Placesetting Tips Archives

Christmas Place Settings | One Plate, Four Looks

December 8, 2018

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!

Inspiration: Christmas Entertaining With A Color Twist!

November 18, 2015

If you can’t tell from recent post here on the blog, I’m really getting in the Christmas spirit. Today I’m bringing you an inspiration board I created for a colorful holiday party.

The concept for this party was a casual, chic party table with a twist on traditional Christmas colors.

Here’s a look at each item and tips for creating your own festive holiday table!

Whenever I can’t find cloth table linens to fit a theme, I turn to wrapping paper. With just about any design and color option available, wrapping paper is a cost-effective and simple way to dress your table. TABLE RUNNER: Snowy Tree Wrapping Paper

Most table settings I create incorporate a charger plate. Chargers help to add impact to a table and are also part of the layering that every table setting needs. I recommend you buy a set of gold, silver and red chargers so you have colors that will work with every table setting your can imagine. CHARGER PLATES: Gold Charger with Fluted Edge (my favorite gold charger design)*

One of the basic tabletop items I think everyone should own is a set of classic white dinnerware. White plates will give you tons of flexibility to mix and match patterned salad/dessert plates and bowls. DINNER PLATES: Round White Dinnerware *(you can’t beat the price of these plates)

Novelty salad plates are an easy way to bring pattern to the table for the holidays or for any season. I love to pair square salad plates with round dinner plates for visual interest. SALAD/DESSERT PLATES: Green and White Chalkboard Christmas Plates

Entertaining is so much easier when you have the right serving pieces. A tiered stand can be used in lots of different ways and works just as well on a table as it does on a buffet. SERVING STAND: Gold Two Tier Stand

Holiday entertaining by candlelight is a must in my book and these Christmas tree shaped candles are the perfect accent to compliment the paper runner design. CENTERPIECE DECOR: Pearlized Christmas Tree Candle **(these would make a fun hostess gift too)*

Gold flatware is just one of the elements that helps to add a touch of glam to this tablescape and it ties in with the other gold accent pieces which helps to create the theme. FLATWARE: Gold Flatware (I also love the design of this silver flatware set)*

I like the idea of placing wine in an ice bucket versus placing the bottle on the table. When not used to hold wine, the bucket could hold flowers or even be used as a serving bowl of a salad or bread. ICE BUCKET: Hexagon Ice Bucket

Colorful glasses are a great investment and will add that bold pop of color that every table needs. These glasses accent the green in the runner and salad plates so that the table has three different pops of the key accent color. STEMWARE: Green Wine Glasses (HomeGoods always has a great selection of colorful glassware)*

Pattern mixing is key to bringing your holiday table to life. The gingham plaid dinner napkins provide a great contrast to the oversized pattern of the paper design and further highlight the navy color. LINENS: Blue Check Dinner Napkins (these would be easy to DIY if you can’t find your color)*

When it comes to a centerpiece, I use items that will add height, style and a unique touch to the table. These gold reindeer do all of that along with adding that glamorous touch the decor called for. DECOR: Gold Reindeer Decor (the fur collar is removable so you could change the look from year to year)*

So when it comes to setting your holiday table, do you have any tricks or tips you use? Leave me a comment and let me know.

I’ll be sharing my own holiday table soon. Stay tuned.

Anatomy of a Place Setting

November 12, 2014

Earlier this year I started a series here on the blog called Anatomy of…

The goal of these blog post is to share the ins and outs, the details and tips and techniques for decorating different areas of your home.

Just in time for Thanksgiving and because the dinner table it such an important part of the holiday, I thought I’d share the Anatomy of a Place Setting!

Here’s a look at the components that make for the most beautiful dining table settings.

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