Festive guide: How to entertain with style this Christmas

Gone are the days of understated table-setting, so if you’re hosting the Big Day, or just holding a festive shindig, follow these tips to impress your guests

Make your Christmas table the stuff of tablescaping dreams this year (Burleigh)

Hosting guests at home is the ultimate exposure. I have always found that my eBay mismatched tumblers, previously imperceptibly creased tablecloth or unknowingly un-plumped cushions all leap to the forefront of my vision as soon as guests pass over the threshold. Luckily, friends and family usually find it within themselves to overlook these minor hiccups.

However, the festive season does seem to open our hearts and front doors to wider circles of acquaintances, be they new partners of your friends, extended family or colleagues, who you may want to impress. Work Wife, if you’re reading this, of course we’ll do that dinner at mine, soon.

This is far from an etiquette manual, but a collection of some tips and tricks for contemporary entertaining. From your first festive dinner party to New Year’s Eve cocktails, here are a few hacks and buys to get you through the entertaining season. Jazz hands not included.

The phenomenon of tablescaping is all the rage, and should be on your entertaining hit list. Instagram could burst with all the place-setting content. In fact, 2019 has been the year that this type of viral imagery has extended beyond the realm of the wedding pin board, and into the interiors and lifestyle arena. According to Alison Howell, design development manager at Burleigh, the trick to eye-catching table styling is dynamic levels that play with scale.

“Introduce height as well as lower lying pieces to create an undulating line across your dining table,” she advises. “Mix and match large serving terrines with smaller bowls or lower lying platters. Gone are the days of pared back, restrained and understated table-settings.”

Another great way to achieve this look at Christmas dinner parties is with glassware. So pair taller wine glasses with shorter water glasses, and, if you are drinking wine, display your decanter proudly on the table. Mix tall and short table vases for greenery at different heights, always bearing in mind the eye-level of your guests, assuming they will want to see the person opposite. (But of course, do take this on a case-by-case basis!) A great selection of classic, contemporary and highly modernist glassware can be found at LSA International.

Tom Howley kitchen with island for entertaining (Tom Howley)

Another source of wonderful tips and tricks for tablescaping is Willow Crossley, an Oxfordshire-based florist whose sustainable and seasonal approach allows freshly cut flowers to be a part of your table decoration all year round. “I make a real effort with the table. It’s my thing,” she says.

“It feels wrong not to have some sort of decoration at home.”

Crossley believes that table decoration really doesn’t have to break the bank, and that rustic eclecticism can be achieved with some creative thinking. “I don’t think there should be rules, but my top tip is planning. Simple swaps such as mismatched, coloured glassware, coloured candles and ribbons around the napkins can have a massive effect. Use lots more candles in the evening to make it more grown up and glamorous, and in the day keep it fun, bright and entertaining.”

She also advises hosts not to forget about their guests, who should feel free to contribute to the overall table. “Ask guests to bring napkins, glassware, vases and accessories,” she says.

I ask Crossley what her Christmas table will look like this season, and it’s set to be the stuff of tablescaping dreams: “This year, for me, more is more. I’m going to create a blue and white tablescape with flower-filled Burleigh jugs down the middle and punchy full-on gold splashes. I think blue and white is one of my favourite combinations – I used it recently for a wedding at Aynhoe Park. I’m going to use a highly graphic fabric tablecloth, beautiful blue and white china, napkins with big velvet bows and coloured candles.”

Many argue the kitchen has usurped the dining room as the domestic setting for entertaining over the past few years, with the kitchen island counter just as much of an opportunity to wow guests with your playful table styling. A far cry from the kitchen’s original role, unseen in some back alley of the home, the contemporary kitchen is a multi-functional space. At Christmas, the kitchen is often the beating heart of any household entertaining guests, so it needs to look and feel the part.

There are some structural measures you can take when entertaining in the kitchen to ensure it functions for its myriad uses. Tom Howley, who runs a bespoke luxury kitchen brand, suggests altering your seating and lighting arrangements to streamline evenings spent entertaining at home.

Wine Culture Collection, a selection of contemporary wine glasses from LSA International (Catherine Morgan)

“When hosting a dinner party at your kitchen island, guests will want to interact with the host while they prepare the food,” Howley says. “This requires an element of multifunctionality that can be achieved through strategic lighting and seating solutions to encourage guests to relax and enjoy the kitchen.

One layout solution would be to ensure the seating area around the island counter does not interfere with access to the stove-top, fridge or drinks cabinet. There should be no seating close to this area. This way, the host can focus on cooking and fetching more drinks without tripping over their guests’ shoes! In turn, the most effective lighting solution is to specify a lighting scheme that allows bright task-lighting over the countertops where food preparation is taking place, and warm, low lighting for the guests. There may only be a couple of metres between these two very different light sources, but it makes a world of difference to your guests’ entertaining experience and the chef or the host’s cooking experience.”

Where possible, a home bar within a drawing room or a separate space away from the bulk of an evening’s festivities is a wonderful late night retreat.

Robert Soning, founder of design-led property developer Londonewcastle, believes a dedicated home bar space is a relic of the 1950s that shouldn’t be lost to the 20th century.

Soning says: “If you’re after a home bar or an aesthetic talking point for you and your friends to gather around then there are a few things to consider. Firstly, space, especially considering the “conservative” size of most inner-city homes. If you have the space to include a fitted bar in the kitchen or living room, ensure the scale of the furniture works in the space. However, if space is more limited, a simple bar trolley sourced from a vintage supplier such as Vinterior, 1stdibs, or even eBay, or a contemporary piece will create a similar, sociable atmosphere. You can also think outside the box and substitute a sideboard or console table for your home bar.”

Finally, if you have attended a festive dinner or drinks party, sending a thank you note is a wonderful way to express your gratitude to the host. Papier has a beautiful selection of thank you notes to suit any host or attendee, including collections with top designers such as Matthew Williamson and Luke Edward Hall.