Styling your Christmas table

Editor’s note: Please welcome the SY interiors expert, Kristie Castagna from Elements at Home. Kristie is a professional blogger, interior stylist and colour consultant so who better to give some advice on getting the most out of spaces at home?

Some of my favourite Christmas table decorating tips are simple, easy and achievable for every table in every home.  They are looks you can use for any time of the year not just at Christmas and they will work for you if you have a two seat table or a 12 seat table.

I know (like everyone else) that Christmas day can be crazy. Not so long ago I remember a day that had me waking up at 5.30am, heavily pregnant, cooking a roast beef (that was requested by a family member) before my toddler got up (so I/he could half enjoy his present opening) before heading off for a 40 minute drive for breakfast, then leaving there for another hour long drive (for lunch, with my now cold roast beef) before leaving at 3pm to travel another hour home to get ready for dinner. Now that was a day like no other but it made me realise that decorating on a day like that was not on the top of my list.

I was lucky enough to have a few tricks up my sleeve for decorating the table when your Christmas Spirit is all but gone. I knew this could be one of the four looks I could share with you today.

One of my goto tablescapes is a “Stacked Table”. This look is fabulous and functional with a little self serve in the mix. Grab the tallest or biggest items first and place them in the middle or one end of the table. These larger items will create the “anchor” pieces to your stack. Then simply grab the exact amount of plates, side plates, salad bowls and dessert bowls. Add in all your wine and water glasses and the knives, forks, spoons and dessert spoons. You will be basically starting with the tallest down to the smallest.

With this tablescape you will find one of two things might happen:

1. Your most helpful guest will offer to lay everything out for you as you’re finishing your cooking or;
2. You will place all your food platters down, tell everyone to grab a plate and fill it, then take a seat wherever you like.

Either way you don’t have to get too involved and your guests get straight into buffet mode.

The next look is for those into a bit of mid century and involves all things succulents and terrariums. This is the perfect way to decorate with what you may already have around your home or with what you could get from the garden. I have mine from Let it Grow and The Birds Nest Co as well as Freedom. Then again I added some baubles and 1 length of gold beads. This is such a simple mix with some great results.

This one is easy, it includes a white table cloth and lots of timber. Lets start with the Twigs, these I purchased from the Angove Street Collective but I have previously found my own walking around our local scrubland. They were $60 for the set and although they are/were living they will give back forever. I found the timber Noel from Adairs for $12 and some wild Rosemary growing in our local street. The baubles and christmas twine cone are old.

The candle holders were gifts from a friend for my birthday but I know they were from Freedom and my tummy is always happy to see a Vienna loaf in the house…..all in all this look became Christmas only when I added the timber cone tree and the baubles otherwise this could be a dinner table look for any day of the year.

Look number four is for the vintage, young at heart or eclectic in mind. Bring out all your jars, milk bottles and glass vases. Now raid your garden or wait for your usual weekly gifted bunch of flowers to come home with your… oh let’s face it; most of us are not likely to receive a bunch from our husband or partner so I say go ahead and buy them for yourself 😉

Ok back on track, place little posies or stems in each vase as well as twigs and feathers. One large vase could house all those extra baubles that didn’t make the tree and spill some out onto the table. Again the only time this became Christmas inspired was with the addition of baubles and a reindeer otherwise this could have been an every day decorating look.

Thanks for having me pop in this year. I would like to take this opportunity to say Merry Christmas and a very Happy start to 2016.

Photos by Stevie.Elle and Styling by Elements at Home

Kristie Castagna spent 12 years as a Visual Merchandiser enjoying styling and retail focused design and its many diversities before starting her blog Elements at Home. She is an interiors stylist, colour consultant and professional blogger – not to mention mother and wife. She can talk design for days if you corner her at a party!