Get inspired to create a beautiful and festive holiday table this year, using elegant ornaments and a little imagination. The key to setting an inviting table is to keep the decor proportionate. Choose one or two accent colours, then layer and embellish carefully, remembering that less is more. And make sure to leave space for the food!


Fresh focus
Mix your everyday dishes with a few pretty details to create a lovely holiday tableau. Match your plates with ornaments in the same shade – it’s all you need for festive flair.
In harmony
Bring together a variety of styles with a unifying shade. Here, inexpensive milk glass plates, a piece of Grandma’s transferware, tinted Depression glass and classic white china all play off the bright hue of a vintage ornament.
Gold standard
Nothing says luxe like a rich shade of gold. Use it sparingly – as an accent against plain white or coupled with clear glass – to keep it from overpowering your table and your food. A few gleaming balls are enough to set the mood.
Glowing terms
Temper the warmth of gold with the coolness of silver to lend a sense of restrained sumptuousness to your table. Elements in a variety of finishes – matte, shiny, slick, patterned and patinated – create extra dimension.

To make stencilled napkins like these, lay a plain white linen or cotton napkin on a flat surface and place your stencil on top. Dab on gold fabric paint with a stencilling brush; let dry completely. Roll up the napkin, tie with a length of ribbon and attach two or three mini- ornaments.