One of the milestones of a successful holiday season is curating an enjoyable dining experience, which can be about more than just the food you serve.
Whether you’re enjoying a casual meal with family or hosting a dinner party for your loved ones, you can bring seasonal joy to the table. Here’s how to set a beautiful, seasonal tablescape for your next gathering.
Table Setting Components
Most etiquette experts think about tablescaping as a process of layering. It’s important to start with the basic components of each place setting before building your beautiful holiday theme around it. Functionality is just as important as the décor.
Cutlery: Forks are placed to the left of the plate and knives on the right. If a spoon is needed (think soup or other liquid-based dishes) they are placed to the right of knives. Dessert utensils can typically be served with the course itself.
Napkins: These components can be folded in a triangle or rectangle on top of the plates or placed through a napkin ring. This is where you can start building your table theme – think about fun and festive napkins that can come into play here.
Plates: It’s no surprise that these go in the middle of the setting. If you have a bread plate and butter knife, these can be placed in the upper left corner of each setting above the forks.
Glasses: These typically go in the upper right corner of the place setting. Depending on what beverages you plan to serve, you might have more than one – include at least a water glass and consider champagne flutes or wine glasses if these are on the menu.
Decorating the Table
Once again, decorating a table is just like place settings. Think about building upwards starting with the most basic components and creating a cohesive theme.
Tablecloths and runners: Start with the foundation of your table by donning it with a tablecloth or a runner down the centre. This sets the tone for the entire table, so if you plan to incorporate more intricate details through centrepieces or place mats, start with a solid or neutral colour. You can certainly use both for some nice layering.
Place mats: For each place setting, consider a themed place mat under the plates. This adds visual interest and can be another first step into the holiday theme – think pine leaf circular mats or plaid.
Centrepieces: This is where your holiday theme really shines. Think about winter colours, textures and items. A centrepiece can include anything from flowers to pine leaves to decorative tabletop Christmas trees.
Candles: Taper, votive, pillar, tealights and more are all options, especially for a holiday theme when it’s sure to be dark out no matter what time your feast begins. There are no hard rules about candles except to ensure they aren’t scented so as not to distract from smells from the kitchen and your plates.
The Perfect Holiday Theme
For any theme you choose, consider how the room around you will play a part. If you have a classic Christmas tree in the corner, consider a vintage or woodland theme. If your home boasts a modern and sleek design, incorporate those elements into your table as well.
Don’t forget the small details, like the salt and pepper shakers, how you fold your napkins and even the music playing in the background, which can all play in to your theme.
Modern elegance: White tablecloths, hints of silver or gold in your silverware and centrepieces with a table that is not cluttered and matches across the board. Add some tall and stunning taper candles for a final touch.
Vintage: Play into the holiday season with classic elements like red and green colours, plaid table runners or placemats and iconic seasonal décor like bows and Christmas village figurines. Consider mismatched plates with a vintage feel.
Citrus: It’s not just a summer theme – holiday décor involves plenty of fruit. Bowls of lemons, limes and grapefruits can act as your centrepieces with a runner of dried sliced oranges (like the classic garland).
Woodland greenery: Green everywhere, including in the fir and pine centrepieces. Add pinecones and other brown elements, like napkin rings, as a finishing touch.
Peppermint: The classic holiday candy can make its way to the table as well. Pink, red and white are your colours here – use a striped tablecloth, runner or placemats to really accentuate the theme.
