Top Table Tips for Festive Dining

Setting up the table for an important meal is a big deal. You want it to be more extravagant than the usual everyday setup – special and different. Here we’ll give you our much-loved table setting ideas for Christmas!

 

Lay a tablecloth or table runner

If you usually keep your table uncovered, it’s a great way to spice things up slightly. Go for a table runner if you don’t want to hide your entire dining table but still want something to give it a bit of style.

 

Have a colour scheme

Rather than having a bit of everything, stick to two or three colours. For Christmas, green, red, and gold would be a good choice.

 

Add a fun touch to the crockery

On all of the guests’ plates or bowls, place a Christmas cracker, cute place card and a couple of baubles for a festive feel.

 

Decide beforehand what you want your centrepiece to be, if any

It can be anything from a cake to the turkey, or even an ornament. One of our favourites is a patterned shallow glass bowl filled with spray painted pinecones and some coloured tree baubles. The last thing you want is to be rushing around in the morning trying to pull something together when you should be enjoying yourself.

 

Frame the table runner

If you prefer to use a table runner, put those low branches of the Christmas three to good use. Put the branches around the runner for a natural and beautiful border.

 

Try a symmetrical look:

 

Symmetry makes a lot of things, especially table setting, look neater and less busy. If you have all of your food laid out on serving platters and dishes, try to find ones that are or look similar. Mirror the table as well as you possibly can, and you’ll be surprised how much clearer it looks!

 

Small and intimate or big and busy?

If it is just you and a few close friends or family spending a Christmas meal together, go for a table that has a wide variety of candles, flowers, and other accessories. If there are a lot of people around, keep it quieter. Sometimes less is best!