Festive Table Decorating
My 10 tips...
My tips for festive table decorating - candles, bows and flowers, of course, but also some little tricks and tips that can make all the difference to a very special meal en famille this holiday season…
Layering of Linens
Our beautiful new season posie pattern with matching napkins, is the most wonderfully airy, colourful and spirit-lifting base from which to build your tablescape. I also love to mix the green & white striped and botanical linens to mix things up - layering print with stripes is one of my favourite ways to decorate at home.
Delicious dinnerware
Christmas is a time to really layer the dinnerware as there is simply so much to eat! I love our beautiful serving bowls from our range of hand thrown and painted ceramics that bring a rustic, folksy feel to Christmas and holiday tables. The side bowls and smaller mini bowls are very useful to dot along the table (and other side tables around the home) to house festive nuts, dips & colourful candy and chocolates.
Mixed Glassware
A festive table is elevated with beautiful glassware to catch the light from candles on darker days and long evenings. Our new botanica tumblers featuring green or white patterns on the finest cut glass are very happy-making. My best tip is to mix and match the colours rotating them along the table. For champagne and wine glasses, I love The Vintage List and anything from Nina Campbell.
Candles En Masse
It is Christmas after all, and winter! Everything and everyone looks better by candlelight and it's the most failsafe mood booster. I just can't get enough of them and we have so many in the shop to choose from.Dot our scented candles (with carousels!) around the home - my favourite is greenhouse at this time of year. Then have fun choosing your dinner candle colours. I think I will go with faded pink and blue this year but as ever, I will mix it up and decide on the day!
Bows Aplenty
Our bow bar was designed mainly to use with our napkin ring holders for a very special place setting. This Christmas we've gone for red velvet bows and vintage embroidered bows. Mix them up for maximum effect and watch your guests feel utterly spoiled (and inspired to wear on their pony tails or as bow ties!). I love them tied to the back of our dining room chairs too for real bow overload…
Vases with Flowers
Well of course there will be many vases spilling over with flowers and foliage for my Christmas table. A mix of bud vases is my favourite way to layer flowers on the dinner table - a few different styles and heights for some variety, layered in with candlesticks, in a mix of styles.
Candle carousels
I’ve been mesmerised by candle carousels since I was small and am so excited to have designed some of our own. The dangly leaves are the leaf design from our linens and are so pretty and twinkly and this year we’ve added the beautiful dove for a touch of festive magic. I have quite the collection at home - they look incredible grouped together and with the larger scented candle and smaller tea light carousel. The more the merrier literally with these!
A bounty of fruit
I love to add fruit to the table - tangerines with their leaves on especially - nothing feels more Christmassy to me and I love the scent. I dot them down the dinner table or on other surfaces around the home. Sometimes I like to stud cloves into them and create a festive arrangement in place of flowers. I also love to use dried fruit such as oranges and limes which you can buy from your local florist and they last and last - some I use in wreaths and garlands, others just to scatter down the table for a bountiful feel.
A Loving Cup
A special mention must go to my signature favourite, the loving cup. we now do them every season as I adore the shape and they are brilliant for flowers. Our very festive cherry loving cup is simply perfect for this time of year and I had such fun painting the design.
Crackers & Decs
It's simply not Christmas without crackers and I can never go past a stripe, and I love that you can fill these with your own little treasures and bad jokes… Once the table is set, I can't help but layer some other festive decorations and this year I'll be adding our gorgeous corn husk angel decorations to each table setting.
So there you have it, with some fun with decorating nobody will notice if the turkey is a little dry!
Wx
Perfectly charming