Catering to a larger crowd that is set to gather around your dinner table for Christmas can make the task of setting the table that much more challenging, even if you’re the master of decorating your tree and your home for the season, let alone getting it to look as spectacular as you’d want it to look!
We have put together a simple, three-step guide to make it much easier for you to create that WOW factor you’re undeniably looking for with the setting of your dinner table for Christmas.
Step 1: Decorating and Dressing the Table
Kick things off with a completely “blank canvas” (by taking everything off the table); consider how many people will be coming around for dinner — this will give you an indication of how much space you’ll need. Keep in mind that the cutlery and crockery will take up significant room, so when brainstorming decoration ideas, account for their presence on the table and the space they occupy.
Opt for a plain patterned or colored tablecloth. This will introduce a touch of refinement without overcrowding the table. Alternatively, to accentuate the table’s natural beauty, adorn it with beautiful centerpieces, placemats, and coasters. You can use a cluster of candles of varying heights as your centerpiece. Choose solid-colored placemats as they will beautifully complement the patterned tablecloth. As for the last one, you can Create Your Own Personalised Coasters with crystal engravings or cotton embroidery, whatever suits your tastes.
If you have a longer table, you can make use of a table runner. If you have room to work with then you can apply both approaches to your liking, combining your beautiful tablecloth with spectacular, layered placemats of different sizes and textures. Ensure to stick to a colour scheme so that you offset the risk of things becoming too busy and chaotic.
Step 2: The Right Way to Set the Table
Christmas time is all about family and fun right? So the regular rules and regulations of table setting can be bent and stretched to your liking, with the only real importance of setting the table correctly residing in the practicality of the exercise.
Look to the restaurants you visit for some inspiration with which you can learn how to correctly set a table, taking special care of your place setting.
Step 3: Adding the Finishing Touches
Setting a table for Christmas which looks fit for the spectacular occasion while taking nothing away from the practicality is ultimately all about the number of people who will be enjoying the occasion with you, and how you balance out your tableware and table dressing. It’s perhaps an exercise you’ll have to take through a trial run in more of the visual sense to match the picture you have forming in your head because what might work mentally may not necessarily translate practically.
Do not be afraid to add your own special touches to the more classic table setting and dressing traditions!
