How-to: Christmas Table Styling

Whether you’re hosting a relaxed summer lunch alfresco-style or an intimate Christmas dinner, these tips and tricks will have your dining table looking worthy of being in a magazine! 

Choosing linens is serious business, as they form the foundation for your entire table setting so it’s important to choose pieces that will last for years to come. Opting for neutral colours will allow you to play with colours throughout the rest of your tableware.  

Sabrina recommends laying your linens out on the table the day before and using either a steamer or spray bottle of water to iron out the creases. 

Next step is to set out your chairs and use them as a guide for each placement. When it comes to your centrepiece, you want to be careful not to stop conversation. So opting for pieces that aren’t too high or bulky will ensure you still have space for diagonal conversation. Pillar candles, ceramic trees or reindeers, vases with florals – anything can work here just remember to tie it back to your overall theme. 

Lynnette loves to include fresh greenery or spruce to the table – it’s a simple, cost effective option that brings a stunning scent to your home. Intertwine baubles or ornaments into the greenery with florist wire for a little sprinkle of Christmas. Bud vases with fresh florals are a great idea if you’re going for a colourful theme to your table.  

A little hack from Sabrina is to turn planters or bowls upside down and add a lovely plate on top, creating a beautiful serving stand. But remember to add some double sided tape underneath the plate so it doesn’t get wonky! 

It’s important to consider what you’re serving and how your meals will be served. Do you prefer to serve individual courses to the table or is a casual buffet-style more your vibe where people help themselves?  

Typically, you would set the table for a three-course meal, but if the latter is you then this might not suit and one set might be enough. When setting the cutlery down remember the blade of the knife always faces inwards towards the plate, but when it comes to your bread knife, this one faces away! If you’re serving dessert, don’t forget to set cutlery for this course too. Dessert spoon goes on top facing left and fork underneath facing your glassware, at the top of your dinner plate. 

Sabrina suggests to pre-set the dinner plates on the table and keep spares up near the buffet in case people want seconds or need a clean plate. When placing your plates down, the general rule is to keep a thumb size space between the edge of table and plate. Side plates are only needed if you’re serving bread or antipasto directly to the table. However, if you do need side plates, set them on the left-hand side of dinner plate and slightly higher up in line with the glassware.  

Expert tip! Wear gloves when setting the table so you don’t leave cutlery and glassware with fingerprints. 

Don’t go overboard with glassware on the table as it can quickly clutter the space. If in doubt you may choose to pre-set only the water glasses and leave all specialty glassware on a sideboard or kitchen bench. However, if space permits setting a water glass, wine glass and champagne coupe creates a complete look.  

As a rule of thumb glassware always goes above the knife on the right-hand side and then you can set them based off heights; so put the sohrtest glass towards the front and work backwards.  

The Champagne coupe is coming back into fashion and adds the perfect touch of vintage if you’re trying to achieve a classic traditional look. Sabrina recommends having an Aperol Spritz or colourful cocktail pre-set in a coupe to give your table a pop of festive colour. 

The last step is to add your finishing touches. You might like to get crafty and create some gorgeous place cards for each of your guests, or maybe adding some decorative elements such as candles or festive ornaments will be enough to complete your table. Don’t forget the napkins! Napkins are a great way to incorporate some fun into your table with different colours or textures, but if you want a subtle look match these to your table cloth. If you love a DIY activity why not create some napkin rings out of polymer clay.  

Salt and Pepper shakers are a must on the table. Sabrina recommends a set of shakers at each end so your guests don’t have to keep asking for them to be passed down. 

It wouldn’t be Christmas without some bonbons filled with paper hats and dad jokes! There are so many great options out there but Lynnette’s tip is to choose a neutral design and pull through your style by adding coloured ribbons to the crackers. If crackers aren’t for you, scratchies or a small gift work well too.  

Need Salt and Pepper shakers? These Marble Shaker sets by Side Serve would suit any table. 

Want to add some colour? We love the Arc Linen napkins which come in a range of colours 

Ready to get shopping? 

Check out the stunning range of tableware from Side Serve here