It’s the big one. The one you want to get so right. Whether you go for foliage or are set on sweets, it’s the magic little touches that make Christmas dinner truly memorable – so we’ve laid out a host of ideas to help you create a table that will do just that. And when it comes to New Year’s Eve, we’ve got party-popping place name plans for then too.
Classic Christmas
When you think of traditional Christmas decorations, what comes to your mind? We’ll take a not-so-wild guess that it’s green foliage with touches of red ribbon. Maybe berries, pine cones and dried oranges as well. It’s a style which is sure to spread the goodwill around your table. Pare back on the plates, napkins and table cloth with neutral tones and let the vivid greens of the foliage bring the colour. (And a rich Burgundy will complement nicely with that.) With its elegantly painted leaves and accents of red berries, Tuppence Collective’s Frank design is perfect for the menus and place names. Add tea lights and candles to create that timeless yuletide atmosphere.
Eclectic Elegance
Whatever the season, flowers always make for beautiful table decorations. Place some scarlet blooms along the table in clear vases so that the natural greens of the stems are visible and arrange with Mother of Pearl’s crimson floral Valentina menus. A blue linen table cloth will give a refreshing base to those deep reds and give the classic Christmas colour palette an elegantly modern twist. For the finishing touch, scatter a few spare baubles from the tree to set some seasonal sparkle amongst the sprouts.
Cute & Candy
This one is sure to excite the kids around the table (and the big kids too). Take the lead from candy canes and create a sweet setting, lightly decorated with festive red stripes and spots. Continue the cuteness by inviting Bow & Arrow Press’ Christmas Dachshunds to your menus and place names – because who doesn’t love a party hat-festooned sausage dog? And don’t forget the sweets! Everyone’s favourite gold coins mix it up while candy canes are, of course, a must. Break them up and spread them along the table. A note of warning though: when your decorations are this tempting, your table settings won’t last long…
Midnight Marble
For when you’ve moved on from the homely vibes of Christmas dinner and you’re ready to see out the year in serious party style, it’s time for gold, marble and disco ball sparkle. Clear the candy canes and throw out the foliage, make room for finger pointing, hip waggling, heel shaking good times until you’re seeing stars. Katie Leamon’s Marbre menu designs are the chic, monochrome counterpoint to the gilded and sparkling table decorations. The perfect backdrop to crack open the Champagne and pull on those party poppers.
If you want to find more inspiration for your festive table settings, we’ve laid out all our seasonal menus and place names for you here.
