When hosting at home, not only do we want to offer our guests delicious drinks and dining, but creating a beautiful table has become a way to express our creativity and to personalise the whole experience. And, there’s no better time than the festive season to embrace the art of tablescaping…
What’s your story?
Your tablescape will be influenced by the room or outdoor setting and decor, but also your chosen theme or colour palette. For inspiration, why not start a mood board using Instagram and Pinterest to collate your ideas.
An overarching ‘story’ will allow you to focus your creativity and keep everything harmonious. Here’s a few seasonal story idea examples . . .
Alpine Brunch
Festive Christmas Morning
Quality basics
These are the fundamentals for your table and one of our top tips is to invest in some good quality basics that will last for many years to come. Using a neutral tablecloth base, you can introduce colour by introducing napkins in different shades to suit the occasion.
Or, select in some classic seasonal shades such a deep wine or sage green and create a block colour setting. Invest in quality linens that you’ll bring out each year but transform the look of your table through your added accessorising.
This Christmas we are styling our festive table with a beautiful neutral linen tablecloth paired with festive green runners, tablemats and napkins. We’ll continue the green theme by introducing foliage to create a beautiful natural table garland – a simple and environmentally friendly way to add texture to your table and it is fun to go foraging in the local countryside, with some eucalyptus bought from our local florist mixed in.
It’s all about the detail
Napkins are a key component of the tablescape and we have been swooning over the collection from the Italian artisan company Once Milano, who hand make all linens to order. Not only can you pick from over 20 delicious shades, you can choose from a host of different styles from scalloped edges to macrame borders.
How you fold them, how you tie them and the shape or edging can bring a totally different feel to your table. Display them using napkin rings; tie with ribbons or cord; add a sprig of foliage or handwritten label or personalise further with bespoke embroidery.
House of Dome offers a service to monogram with guest initials or even a personalised message or mantra.
Keep it Unexpected
Use your imagination to bring an unexpected element to the table and don’t feel bound by convention. Using sprigs of fragrant herbs adds a sensory layer; creating a handwritten menu for each guest or small table gifts; using seasonal finds you’ve foraged from a walk or you might have found in a bric-a-brac or antique shop, can help make your table memorable and unique.
Getting the lighting right
The art of tablescaping is not just about the things you dress the table with – a key fundamental to create the right atmosphere at your table is getting the lighting right. It is always lovely to light candles for atmosphere, but we are big fans of using portable table lamps to set the mood.
Our absolute favourite is the TeTaTet by Italian lighting genius, Davide Groppi. This understated lamp is all about the effect of the light and it creates a beautiful intimate atmosphere at your table, connecting you with those around it, making you consider light as a fundamental ingredient of the setting and the food. Its portability gives you the freedom to bring light where you want it, simply and effortlessly and with a 12hr battery light should keep going long after the last guests have gone.
Seasonal Scents
Although you don’t want a scent to overpower, we love for our guests to walk into the room and to instantly sense the atmosphere through the interior fragrance we have chosen. Lighting candles; having a background diffuser or spraying your napkins with a seasonal scent, creates an added level of scene setting.
During the Autumn months, we use Mountain by CULTI Milano which has aromatic notes of cedar wood, cardamom and resin enlivened with the presence of vetiver, to assume structure and warmth when mingled with the base note of amber.
And this Christmas, we’ll be using the special edition Gioia candles from CULTI Milano which instantly evoke the festive season but in a contemporary way. Sweet bitter orange combines seamlessly with a fragrant gingerbread and cinnamon heart and a base in fresh fir wood which elevates the spices with unexpected freshness.
More tablescaping ideas
Discover our full collection of Italian luxe linens, all handcrafted in Venice, the perfect way to create the most beautiful of tables. Embrace the art of tablescaping, plus be inspired for your seasonal tablescapes at houseofdome.com.
