Everything you need to create a Christmas tablescape, according to interiors experts

Here’s how to dress up your table with a festive twist this year

It’s not just the food that deserves your attention this year, update your table game with matching placemats, candles and centrepieces (The Independent)

Christmas will look a pretty different this year as we continue to navigate life during a pandemic. 

Our typical festivities have been culled to socially distant meet-ups, Zoom quizzes and household visits to the pub, depending on where you are in the country.

But that doesn’t mean Christmas dinner, however you like to celebrate it, needs to be any less special, and through tablescaping, you can recreate the extravagance found during the festive period at home.

“Tablescaping is the art of designing and dressing a table set up for a special event, dinner, or, as we’ve learned from this year, a Wednesday evening,” Tony Jack, Events and PR Manager at Aisle 8 and founder of candle brand Fairholme Studio, told The Independent.

Currently the hottest trend in tableware, it totally transforms eating dinner at home from an everyday, often mundane experience to an opulent and celebratory one.

While tablescaping is all over our Instagram feeds, we’re here to help you dip your toes into the trend yourself, and create some magic on Christmas Day, so you can tuck into your turkey and all the trimmings in style. From the finest tablecloths to colourful cutlery, this is everything you need to decorate your dining table.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

Table linen

According to Jack, jazzy table linen is the foundation for your table set-up. It’s also a great way to decide on a colour scheme, whether that’s traditional shades of red and green or vibrant jewel tones of royal blue and silver.

In our review of the best Christmas tablecloths, La Redoute took the top spot and while the exact design is currently sold out,  this Nordic star-patterned tablecloth (La Redoute, from £30) is another beautiful option to start your tablescape with. 

Made in a cotton-polyester mix, it’s stain-resistant and machine washable at 40C. The print will add a touch of gold that can be matched to the rest of your tableware too. 

For a more minimal style that will be easy to add as much colour as you like to, we also loved this Next chunky pom pom tablecloth (from £16) that’s made from cotton polyester mix which our reviewer found to be hard-wearing and supple.

They also added: “The silver sparkly pom poms give the tablecloth a craft-driven finish while creating a neat edge – and drape.”

Or is you’ve got a long, rectangular shaped table, opt for a table runner instead. This velvet table runner (Not On The High Street, £25) is made from velvet cotton so will be easy to wash and measures 1ft wide x 9ft long.

It will pair wonderfully with gold glassware too, and is much easier to fold up once the festivities are over than a huge table cloth.  

Placemats

Next up is placemats, and Jack favours rattan or scalloped styles to add height and texture to your table, explaining: “When you take away each course, your guests will discover the extra effort you have gone to when revealing the placemats.”

We love this set of four silver scallop placemats (Sarah K, £55) that have an icy hue and will pair nicely with green foliage centrepieces. You can also pick up the matching napkins here too for £55 and both sets are also available in red.

Made from 100 per cent linen and machine washable, they’re soft, easy to keep clean and will work throughout all the seasons as table decoration too.

“You can also add a plain napkin or a completely different pattern, just try to use a napkin that has some of the other colours featured in your tablescape, maybe the colour of your glassware, cutlery or menu,” says Jack.  

For a more affordable option, try this handwoven ketak placemat square (Muji, £13.95) that’s simple to dress up with the rest of your tableware.

Handmade in Indonesia, they will also be good at ensuring hot dinner plates don’t damage your tables.

Tableware

Creating a bespoke tablescape needn’t always involve a huge shopping spree, and Jack recommends bringing together key pieces of your home that you may have had over the years.

“I always think it’s great to add items from around the home that means something to you, your family and your guests, he says, adding, “I love including a candelabra, passed down to me from my Grandmother, or crockery and bowls from a family member.”

However, if you are in need of a few fancy pieces, pay a visit to Maison Margaux, a luxury tableware shop that allows you to rent pieces that would be very costly to buy outright.

We’ve got our eye on this L’objet perlée gold set (Maison Margaux, £33.85) a mix of white porcelain, with borders of gold pearls.

Hand painted and ever-so-elegant, they’re a wonderful way to add a lavish touch to your Christmas meal, especially as this year is set to be a smaller affair, without overwhelming your table with colour.

Jack also recommends using plates and bowls with patterns to add dimension to your tablescape, advising to layer your crockery when setting the table to add height and leave it looking picture perfect.

“I love using plates and bowls with patterns as they add another dimension to your tablescape,” he says. Jack suggests folding your linen napkins into a rectangle and placing them on top of the crockery, before placing your menus on top. “Ensure there’s enough napkin showing, creating a frame around your menu,” he adds.

Floral centrepieces

When designing a tablescape, floral stylist and author of Living With Flowers, Rowan Blossom, shares her favourite piece to include on a table is seasonal flowers.

“This could be as simple as a couple of stems in a dinky vase to something a lot more elaborate, but whatever the scale, fresh blooms will instantly boost your tablescape by adding a pop of colour, vitality, and, hopefully scent,” she says.

We love this Festive Surprise (Bunches, £22) bouquet from Bunches, a florist which appeared in our review of the best letterbox flowers.

Our tester said: “Bunches cleverly chooses blooms that are durable and long-lasting, meaning our displays only began showing signs of wilting 10 days after they landed on our doormat.”

This bouquet features long-lasting spray carnations, alstroemeria gypsophila and ruscus in festive shades of red and gold. It’s also plastic-free with free delivery.

Dried flowers are also a brilliant low maintenance option as they have a long shelf life so can be used again, and only need to be kept away from direct sunlight and water.

In our review of the best dried flower bouquets and wreaths, we loved the Bloom & Wild the dried flowers (from £36, Bloom & Wild) for their natural but vibrant hues. It has a range of delivery options on offer, from letterbox flowers or hand tied bunches with or without a vase.

“The flowers come with a coloured care guide, featuring tips on how to arrange and look after them. Bloom & Wild is a florist we rave about because the delivery always matches – if not exceeds – the marketing photo. This latest addition is no different,” said our reviewer.

Glass bottles are an easy way to display your flowers with little effort, simply dot a few on the centre of your table and fill each with a handful of stems.

Another way to create a quick centrepiece is by placing a wreath on the table rather than on your door. The circular space in the middle is the perfect size to add in a large, wide candle that will create a homely glow as the daylight draws in on Christmas day.

One of our favourites is this artificial Rockett St George fabulous gold eucalyptus style wreath, 50cm (Rockett St George, £35).

“This ultra-glamorous wreath features a melange of glittery gold eucalyptus leaves, and it put us in the Christmas mood as soon as we hung it on the door,” said our reviewer, so imagine how opulent it will look on your dining table.

Candles and finishing touches

Lighting is often overlooked, but is so important at creating that dreamy ambience – use colourful taper candles with little low votives,” says Blossom.

Try these Fairholme Studio hand-dipped candles (Fairholme Studio, £9.50). Made in festive classic colours, green and red, they are a budget-friendly way to tie your tablescape together, without obstructing your guests view of the delicious food or each other.  

They’re unscented, hand-dipped in London and created with beeswax and soy wax with a burn time of three hours.

For a larger table setting, these Hay candles (Trouva, £25.99) add a modern twist to the classic candlestick.

With icy winter hues of blue and green, they’ll compliment any foliage on the table. Keep them standing upright with these gold star candle holders (Mrs Alice, £38).

With an Art Deco theme, they’re fun and unique, but will also come in handy for your candleware throughout the year too. If you want to keep your table inspired by minimalism, these would also double up at beautiful decorations, dotted along with a table runner.

Lastly, you should ensure that your tablescaping ultimately provides a beautiful way to enjoy your Christmas dinner with family and friends, as much as the rules allow.

Blossom therefore recommends making your tablescape as “foodie-friendly” as possible. “You want it be chic and eclectic without being eccentric or intimidating to your guests,” she says.

While it may be tempting to opt for a extravagant centrepiece in the middle of the table, it can be distracting for guests if it blocks their eye line and takes up too much room.

“Our top tip for florals is to have lots of little bud vases dotted ‘en masse’ along the length of the table – they will look glorious and abundant when the guests arrive but can very easily be grouped together or whipped away to make room for the food – and wine,” Blossom says.

For a final touch, the floral stylist recommends adding a playful flourish, with items such as seasonal fruits, velvet ribbons, handwritten menus and guest place names to make it feel extra special.

For more festive tips, read our expert guide on decorating your home this Christmas