Christmas dinner is one of the most special times during the Christmas season. Everyone is gathered around a beautifully decorated table to enjoy food, festivities and create special memories. Along with wrapping gifts, I love setting my table to celebrate the day. Earlier this week I shared my holiday tablescape as part of the Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour. If you missed any of the tour, you can find part 1 here and the finale here.
As I was pulling my table decor together, I played around with different place settings before settling on the look above. So today I thought it would be fun to share 4 elegant and simple place settings using the same dinner plate as the foundation. The idea is to show you how easy it is to mix and match elements to create different looks.
For each of the place settings, the white charger plate and the Blue Willow dinner plate are the same. I changed out the salad and bread plates, as well as the dinner napkins.
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ONE PLATE, 4 DIFFERENT PLACE SETTINGS
LOOK #1: This place setting takes on an Americana feel with the addition of the red salad plate. The square bread plate with a holiday sentiment works great with the traditional grouping. If you decorate with red for Christmas, this place setting would look stunning. A centerpiece of greenery and white hydrangea would be how I’d finish off the table decor.
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LOOK #2: This place setting has a vintage, bohemian vibe to it, while still being classic. The Blue Willow dinner plate, Red Willow salad plate and Lou Rota soup bowl are a perfect combination. If you weren’t serving soup as part of the meal, the bowl could be used to serve a small salad. The floral dinner napkins add an eclectic touch. To finish this look, I’d create several mixed color flower arrangements and place them down the center of the table.
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LOOK #3: I love the bold pop of color this red bread plate adds against the white salad plate. And the gold lettering ties back to the gold beading on the red dinner napkins. When it comes to setting a table, don’t be afraid to mix gold and silver or other metal finishes together. It’s the mix that adds the personality. A large bowl filled with red, gold and silver ornaments would look great as the centerpiece with the place setting.
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LOOK #4: I think this is the most elegant place setting of the four because of the gold lettered bread plate. The salad plate has a large-scale blue & white floral pattern that provides a contrast against the Blue Willow plate. To keep the color palette simple, I choose a blue linen dinner napkin. An all white flower arrangement in a brass container is what I’d use for the centerpiece.
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THE TABLETOP INGREDIENTS:
Red Rimmed Salad Plate–thrifted {similar style in melamine}
Lenox Solitaire White Salad Plate
Blue & White Floral Salad Plate–HomeGoods {similar here}
Red Willow Salad Plate–thrifted {available on Etsy}
Square Merry Christmas Plate–HomeGoods
Jingle All The Way Plate–HomeGoods
Lou Rota Soup Bowl–thrifted {check Ebay}
Red and Gold Merry Plate–HomeGoods
Red Dinner Napkins–HomeGoods {DIY monogram tutorial here}
Blue Linen Dinner Napkins–HomeGoods
Red Floral Dinner Napkins–World Market {no longer available}
Red with Gold Beads Dinner Napkins–Hobby Lobby {no longer available}
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When you’re out shopping for tableware, keep in mind the things you already own. Then shop for items that will allow to your mix and match your pieces to create different looks throughout the year.
Happy Entertaining!