When the air turns crisp and the cosy knits come out of hiding, we know what’s just around the corner – Christmas! For many of us, this holiday season means friendly gatherings, family dinners and taking turns to host.
As we hurry about trying to plan our Christmas extravaganza, I can’t help but want to spoil ourselves with beautiful decorations around the house. This includes Christmas table settings, whether it’s for a dinner party or a simple Christmas breakfast.
This year, I’m particularly inspired by Scandinavian décor and table settings. Simple but elegant, it’s easy to incorporate this style into your existing dishes. There’s no need to buy special “Christmas” plates and cups that only get used once a year!
If you have dramatic and unique lights like we do, a minimalist table setting matches extremely well.
Christmas Breakfast / Brunch Table Setting
For breakfast, you can add more flair with a centrepiece. Borrowing from Scandinavian design, I chose two long and sleek candles to bracket the main display. Candlelight adds ambiance and warmth to the table.
The centrepiece itself is where Christmas steps in. Evergreen are perfect to use as the base; especially if you have a Christmas tree somewhere in the room. The green makes other elements like the small tree models, gold and red baubles stand out. Notice how the complimentary colours pop without being too noisy?
Tone down the table setting with neutral linens and plates. The off-white mat and simple plate setting makes a statement. To seem more fancy, wrap a branch of mistletoe and napkin in a ring holder. You can even change each napkin and greenery combo – alternate colours with mistletoe berries and green sprigs.
Of course, the highlight of these table settings are the dishes.
As some of you may know, one of my go-to shops for dining ware is Villeroy & Boch. The NewMoon collection is beautiful in its simplicity! You can see the soft curves of the moon in each piece; the asymmetrical rim shows off the shape of a narrow crescent moon.
By combining clean lines, different textures and just a few Christmas elements, you get a beautiful table setting to celebrate the season.
Christmas Dinner Table Setting
The key to a simple but characterful dinner table setting is to let your décor blend in with the linens and dishware.
To minimize clutter, I didn’t use a table runner. Instead, I used larger place mats to mark each place comfortably. Layer two plates (one slightly larger than the other) to create some texture. By folding a napkin like a Christmas tree and pairing it with a sprig of green for colour, I added seasonal elements without overdoing it.
In the narrow strip down the middle of the table, I alternated between small candles in mason jars, tiny cones and slices of oranges to keep the look organic. A longer string of evergreen is positioned at the end of the table. This allows more space for garnishes to be placed within easy reach.
Don’t worry about it looking too “white” – the small pops of nature are visually interesting details!
