SET THE SCENE FOR: CHRISTMAS FEASTS Create

SET THE SCENE FOR: Christmas feasts

‘Tis the season to be jolly, so embrace festive colours and patterns to create a Christmas table full of charm and sophistication

Christmas is a time for everyone to get together and enjoy a celebration full of traditional fayre. Which usually means extended tables, extra chairs and a pre-Christmas Day ritual of stocking up on additional tableware, table linen and glasses to ensure there is enough to go round. Seasonal colours usually dictate the style of a table setting, with white often winning over brighter shades as a failsafe option.

This year, adopt a festive take on classic folk style with rustic textures and seasonal fruits, berries and branches for decoration. Create a feast for the eyes by combining hints of colour with natural decorations in a confident yet pared-back, relaxed and inviting style. Be bold with festive red or green on plates, napkins or candles and take the colour tones to their extremes by including splashes of bright pink and orange or vibrant emeralds. Add pretty patterns, motifs and textural contrasts to bring the look together.

For a more formal setting, add drama with a restrained monochromatic colour palette, relying on classic black and white or a seasonal update of forest green with silvery off-white to reflect the tonal variations of winter foliage. Team graphic patterns and heritage designs with white china and statement accessories to serve up a gentle nod on tradition.

LEFT Beaded dining set items in green and grey, from £9.99; Ravenhead gemstone wine, hi-ball and mixer glasses in smoke, £3.99 each; Green stoneware jug, £24.99, plus all other accessories including Christmas tree, Dobbies

GLORIOUS GARLANDS

Adding branches of pine, spruce and berries above a table is a wonderful way of lending a festive forest canopy-feel to the table. Large branches can be suspended from beams or rafters using lengths of strong twine. Alternatively, lighter branches of holly and ivy can be intertwined and looped across a room or hung from an existing chandelier. Decorate with twinkly lights, glass baubles and metallic decorations that will catch the light from candles on the table below. Another option is to wrap herbs, eucalyptus and seasonal berries around a wire hoop to create a ceiling wreath; decorate with anything from delicate white feathers to cinnamon sticks and pine cones.

RIGHT Clear and amber glass baubles, £4 each, Rowen and Wren

MAGICAL GLOW

In the midst of winter, when the nights draw in, there is nothing nicer than dining in candlelight, and a Christmas gathering is made even more special when accompanied by the soft light from a flickering flame.

Formal dining calls for candelabras paired with classic tapered candles in hues that co-ordinate with table linen. Alternatively, opt for delicate designs in glass for a simple but luxurious feel.

Relaxed dining allows for pillar candles, shorter in size and less obtrusive on the table, to be displayed in groups or dotted down the table. Place on mirrored or metal dishes to enhance the candle’s light-reflective qualities, or on cake stands, surrounded with Christmas berries, flowers and spices for fragrance and colour.

ABOVE Red pillar candles, from £4.50; Nordic Touch plates, from £7.50, all Nordic House LEFT Yalin hand-blown-glass candlestick, £56 for a set of two, Sophie Conran

CHRISTMAS CHEER

Christmas is always a great excuse to replenish any depleted collections of glassware. From a welcoming tray of champagne cocktails to wine and water at the table, Christmas would not be the same without an extensive offering of drinks and a plentiful supply of glasses in all shapes and sizes to serve them. Antique, etched glassware and cut-glass styles add sophistication to the festive table. For a relaxed look source tumblers edged with red, gold or silver, or simple, elegant, ribbed glassware.

Milford glasses, from £26 for a set of four; Scatter stars £15 for a set of 20; Mirrored glass charger, £25, all The White Company

FESTIVE FEAST

Tableware collections that include different plate and bowl sizes allow for a natural layering of shapes and sizes on the Christmas table, adding height and interest to each individual place setting, and suggesting a feast full of several courses. White is a classic, and whilst fine bone china and porcelain are ideal for more formal occasions, white earthenware with a little decorative detail brings an element of homespun charm, ideal for a relaxed family gathering. Decorate with seasonal fruits, foliage, festive motifs and natural textures for a lovely country style.

Croxton tableware, from £54 for a set of six bowls; Elden Snowflake napkins, £70 for a set of six; Stuart cutlery, £340 for 36-piece set, all Neptune

All that glitters

Add glimmer and sparkle with accents of gold with accents of gold

Gold Wreath name place card holder, £5.99 for a pack of four, Ginger Ray

Silenus Champagne cutlery, £295 for a 24-piece set, Oka

Gold-rimmed wine glass, £13.50, Summerill & Bishop

Hand-stamped Falling Flowers napkin in Gold £30, Summerill & Bishop Partridge in a Pear Tree large oval platter, £150, Emma Bridgewater

Gold Toast & Marmalade medium straight jug, £49.99, Emma Bridgewater

Gold beaded placemats, £38 for a set of two, The White Company

WELL COVERED

For formal elegance in a period setting, and as an alternative to classic plain white linen, opt for patterns in monochromatic colourways of black, white and grey. Bold designs that depict seasonal flowers or foliage, such as hellebores, mistletoe, holly or ivy, work well. Alternatively, make a dramatic statement with polka dots or striped fabrics to create bespoke tablecloths, napkins and even matching seat cushions. This will add sophistication to a small table for intimate dining, or lend a sense of occasion to an extra table used for serving drinks, mince pies and cake.

PERFECTLY PLACED

Christmas allows for plenty of creativity when it comes to place settings. For an informal gathering, attach a bauble or sprig of fragrant rosemary or thyme to each napkin. If using personalised place settings, be inventive and use a silver or gold pen to write each name on a bay leaf, or on a name card in a festively decorative holder.

RIGHT Montecarlo white cotton sateen napkin, £6, The Fine Cotton Company BELOW RIGHT Red hemstitch linen tablecloth, from £150, Volga Linen Tablecloth and seat covers, Ticking in Graphite, £34.95 a metre, Annie Sloan

FROSTED FINISH

Be inspired by wintery landscapes with ceramic pieces whose glazes resemble the texture and colour of freshly fallen snow, frosty branches and icy water. From jugs and bowls to cake plates and platters, serveware in off-white, pale blue or soft grey glazes are ideal for adding a hint of nature’s seasonal colour palette. Perfect for serving brandy butter, Christmas pudding or cake, or even an iced gingerbread sponge dessert. Footed dishes can also be used as a table centrepiece holding pillar candles surrounded with frosted pinecones and silvery foliage.

CENTRE STAGE

Large tables can accommodate a stunning centrepiece showcasing beautiful flowers and foliage arranged to pick up on colours used in linens, china and candles. A florist’s oasis is an invaluable material for transforming any container into a vessel for cut stems, just remember to keep it low so it does not dominate. Add seasonal interest and texture with frosted green and silvery foliage, such as eucalyptus, lichencovered branches, woodland twigs, pine cones and even herbs. n

House Doctor rustic cake stand, £55.50, Coffee & Cloth

Pink Asiatic Pheasants medium tankard jug, £37, Burleigh

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Fable Forest crackers £36 for a box of six, Nancy & Betty TOP Nordic Hat Box arrangement containing Snow Ballet, Cream Piaget and Earl Grey roses, twisted willow, pine cones and anemones, dried flowers, berries, and succulents, £95, The Real Flower Company

Coquille dinner plates, £215 for a set of four, Oka Tessa Silver Grey Holly Berry tablecloth, £35, Ragged Rose