Love hosting and want to elevate your dining table? From the unusual to the awe-inspiring, we’re here to help you nail the brief.
With so much of the festivities centred around food and entertaining, you want your dining table to be a source of inspiration and admiration. From candles to place settings, crockery to crackers, Interior Designer and Stylist Jo, founder of Joanna Nash Design has revealed her go-to tips and tricks to take your table to the next level. And the best bit is, you don’t have to be an artist or spend a fortune to create a five-star experience for your guests.
1. Foliage is your friend
Pinecones, branches, holly sprigs – not only are they free, they bring an element of the outdoors in and can look beautiful laid down the centre of your table. “If you buy a real tree, ask them for a few spare branches which are always lying around at tree farms or ask them to chop a couple of branches off the bottom of your tree when they trim it. Use secateurs at home to cut these branches into pieces with three or so sprigs on each and place them down your table,” says Jo. “They look great with pine cones and you could always dust them with fake snow or gold spray paint. The pinecones could also double up as lovely stands for card name settings.”
A couple of other fun uses for a sprig of greenery, such as herbs or eucalyptus, is to slot a piece into a napkin ring, or place on your dinner or side plates with a ribbon tied around it.
2. Mismatching can be magical
Not having perfect sets of crockery and glassware isn’t an issue and can actually form the theme for your tablescaping. Embrace the various shapes and the cacophony of colours it provides. “Candles of different heights placed around the table can make glasses of different heights feel ‘meant’ and napkins in different colours combined with serving bowls that mix and match can make a table look super interesting. Large glass baubles in different colours dotted along the table or through the foliage in the centre of the table adds to the multicoloured theme too,” recommends Jo.
3. Bow-tiful napkins
This works well with cloth napkins, if you use a concertina fold and place a napkin ring at the centre, you can fan the sides of the napkin out. The bow effect looks beautiful on any dining table but is super simple and quick to do.
4. Consider a table runner
Table runners can look super classy and don’t have to be expensive to give a ‘put together’ aesthetic. “I always make one for my clients if they have any curtain fabric left over but any remnant shop or outlet factory will have gorgeous fabrics for next to nothing which can be transformed into a beautiful table runner,” says Jo.
Want to add a bit of texture and interest to your table? Using an extra-long piece of fabric, you can ruche your table runner
5. Or wrap up your table
If you have different height or shaped tables to accommodate all of your guests, Jo suggests dressing them the same with a simple white tablecloth and then a thick red ribbon around the middle with a bow in the centre. “You’ll basically turn the tables into a present and turn odd tables into a cohesive festive dining room.”
On the theme of wrapping, you can tie ribbons into bows around the stems of your wine glasses. If you make each ribbon a different colour, then this is a fun way for each person to be able to identify their glass throughout the dinner party when they’re moving from table to kitchen to dining room.
6. Include handwritten moments
Add a personal touch to your dinner party with handwritten menus, name cards and even small personal notes of gratitude for your guests. It’s an affordable way to elevate and add meaning to any dining situation.
7. Seek out cracker alternatives
Consider replacing paper crackers (that can create unnecessary waste) with a folding name card that includes a riddle, joke or general knowledge question printed inside – these can be personalised for different ages too so even the younger generations can get involved. And rather than a throwaway trinket, why not make keepsake friendship bracelets for each of your guests with their names or initial threaded onto the cord and placed on their plate. “If you have children, you could always get them to do this as a task in the lead up to the festivities to keep them occupied and your guests will love the thought and effort that’s gone into it,” says Jo.
8. Swap shakers for shells
This is an especially effective idea if you’re serving fish, use large clam or oyster shells to house salt and ground pepper. You can buy tiny wooden spoons to sit alongside, or your guests can use their hands to add a pinch of seasoning to their plate.
9. Easy extras with wow factor
There are plenty of inventive ways to add an element of interest to your table. Try oranges with candles or cloves embedded into them; pomegranates cut open to reveal their seeds; jam jars filled with battery powered fairly lights or tealights wrapped with a red or green velvet ribbon around the rim; mini pots of poinsettias. Dot them along the centre if you have a long table or if you have a circular or oval shape, style them in clusters - odd numbers always work well so aim for groups of three to five. You could also use the same thin ribbon to wrap your cutlery to tie it all together.
