Dressing the Christmas table

And the award for best-dressed table goes to…

You. This year – with a little help from our lovely mix and match Christmas tableware sets – you can dress your table to impress in so many different, but equally gorgeous ways. Go full-on festive with Christmassy red and glamorous gold. Come bang up to trend with shimmering blue tones. Or go for a subtler look with softer dark green and cream, with maybe just a few accents of glowing gold.

Whether you love a particular look and want every piece for that highly satisfying ‘wow!’ moment when your guests come to the table, or only need a couple of pieces to glam up your existing serveware, we’ve got so many ways to make your Christmas dinner feel just that little bit more special.

And, of course, there’s nothing stopping you choosing your favourites – a couple of snowflake sprinkled bowls here, some gold-rimmed glasses there – and creating a look that’s entirely your own.

Get the look: red and gold

They really are the classic colours of Christmas, and any table is going to look its festive best dressed up in cheery red and glittering gold. A simple red tablecloth sets the tone, and then it’s up to you how much you glam it up. Accent pieces are the key here – just a couple of our alpine forest plates or bowls will add instant glitz, as will our gold table runner, place mats and coasters.

Get the look: blue and gold

Glamorous glassware, like our Northern Lights-inspired Aurora champagne flutes and balloon glasses, prettily patterned plates and bowls and marbled napkins and cracker gift boxes give your Christmas table a distinctly different look, and mixing and matching with gold accessories really adds the ‘wow’ factor.

Get the look: green and gold

For a more understated look, try layering up green, gold and white, and mixing and matching pieces of our exclusive Christmas Tableware Collection. Sprinkled with snowflakes and pine sprigs and flecked with gold, it adds a lovely seasonal touch without going full-on festive. And there’s a whole range to discover, so you can mix and match the pieces you want, from formal Christmas serveware like dinner and side plates, to more casual snack bowls and mugs.

How to build up your look

1   Start with the tabletop

Once you’ve chosen your theme (or themes!), start designing them from the bottom up. Every table setting begins with the table itself, and the easiest way to dress it up is with a simple, plain tablecloth in the colour of your chosen look, whether that’s festive red, midnight blue or a crisp white that really lets your serveware shine. And a contrasting runner will really start to set the scene for what comes on top.

2   Layer up

On top of that, go for contrasting or complementary place mats and coasters to add extra pops of colour, and decide whether you want these all to be the same, or whether mixing colours would work best for your scheme – for example, teaming green place mats with gold coasters to get a more balanced look.

3   Dinner is served…

Then it’s the turn of the tableware itself. There’s no need to splash out on a complete new dinner service for Christmas – even the plainest white crockery doesn’t need much to elevate it from the everyday. A few accent pieces will add instant charm and colour when everything’s laid out and layered up, and remember that sometimes less is more, even at Christmas! While you’re choosing these, it’s a good time to think about napkins, too, and whether you want plain ones so your tableware’s the star of the show, or something a little fancier.

And if you’re after something a bit more casual, we have some fun kids’ Christmas plates for little fans of Santa and polar bears – because they’ll love having their own, and you probably won’t want them to break yours!

4   Raise a glass

Glassware is another way to dress your table to impress, whether you go for subtly festive gold-rimmed glasses or shimmery blue, talking-point champagne flutes.

5   Get stuck in

And if you’re going for gold, why not add a touch of luxury with coordinating Christmas cutlery? Our cutlery sets will add a lovely touch to any of our themes.

And whatever you do, follow our Buyer Lyndsey’s advice and always set the table before you start cooking – that way you remove a piece of the stress.

For a finishing touch…

Once you’ve chosen your table settings, there are lots of little touches to help complete the look. If you’ve gone for a more traditional theme, our Festive Foliage range of decorations make lovely centrepieces, and a few of our ornate gold tree candles are sure to add some festive glitz and sparkle.

Younger members of the family can always help out by adding hidden surprises like after-dinner games to keep everyone entertained, like hiding our Christmas Trivia Coasters under your pretty ones (but maybe let them do this before you add the glasses on top!)

Finish with place cards, a scattering of Christmas Confetti and one of our fantastic range of Christmas crackers to help dinner go with a bang.