Tips for Styling a Christmas Tablescape

Christmas is all about spending time with loved ones, most often around the dinner table. Whether it be for festive lunches leading up to the big day, the main Christmas Day dinner, or a festive afternoon tea (our favourite), so why not have a little fun and have your Christmas décor spread further than your tree? Follow our guide to creating festive tablescapes to make the most wonderful time of the year that extra special. 

Of course, the overall theme for your festive get-togethers will be Christmas, but maybe your style is more white winter wonderland than traditional red and green, so there are a few aspects to consider. Thinking about the colour palette you’d like to use is a perfect place to start, and this can stem from your existing home décor, seasonal colours that catch your eye, or even the crockery you plan to use. White tableware is a great base to build around, giving you flexibility to play with colours in accessories and finishing touches. 

Providing the base layer to your table, once you have your theme and colours chosen it’s time to pick your table linens. A tablecloth can be layered with a runner down the centre, or with a smaller sized tablecloth placed on top at an angle. A crisp white tablecloth creates a beautiful clean look, whilst block colours or patterns add richness and warmth to the table. Or if you’re embracing a more rustic, natural feel go without a tablecloth and opt for a simple runner instead. 

We love adding foliage to our tablescapes, especially at Christmas. Eucalyptus, pine, and ivy make wonderful Christmas table centrepieces, intertwined with fairy lights or candles and strewed across the table. Add in pinecones and red berries for additional colour and texture.  

Christmas is also the perfect opportunity to add a homemade touch. If you’re feeling extra creative, a homemade rustic chandelier made from branches and decorated with lights and baubles will not only add height to your setting, but will be quite the talking point too! And we love @rocking_the_cotswolds and @summerhousestyle’s idea of making simple handmade place cards for each of your guests. An adorable touch that won’t go unnoticed. 

And finally, once you have your linens and accessories it’s time for the crockery. Depending on what type of Christmas setting you’re hosting will depend the type of tableware and serveware you need. For a lunch or Christmas day dinner, a 12-piece set is perfect for ensuring you have all the plates and bowls you need for each guest. You’ll then need two or three platters or trays to serve food out on. If you’re opting for a festive afternoon tea, a cake stand, tea plates, teacups and saucers and cake forks are a must.  

Deciding on the pattern or style of tableware to use for your Christmas table setting is also something to consider. But not to worry, there are lots of options, including using your everyday tableware, layering in some Christmas inspired plates, or having a dedicated set just for the festive season. In need of some inspiration, follow our tips below: 

Love your everyday tableware so much you like to use it all year round? Perfect. There’s no rule to say you have to have special crockery just for certain times of the year. If your everyday tableware is a neutral colour, like our Sophie Conran White or Arbor and Floret collections, this provides the perfect base for adding colour and texture in other aspects of the table décor, such as the tablecloths or candles. 

Image credit: @summerhousestyle

If your everyday plates and bowls make a statement with colour, you’re still in the luck. Use the colour featured in your tableware as a base for the rest of your setting. The pretty flowers of our Botanic Garden make for a wonderful twist to a festive afternoon tea setting, styled with pastel blues and pinks, flickering candles, and a winter bouquet. Or take inspiration from @pandora.maxton and dress the collection up with classic reds and greens and contrasting stripe and tartan patterns for a traditional feel.  

Left image credit: @pandora.maxton

An alternative way of using your everyday tableware and adding a subtle festive twist is layering in a few Christmas-inspired pieces. The Sophie Conran Mistletoe collection is perfect for layering with white tableware, especially Sophie Conran White. Adding a pop of green that can be paired with green foliage, candlesticks and napkins. 

Maybe your everyday tableware doesn’t go with the theme you’ve chosen, or you like to keep things fresh and switch up your tableware for each season. In this case, having a special tableware set just for festive celebrations is a good option, and we’ve got some beautiful collections that will see you through many Christmases to come. 

As we mentioned earlier, our Sophie Conran Mistletoe range is a beautifully subtle festive inspired collection that’s perfect for layering, but even more wonderful as a setting on its own. Adorned with green mistletoe detailing on white ripple designed tableware, it makes a gorgeous tablescape. Layer on a crisp white tablecloth and pair with an eye-catching garland centrepiece and silver accents. The range also includes platters, serving pieces, and matching crackers to perfectly finish off each setting. 

If you prefer more of a traditional look to your celebrations, the timeless Holly and the Ivy collection is the perfect choice. Featuring classical illustrations of holly and ivy in festive shades of red and green, layer the dinner and side plates and match with a sauce boat, platters, cranberry dishes, and wine glasses for a magical table.

For a fresh take on a classical Christmas setting, we’ve styled our Holly and the Ivy table with pastel shades of green and pink across the linens, baby pink candlesticks, rattan placemats and a simple centrepiece garland of festive foliage.  

For something a little bolder with an elegant festive feel, the Sara Miller Frosted Pines collection makes a wonderful choice. The warm shades of the design are paired with glistening 22-carat gold detailing to make it feel extra special. Style with a navy tablecloth and pink napkins to complement the colours detailed in the pattern, alongside gold cutlery, a green garland, and twinkly lights. Divine. 

Looking for new tableware for Christmas but not sure which collection to invest in? Take a peek at our Christmas Pattern Guide for a look into each of our collections perfect for festive styling. And if you need further guidance on knowing which cutlery goes where when setting your Christmas dinner table, check out our tablesetting guide and be in the know.