There’s no better time of the year to flex your table styling skills than Christmas. Whether you’re hosting the whole family for a festive feast or an intimate yuletide gathering, the table plays a key part in the festivities and there’s little doubt you will want it to be both memorable and beautiful. This year we’ve created an elegant table full of festive texture, delight and details to inspire the dressing of your own Christmas table. A base collection of luxurious table linen which can be mixed and matched for different occasions means all you really need to think about is seasonal accessories and bringing out pieces which you might not use every day such as candles, cutlery and glassware, but if you truly are starting from scratch, you can rely on Coco & Wolf.
An Elegant Christmas Table: The Table Linen
It goes without saying that the very best table linen to create an elegant Christmas table is Coco & Wolf’s lavish Liberty fabric tablecloths, runners, placemats and napkins. Available in an unsurpassable variety of luxurious and lustrous Liberty prints, there’s just no other timeless tabletop designs which work as beautifully as a backdrop to the festive season’s finest fare.
When creating this year’s beautiful and elegant Christmas table we embraced the berry hues so often associated with Christmas; combining harmonious pinks and reds across all the linen. Our Gathered Edge Tablecloth made with Liberty Fabric Wiltshire Star provided the perfect foundation to the tablescape, which we layered up with Wavy Placemats made with Liberty Fabric Wiltshire Star and Adelajda’s Wish. The most beautiful finishing touch came from Adelajda's Wish & Wiltshire Star Liberty Fabric napkins, secured rather ingeniously, even if we do say so ourselves, with our brand new bow tree decorations in place of traditional napkin rings. The result is an elegant table, threaded together with the ever-merry star motif across all the festive fabrics from the berry-detailed tablecloth to Betsy Star bows.
An Elegant Christmas Table: The Details
Christmas is absolutely the time to pull out all the stops and use all the pieces you may save for best. Antique glassware and cutlery will effortlessly up the elegance of your Christmas table. We’ve used vintage champagne coupes in place of traditional wine glasses because they bring us joy and that is always a good enough reason in our book. If your grandparents bone-handled cutlery brings a smile to your face let us be the first to tell you to use it!
Foliage and fruit as a centrepiece is incredibly effective and cost-effective. Use an evergreen garland from your Christmas decoration collection or snip fresh greenery and branches during your Christmas Eve walk (keep your foraged foliage outside in the cold overnight before dressing your table). Once your greenery is in place, stagger the fruit throughout. We like to stay seasonal and have used pomegranates and cranberries to complement our berry-toned table but dried orange slices, juniper berries and oranges studded with cloves would also look stunning.
If you are embracing motifs such as bows or stars then you should thread them throughout your table for an elegant and cohesive look. Knowing we were going to use bows as napkin holders we wanted to ensure they also appeared elsewhere and the only other thing which was missing was candlelight - always a Christmas staple which adds atmosphere and warmth. Each year we like to buy one thing to add to our collection and when we discovered these incredible, bow-adorned candelabras they were impossible to resist. Not only do they add some much-needed height, but adding colourful candles also ensures your table feels contemporary and fun.
Our Expert Tips
- While candlelight’s warm and soft glow is undeniably festive, conflicting scents aren't! When serving food stick with unscented candles.
- Christmas is all about gathering your loved ones and making everyone feel welcome, comfortable and full of cheer. Try not to be too regimented, let your guests sit where they like rather than prescribing a place and invite people to arrive early so there’s plenty of relaxed mingling time.
- ’Tis the season of abundance but a never-ending sea of serving dishes can wreak havoc with your carefully curated elegant table! Retain guests' delight and your beautiful table by popping warmed serving dishes and platters on sideboards or worktops and let people serve themselves before returning to the table.
We would absolutely love how you'll be dressing your Christmas table this year. Are you layering up prints for a textural riot or starting with a classic white base and adding unexpected touches? Tell us in the comments below or, even better, tag us in a picture on social!
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