My mom was big into tablescapes. She won an award in Home Ec. for it. We grew up eating in the kitchen with a table cloth or cute placements. My kitchen is too small for a table so we eat in the dining room on the set my dh's grandparents bought in the 1950's. I inherited the tablecloths that came with the table. Sometimes we use them. We do use tablecloths daily. I have several per season or holiday.
We don't do buffets unless it is the summer and then we serve everything outside. The rest of the year we set up another table in the dining room and seat everyone between the two tables. We do usually have flowers and candles on the table with guests but I will move them to the buffet if I need space.
I had to laugh about the cabinets above the stove and refrigerator. I store holiday candy above the refrigerator. Our cookbooks are over the stove.
At some point the cabinets above the refrigerator in the house we bought had to be modified for the refrigerator to fit and the doors weren't put back on, so no above the refrigerator storage for me. I have some decorative pieces there.