struggled to repurpose it in my home decor but now I know what I will do with it. Thanks for a great jasmine display for your dining room table.

    Reply
  21. Image for Lynn Mosher Lynn Mosher

    You look soooo cute in that pink! Hard to type this. Broke my right wrist on Wed. Not doing too well. Anyway, I love my dough bowl though smaller. About 24 inches. Belonged to my mother. You need some of those beautiful blue and white ceramic balls with something else added since yours is so big. At Christmas, I love adding greenery, red apples, dried hydrangeas, three white tapers, some multi-colored faux holly, and red berries. Suggestions but not all used together... *dried orbs *moss-covered balls *white-tipped pinecones *jute balls *green apples *can add greenery or other as needed

    Reply
  23. Image for Becky Becky

    Ugh. Karianne, Karianne... I'm in a hurry, gotta "finish up" (ha!) the email and MAKE SUPPER... like 10 minutes ago!!! ...And there's one from you. And it's on dough bowls. I don't have a dough bowl. And I REALLY want one... just not at the price I keep finding them at. So I decide to hit delete. But first I have to skim the teaser in my email... and there's your husband, calling your dough bowl "the rowboat". How can I NOT go read the post?!? So supper will be a few minutes later now. Who cares? I got my happy little dose of Karianne! And the new look in "rowboats" IS lovely!!! 😊

    Reply
  25. Image for Tammy Moore Tammy Moore

    That looks so beautiful! I have a large dough bowl I affectionately call my canoe. I love to decorate with it. Thank you for the Jasmine idea! Hopefully that we will soon be getting some pretty plants where I live.

    Reply
  27. Image for Teresa Teresa

    Oh my goodness you do have a row boat! I'd have to shop shop shop to find enough to fill it. I have 2 dough bowls. and that's a plenty. Keep sharing your inspirations to fill yours. Do it as you change yours

    Reply
  28. Image for Debbie Guess Debbie Guess

    Hi Karianne! It is so nice to see you and you big smile in your pictures! You look great! Your dough is so pretty.

    Reply
  30. Image for Alice Hanson Alice Hanson

    KariAnne, first you look fabulous! Now the “the boat” looks great! Thank you for an informative post! Smiles, alice

    Reply
  31. Image for Valerie Dickson Valerie Dickson

    Thanks for the great ideas. I have dough bowl, kind of like a small sailboat, LOL, My fab at Christmas is with vintage glass ornaments, most lovingly passed to me from my Mother-in-law ❤️

    Reply
  32. Image for Maru Maru

    ❤️Ok!! The dough bowl is on my list to buy! Thanks for such versatile inspiration! You look awesome in pink!! Really in anything!😉

    Reply
  34. Image for Michele M. Michele M.

    LOL. Das Boot. : - ) Your huge trencher dough bowl and you look fabulous. Such a cute top!!!!! Such a sweet smile!!!!!

    Reply
  35. Image for Janette Janette

    I call my dough bowl the row boat, too. Right now it is full of lemons - both real and faux. It's on our dining room table, too. Sometimes I prop it against the wall on the back porch. That looks great, too.

    Reply
  37. Image for Leslie Watkins Leslie Watkins

    I love the dough bowl! And I don’t think I have ever seen Jasmine. It’s gorgeous. The ziplock bag tip—- genius! But, my favorite part of this post? Your beautiful self in the photo!! ❤️

    Reply
  38. Image for Diana Owens Diana Owens

    I have a smaller "row boat" filledwith white filler & potpourri. Clear lights buried & rabbits guarding the front I love you blog & you always look so happy

    Reply
  41. Image for Jan Jan

    The jasmine looks beautiful in your dough bowl. I have one too - it’s large but not 4 feet long. I love that your husband calls it a rowboat - my husband refers to mine as a canoe. 😂. I 💯% agree that it can be so hard to decorate it but when it does come together it’s so worth it.

    Reply
  43. Image for Denise Denise

    Everybody's right, you look great in pink! And I didn't know jasmine came in pink, i've only seen it in yellow and in white. I have my Grandma Godwin's big round dough bowl. I remember her making biscuits in that bowl...she mooshed the flour, buttermilk and lard (ick!) with her fingers, pinched off some and rolled it in the palm of her hand into a ball and patted it into the cast iron skillet which had been heated until hot with grease in the bottom so it would sizzle when you put the biscuits in. Made a nice crust on the bottom. What I wouldn't give for a couple of her 'cathead biscuits' with butter and apple butter.....Yum! *called cathead biscuits 'cause they were the size of a cat's head, not well, you know....heh

    Reply
  45. Image for Paula Paula

    I just found your blog and Amy Howard with A Makers Studio and I just want to move down south from Pennsylvania and be best friends haha

    Reply
  47. Image for Donna Gerardi Donna Gerardi

    I love this idea and will scamper to my local Trader Joe’s right away to get some jasmine. Oh the smell! And like so many others, I agree that pink is wonderful on you. You look stunning! Please tell us where you found the darling dress (or blouse?). Thank you. Happy Easter.

    Reply

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