We Gave a Stager $100 — Here’s What They Bought at Target to Upgrade a Dining Room

published Feb 14, 2024

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Target storefront. — Credit: George Sheldon / Shutterstock

If you’re anything like me, you regularly run into what I call the Target Dilemma. You go in for one thing, and end up leaving with four bags of products that you don’t necessarily need but couldn’t stand to leave behind. The Target Dilemma can cost quite a bit, so let’s bring it down to a manageable amount that you can use wisely in your home: $100 to stage a dining room.

We gave Jeremy Kamm, a Coldwell Banker Warburg agent who also has a staging company, $100 to spend on Target’s dining room products. Kamm did note that meaningfully staging a dining room with Target products isn’t the easiest, due to Target having higher prices than stores like Costco, but it can be done on a smaller scale. If you have a little bit of extra money to play around with, you can buy some nice inexpensive faux flowers for the table and use a vase you have at home to add some visual flair.

Here’s what else Kamm would purchase.

1 / 4

Cork Striped Placemat

Target

$5.00

These chic striped placemats will go with every decor choice you can think of. They’re made from cork, which will give your style a bit of a textural flair while remaining timeless. If you want to go for a more nautical theme, try the blue and white striped version.

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2 / 4

Glass 18pc Dinnerware Set White

Target

$45.00

This classic and minimalist 18-piece dinnerware set has settings for six people. There are six dinner plates, salad plates, and cereal bowls. Because they’re white, they’ll match the placemats — and you can use them for both casual and elegant meals with your crew.

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3 / 4

20pc Flatware Set Silver

Target

$15.00

This set of 20 pieces of flatware is elegant but simple, and will add style at every seat of your table with a functional and understated theme. It’s enough for four people, so you and your partner can double-dinner-date for Valentine’s Day. The set includes four dinner spoons, four dinner forks, four dinner knives, four teaspoons, and four salad forks.

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4 / 4

12pc Glass Telford Tumbler Set

Target

$35.00

This 12-piece tumbler set comes with six tall glasses and six short glasses — so no one at your next dinner party will be without the drink of their choice. They’re dishwasher-safe, thankfully, and have a contour to help you grip the cups, too.

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