It’s the season for spending time with our nearest and dearest, which means a holiday dinner will be on the cards. Whether it’s a casual brunch with friends or the main event, Christmas is the perfect excuse to pull out all the stops and decorate your holiday table to impress. If you’re looking for some Christmas table decoration ideas, here we’ll be sharing everything from Christmas color palette inspiration to centerpieces and more.
Christmas color palettes | Christmas place settings | Christmas table centerpieces
Christmas color palettes
Your Christmas color scheme and theme will form the foundation of your table setting. Once you have a color palette and theme in mind, you can start building your table setting from there. Below you’ll find some of our favorite Christmas color palettes and table themes to inspire you this holiday season. A traditional table setting is always a popular option, but why not go for something different this year?
Traditional | Winter wonderland | Deep jewels | Rustic woodland | Sparkling skies
Traditional
Red and green are traditional Christmas colors, along with white and gold accents. There are many theories as to why this is the case —from the abundant holly and ivy at this time of year to Coca-Cola’s early Christmas campaigns — and while no one knows where exactly this color scheme came from, we can all say for certain that red and green are mainstays of a traditional Christmas color palette.
If you’re looking for a table setting that will never go out of style, red, green, gold, and white are always wise choices, ensuring you can reuse your tableware for years to come. If you choose neutral tableware, you can dress it up with red and green accents. Our green tableware, such as our Greenwich collection, would be perfect.
Alternatively, add a modern twist to this look by switching to pastel tones. Instead of deep green and red, choose a sage green and shades of pink. For instance, match the pale tones of our Regency Green, Kiln Green, or Elements Fern Green ranges with the rosy hues of Impression Pink.
Deep jewels
Thanks to their deep colors, rich jewel tones make the perfect pairing for a Christmas table décor. If you’re looking for an alternative to a traditional color scheme but would still like to go bold, add touches of emerald, ruby, and sapphire, alongside plenty of gold or silver sparkle. Adorn your table with deep blues such as those in our Arc Blue, Porcelain Stars, and Imperial Blue ranges, and mix in plenty of rich green tones like those from Greenwich and Statements.
Winter wonderland
If you’re looking for a modern Christmas table setting idea, a winter wonderland theme is a great option. With a neutral color scheme, this is a versatile option you can keep coming back to year on year, dressing it up or down depending on your theme each time. Decorate with shades of white, cream, and grey and create a snowy escape with our Kiln, Classic White, Arc White, and Studio Grey collections. Plenty of beautiful and neutral glassware will give the illusion of an icy landscape while white table linen and silver cutlery will finish off the look. A large centerpiece with lots of greenery will add some softness and offer balance to an otherwise neutral Christmas table setting.
Rustic woodland
The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without plenty of greenery, so why not take this one step further with a rustic woodland theme? Celebrate all things natural and lush with a Christmas color palette of rich browns, deep greens, stony greys, and cream hues. Our Studio Grey, Studio Grey Accents, and Halo collections would be perfect when combined with plenty of warm toned table linen and gold accents. Or combine rustic finishes in the form of Kiln with other soft, creamy tones and tactile elements such as those in our Impression Cream collection.
This look is all about natural textures and décor, so be sure to incorporate plenty of greenery in the form of garlands and flower arrangements. A simple but effective centerpiece idea for this theme and color scheme is a moss bowl. Create your own display stand by placing a dinner plate or serving bowl on an upturned cereal bowl and add moss, small twigs, and pinecones. Alternatively, instead of moss, you can use evergreen foliage such as holly, ivy, and conifer cuttings.
Sparkling skies
Inject some festive sparkle and magic into your table setting by layering your color of choice with plenty of gold accents. Deep blue works particularly well for this color scheme, making you feel like you’re eating your holiday feast from the night sky itself. Our Porcelain Stars range makes for the perfect Christmas dinnerware set and can be pared with other collections in our Porcelain range, including Arc Blue, Arc White, and Modern Deco. However, you could also mix the white and gold finish of our White Porcelain Stars with other shades such as blush pink or forest green.
Christmas place settings
When it comes to the festive season, preparation is key. Whichever Christmas color palette and theme you choose to work with, it’s a good idea to set the table a day or two in advance so you can be sure everything is present and presentable ready for serving.
Ensure you have all the tableware you need by stacking each place setting. Small plates and salad plates can be stacked on top of dinner plates and, if you’ll be using bowls, these can be stacked on top of our small plates. Doing this means that, once you’re ready to serve your dishes, everyone has all the tableware they need to tuck in without you having to make any extra trips to the kitchen. You can shop our dinnerware by sets to ensure you have everything you need for the big day.
Alongside your tableware, you’ll also need drinking glasses for your festive refreshments. Small or large tumblers are perfect for soft drinks, and you may also want to set out wine or champagne glasses to toast to the holiday season.
If you’re hosting a lot of guests, or simply want to add an extra special touch to your table, why not make homemade place cards? This is a great holiday project to work on over the festive season, and you can make them as simple or elegant as you like.
Christmas table centerpieces
For a special occasion like the holidays, you’ll most likely add a centerpiece or two to your Christmas tablescape. To help you get the perfect look, we’ve shared some of our favorite Christmas table centerpiece ideas below, including:
Garlands
Garlands are a Christmas staple and look great when lining the length of your table as a Christmas table centerpiece. You can also dress this look up or down depending on your overall table theme. For example, stick to bare foliage and a few natural touches such as pinecones for a rustic woodland theme. Alternatively, weave in string lights, real or faux berries, ribbon, and fill in any gaps with flower cuttings to match your Christmas table color scheme.
Flowers
A vase of flowers always makes a beautiful centerpiece for any occasion. Poinsettias are popular options for the festive season alongside red roses, but you can choose any kind of flora to match your theme and color scheme, or anything you can forage from your garden. To add some greenery to your centerpiece, look for seasonal foliage such as eucalyptus and holly, as well as berry branches.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and choose a non-traditional option to adorn your Christmas table setup. For instance, you could swap your usual flower arrangement for a small tabletop Christmas tree or go for a dark and moody theme by hanging decorations from a singular branch. Alternatively, forgo the Christmas centerpiece altogether, and decorate your ceiling with string lights, garlands, or homemade paper decorations.
Candles
Candles can add the ultimate finishing touch to your cozy Christmas tablescape. Tapered candles will offer some height to your display and give it extra dimension, but you could also place small tealights on the bottom of an upturned wine glass to achieve a similar look. Alternatively, dot a few tealights along the center of your table — this looks particularly effective when the candles are tucked among a garland centerpiece. Or gather a bunch of candles of different heights and place them in the middle of a Christmas wreath for an effortless festive centerpiece display.
Whether you go big and bold or simple and subtle, decorating your Christmas table is a big part of the celebrations. The Christmas table setting ideas in this guide should give you plenty of inspiration to get decorating this festive season.
If you’re on the hunt for some new dinnerware for the holidays, you can shop our tableware by color, including neutral tones that can be mixed and matched with your existing pieces. All Denby stoneware is made by hand in the UK and everything is designed to last, so you can keep using your tableware for Christmases to come.