3 Ways to Add Some Personality to Your Holiday Table
You’ve got enough stress floating around come holiday time, and putting together your tablescape doesn’t have to be a part of it. We get it: Locating the special occasion dinnerware, choosing which linens to highlight, answering the “name card or no name card” debate, and making sure you have enough serving plates for your family-style dining dreams can seem like a lot. The good news is that you don’t need to dedicate too much mental energy to making your dinner atmosphere just as delicious as the food itself. And we’re here to help.
Here, we've outlined three simple ways to set your holiday table, while also showing off your personal style.
Mix Up Your Seating
There is no rule saying all of your dining chairs have to be uniform. (You won’t be struck by lightning, and your dinner guests won’t blackball you from future guest lists, we promise!) Sourcing different shapes, colors, and materials is an opportunity to showcase your personality, after all. Bold colors liven up a table of neutral linens, while caning or rattan can add depth and texture to the scene.
The one thing you will want to keep relatively consistent is the height of the seats. You don’t want some friends struggling to reach their plate or keep conversation with their neighbor.
Let a Stylish Table Shine
Not all dining tables are created equally, and if you’ve got a good one, it deserves a place in the spotlight. One way to do that? Forgo a full tablecloth. We live in a world where table legs can be far from average and design details (think: scalloped aprons and curved bases). Don’t hide them behind linens—and never fear, you can still have lots of fun with dinnerware, placemats, and napkins.
Mix and Match Your Plates
Remember when we told you to mix up your chairs? The same can (and should!) be applied to your plates. Ceramic dishes with hand-painted scenes, wooden serving bowls, vintage-inspired enamelware, colorful melamine—imagine a table as diverse as the people sitting around it. To make sure things don’t get too busy, go straight for neutral linens or simple patterns that will set the scene for your creative direction, ahem, dinnerware.
