While the Christmas tree tends to take pride of place in the home, your dining table deserves equal consideration. After all, much of the festive season is about gathering your loved ones around the table with a feast, which means you need a tablescape that will rise to the occasion. A beautifully decked table is not only a great way to show off your creativity, but also to wow your guests and transport them to a magical winter wonderland. Read on for our festive tablescape tips.
Pick a theme
All successful tablescapes start with a theme or colour palette. This year, tonal colours are at the forefront of design, creating a warm and sophisticated scheme. Start with a foundation of white linen, it’s ideal for highlighting the accessories. Introduce complementary colours through your tableware, with plates or dishes featuring a dainty festive motif that communicates your theme to guests while maintaining a timeless look.
If you want just a hint of cheery Christmas red or green, choose a few pieces of statement tableware with a traditional holly, ivy or mistletoe illustration to lift an otherwise pared-back colour palette. Our Sophie Conran Mistletoe collection is the perfect choice for this.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for decadence, opt for plates or dishes with a whimsical scene and opulent gold accents to punctuate your neutral scheme and woo guests. Given that you’ll likely be hosting on more than one occasion, you can use different collections depending on the scene you want to set.
Layer your décor
To create a sophisticated Christmas tablescape, always layer your table, starting with your table linen. Although not always essential, a tablecloth or table runner is the easiest way to instantly transform a humble dining table into something extra special. For a cohesive scheme, use the same material for your napkins and tablecloth. Subtle hues, such as pastel pink, pearly white and soft blue, create a more polished and refined look which you can easily elevate with a ribbon or winterberry branch and lots of winter greenery to add texture. Our Minerals tableware is the perfect everyday collection you can easily add a festive twist to for your celebrations, it’s colourful stoneware adds a beautiful pop of colour amongst the greenery and sparkle.
To create a grand sense of occasion, use more than one plate. You can follow the ‘power of three’ as a guide, layering a placemat, dining plate, and top plate before your guests sit down to help bring the wow factor to your table. For a timeless combination, pair a crisp white dinner plate and a top plate to add charm to your dining occasion.
Finish your table with crackers for each person, glassware and cutlery. Making a subtle style statement with napkins also adds a fun touch to each place setting. We’ve opted for on-trend bows – you can either use matching napkins to your crockery or go for a complementary colour to pop from the plate.
Serve Up
We all know that the best part of Christmas Day is the food, so invest in serveware that will showcase your famous roasties the way they deserve. For example, a beautiful heart-shaped dish can add a little extra love to your food, whether it’s a homemade apple crumble or a delicious Christmas cake. If you’re planning a more casual affair, serve light bites, such as mince pies or leftover Turkey sandwiches, on a festive sandwich tray to allow guests to help themselves. Round off the occasion with a cosy hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream served in matching seasonal mugs for a magical festive dining experience.
Create a striking centrepiece
A centrepiece is a great way to give your table a festive feel with minimal effort. For example, seasonal winter flowers or foliage in glass vases always looks great, as do tapered candles in a candelabra, or a Christmas garland entwined with fairy lights.
Alternatively, use the opportunity to allow your food to take centre stage. Display your dessert on a decorated cake plate or present sweet treats and mince pies on a cake plate to add height to your scheme. Nestle a few shimmery baubles in between or drape greenery along the centre of your table, weaving lengths of satin ribbon in between for a striking look. Don’t underestimate the power of tea lights in textured glass holders for adding ambiance too.
Add personal touches
This is where things can really get magical. Make personalised name tags to look like gift tags like @josieldn has done on her Mistletoe setting and place them alongside guests’ plates. You could even handwrite their names in gold or silver to match the rest of your décor. Another solution is to use crackers, write each guest’s name on them and position them on their place setting, or create your own following our easy how-to.
While you're not required to give gifts, it's a thoughtful gesture to make guests feel special. For the coffee drinkers, an espresso cup set will go down a treat, or if you have a guest who loves to host, serveware will score top marks. Know someone who’s a keen baker? They’ll definitely appreciate a cake slice. Wrap them up and place them on a napkin next to their plate.
For more Christmas inspiration, take a look at our 2024 Christmas Gift Guide and ideas for Festive Traditions to embrace this year with loved ones.