If you have a lot of space, or a just a little in an open floor plan, a nicely skirted table is a designer classic. Don’t worry about this being a stuffy idea either. A well-tailored, just-touching-the-floor fabric-covered table can be luxurious in a large foyer, or coastal-casual with a blue and white look on the side of a room.

Tables can be rectangular, not just round, says designer Allen Sutton, owner of Southern Decadence Design.  While round is perfect for that big welcoming statement in a large foyer, a table with corner pleats is going to be super on the side of a room that serves multiple uses, he says.

He likes textiles for their ability to underline a fashion statement, like ritzy and elegant or relaxed and modern.

“You can also easily repurpose family pieces or vintage pieces, and add a bold statement to a room,” he explains. Puddling fabrics is old school, but even if a skirt is just a hair off the floor, all that space under the table can be used to store awkward items—and for all us practical folk, it’s easier to vacuum.

Sutton recommends a tailored look. Consider inverted box pleats on the corners, and even a lining. Custom glass for the top is a good look and practical. Back-painted glass could look awesome with a complementary skirt.

Sutton says there are so many choices around fabrics that you can achieve almost any look you want, or blend into what’s already working.

“A round table will really draw you into the space when you walk into a house, or, in a smaller home, it helps the room look finished and polished, and helps divide uses,” Sutton says. “You can go really casual or really formal.”