How to Set a Gorgeous Table for the Holidays

The table setting for this University Park dining room is garden-themed. The china has hand-painted botanical and butterfly motifs.

Although certain images and colors come to mind for holiday table settings, there is plenty of room for you to get creative too. In this article, I’ll go over best practices for table settings, so you can dress a great table any time of the year.

General Tips for Table Settings:

Step 1: Laying a Foundation

If you’re at a loss on where to begin, try picking a visual element that you enjoy—such as a color, type of flower, or a pattern—and basing the rest of your design around it. Another good starting point is choosing your tablecloth (which forms the foundation of your design) first. That said, many homeowners today prefer to use placemats and chargers instead of a tablecloth.

This green-and-white ikat tablecloth is custom-made from Vervain Fabrics.

You can also consider if you want to use a table pad under your tablecloth. Table pads protect your table from heat and spills. Your runner should have a color that matches at least one other element in the room, such as the upholstery on the dining chairs or the paint color on the walls.

Step 2: Place Settings

How you set the table depends on whether your event is a casual or formal one. For a formal dinner, there are certain guidelines to keep in mind in regards to silverware and stemware placement. Don’t be afraid to adjust the arrangement a bit if it makes more sense for your table. For example, although bread plates usually go on the upper left, they may look better on the lower left for your table setting.

If you’re buying a new set of dishes, go with a neutral color and an understated pattern. That way, your plates will mix and match with a variety of different tablescapes in the future. Old and new china patterns can coordinate as long as they share the same color scheme.

There are many ways to fold a napkin, the easiest of which is to pass the napkin through a pretty napkin ring. If your napkins have detailing on the ends, make sure that the details will still be visible after folding. Monogrammed napkins are particularly popular right now.

Step 3: Choosing a Centerpiece and Accessories

Most people use a large flower arrangement as their table centerpiece, but it’s not the only option. For contemporary dining rooms, a clay or metal abstract sculpture can be a good alternative.

This ginger jar contains paper lanterns, bittersweet, and willow branches, which add a burst of orange to the table.

A single centerpiece won’t be enough to balance a large table. You’ll want to even things out by scattering small vases or baskets across the table with a variety of greens. Regardless of what you use to decorate the table, nothing should be so tall that it blocks conversation between seated guests.

Decorating with fresh fruits is another way to add something organic to the table. Lemons, limes, oranges, pomegranates, and red currants all make beautiful table decorations.

Design Advice for Holiday Table Settings

By using natural materials, earth tones, and reds, we were able to give this table setting a cheerful autumnal feel.

Your holiday colors don’t have to be red, green, blue, or white—in fact, those colors may clash with the rest of the décor in your dining room. If you’d like to branch out, try jewel tones like raspberry, teal, or deep purple. You can also give your holiday table setting a more upscale touch by including metallic accents. As an example, you can pick a tablecloth or runner with a subtle gold pattern and use bright gold chargers on top.

Adding a woodsy element, like branches or pinecones, is one way to give a Christmas table setting a more rustic feel. Candles are a common table accessory any time of the year, but during the holidays, they’re a must. Stay away from scented candles, however: they can interfere with the aromas of the meal you serve.

Table settings are often one of the last home decorating projects that people do during the holidays. However, there is no need for yours to be a last-minute scramble. By picking your theme and ordering flowers in advance, you can make setting the table a more enjoyable and stress-free process this year.

Need some extra help getting ready for the holidays? Some of my clients ask me to come back and decorate their homes for Christmas, so my firm has a lot of experience with holiday decorating. Schedule a free consultation with us by calling our Dallas office at 214-232-9501 or emailing us at info@chambersinteriors.com.

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Asian-Inspired Interior Design Trends

Many interior designers and homeowners in Dallas today look to Asia for stylistic inspiration. "Asian-style" can refer to interior design with an East Asian (Chinese or Japanese) influence or South Asian (Indian) influence. Asian decor continues to be popular for a few reasons. Asian accessories or design elements can instantly bring tranquility into a room. Japanese style also blends very well with contemporary rooms, since both styles emphasize clean lines, open space, and neutral colors. Meanwhile, Chinese accessories, with their sense of history and craftsmanship, are well suited for traditional homes.

Characteristics of Chinese Interior Design

Curved, intricately detailed furniture is associated with Chinese style rather than Japanese. In a traditionally decorated Chinese home, it's common to see furniture with gilt details, hand-painting, carvings, and ornate handles. If you own a statement piece with these features, make it the center of attention by surrounding it with simpler furniture.

Oriental rugs, fine silks, and tasseled draperies are also characteristic of this style. When you're picking fabrics or patterns for wallpaper, keep an eye out for common Chinese motifs. Fish, flowers, dragons, monkeys, and tigers are all examples. Unlike the soothing earth and gray tones in Zen homes, Chinese style homes are more dramatic, with gold-painted walls or patterned wallpaper. 

A traditional oriental rug can still belong in a contemporary setting if its colors and pattern complement the rest of the room. The mirrors in this bathroom are also inspired by Indian design.

Some Asian accessories, such as blue and white china and chinoiserie, are also at home in a traditional room. Blue and white china pieces were imported to Europe as early as the 15th century. Chinoiserie, a French-term for "Chinese-esque," are traditional decorations that draw inspiration from Asian art. Examples of Chinoiserie include paintings, pottery, textiles, wallpaper, and decorated furniture that depict a fanciful version of China. 

Blue and white china adds refinement to this transitional home in Plano.

A Chinese design philosophy that is sometimes utilized by Western interior designers is feng shui. Feng shui, when applied to interior design, is a very exacting style. Every piece in the room must serve a purpose. The choice in natural materials becomes incredibly important, as wood, water, fire, earth, and metal-- and the furnishings associated with them--create their own distinctive energies. By hiring an expert in feng shui design or studying up on it yourself, you can carefully reconstruct the emotional quality of each room.

How to Incorporate Japanese Influence

If you enjoy modern design, but also appreciate traditional rooms with a sense of culture and history, Japanese design could be the best of both worlds for you.

Japanese-style rooms are often described as having a 'Zen' quality. A Japanese school of Buddhism, Zen teaches that its followers must experience enlightenment for themselves, rather than simply memorize a list of teachings. Living a simple life, experiencing the here-and-now, and disciplined meditation in a calm environment are said to be the path to results.

When it comes to interior design, Zen-inspired rooms usually feature low furniture, natural materials, lots of light, and very little clutter. Common natural materials include stone, bamboo, rattan, earthenware, and dark woods. Designers will often recommend neutral cream and beige for the walls and restricting dark colors to the furniture. Red and black accents-- such as lacquer pieces-- can add a dramatic touch to an otherwise even-toned room. Furniture should also have clean, simple lines, as in modern and contemporary design. Avoid pieces with ornate details and asymmetry. 

Whether you're adding Asian influence to a traditional or a modern home, you don't want to overdo it. Including even just one or two Asian symbols or accessories transforms the entire feel of the room. For example, a Buddha statue brings with it a whole history of cultural and religious associations. Paper lanterns, silk screens, and lacquer jewelry boxes will also immediately give your room an Asian feel for visitors.

Small Buddha figurines are just a few of the multicultural accessories we used in this eclectic downtown Dallas highrise.

Because of this, Asian can be an inexpensive style to emulate. Swapping in red accent pillows, a calligraphy scroll, or a religious icon can all help you achieve the style. A very casual room can still benefit from the surprise and cultural flair East Asian design brings. Try adding potted cherry blossoms or bamboo window shades to bring both nature and an Asian influence to your informal setting.

Tips for Designing an Indian-Inspired Home

If you've ever wanted to incorporate the beauty of Indian patterns and furnishings into your home, here are a few suggestions.

When you think of India, certain colors probably come to mind. India has culturally embraced an abundance of colors, including both jewel and burnt tones. Burnt oranges, terracotta reds, and ochres can all be main colors. If you prefer something more understated, warm neutrals like taupe and sand will work too. Pure white is a color associated with mourning in India, so you will not see cool whites in traditional Indian homes; however, westernized homes will often incorporate warm and creamy whites. 

As for jewel colors like turquoise, green, purple, and magenta, these colors are usually reserved for accents. Common Indian accessories include statues of Buddha or Hindu gods, mirrors with carved or forged frames, and ornaments covered with small pieces of mirror or tile. Don't forget to fill your sofas and beds with lots of colorful embroidered pillows. For a truly traditional Indian look, you should use lamps, sconces, and lanterns for lighting rather than chandeliers.

An Indian room isn't complete without furniture made of exotic woods such as ebony, rosewood, and teak. Antique pieces will feature beautifully intricate carvings, but Indian furniture is not dainty-- these are sturdy pieces meant to last a long time. Seating tends to be low, and a sitting area will often feature an ottoman or pouf. That said, you don't need to buy a whole new set of furniture to get an Indian look.

You can also layer Indian throws, rugs, and textiles over what you already have. Consider using silks or even a sari as a sofa throw. Tablecloths patterned with woodblock prints and bedspreads with beading or metallic thread will immediately bring India to mind. Common Indian patterns for wallpaper and textiles include paisley, floral, swirls, birds, and elephants. 

Regardless of whether you're only including a few Asian accessories, or having a designer redo your whole home according to Zen or feng shui design philosophies, Asian influence will add culture, harmony, and worldliness to your home. Here at Chambers Interiors, our team has a lot of experience sourcing multicultural antiques for homes. To schedule a consultation with us, call Margaret Chambers at 214-232-9501 or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com.

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