Christmas Table Decorations: How to Style Your Dining Table for Christmas Lunch
Good Christmas table decorations come from a few simple layers: a base such as a runner or tablecloth, a low centrepiece, a neat place setting for each guest and some soft lighting. Scale them all to the size and shape of your dining table. Keep the middle of the table low and clear enough for shared dishes and conversation. Let a buffet or sideboard take whatever doesn't fit.
This guide covers checking that your table seats everyone, styling it for its shape, making room for the food, setting each place, choosing colours, keeping decorations fresh in Perth's summer heat, and bringing the buffet and the rest of the dining room into the look.
Key takeaways
- According to IKEA Australia's dining table planning guide, each guest needs about 60 cm of table edge, with at least 80 cm between the table and whatever is behind the chairs.
- A centrepiece arranged on a tray or lazy Susan can be lifted off or turned aside when the platters arrive, so the decorations and the food don't compete for space.
- Artificial greenery and LED candles don't wilt or soften in the heat the way fresh flowers and wax candles can on a hot Perth Christmas Day.
- If you're adding an extendable table or extra chairs, order early: Adore Home Living's Perth metro delivery usually takes 2–6 business days, but special orders take 10–20 weeks.
What do you need to decorate a Christmas table?
To decorate a Christmas table, you need four layers: a base, a centrepiece, a place setting for each guest, and lighting, with greenery tying them together. Start with the dining table itself, because its size, shape and surface decide how much of each layer will fit.
Here's what each layer does:
- The base: a tablecloth, a runner or the bare tabletop. A table runner is a narrow length of fabric that runs down the centre of the table, leaving the surface on show at each side. That suits an attractive timber or stone top.
- The centrepiece: the main arrangement in the middle of the table, such as greenery, candles, baubles in a bowl or flowers in a low vase.
- Place settings: the plate, cutlery, glass, napkin and bonbon at each seat.
- Lighting: candles or LED candles, which add warmth even at a daytime lunch.
- Greenery: sprigs of foliage, real or artificial, that link the centrepiece to the place settings.
You don't need every layer at full strength. One well-placed centrepiece with simple settings usually looks more pulled together than decorations in every spare spot.
Will everyone fit around your dining table this Christmas?
Your dining table will fit your Christmas guests if it gives each person about 60 cm of table edge and leaves at least 80 cm between the table and the wall or furniture behind the chairs, the figures recommended in IKEA Australia's dining table planning guide. Check this before buying decorations, because everything else has to fit inside that space.
To work out your table's seating capacity:
- Measure each long side and divide by 60 cm. A 200 cm table, for example, gives three places along each side.
- Check the ends. Add a seat at each end only if it doesn't push the guests along the sides into each other's space.
- Measure behind the chairs. If you pull the table away from a wall to fit more chairs, keep that 80 cm of space so guests can sit down and get up.
If the numbers come up short, an extendable table is often the simplest answer. An extendable dining table is a table with an extra section that lengthens it when you need more places. Adore's Eason X, for example, extends from 140 cm to 200 cm, so it can stay compact day to day and open up for Christmas. Extra dining chairs, or borrowed chairs styled to match, cover the rest.
Timing matters if you're buying. Adore's own delivery team covers Perth metro, usually within 2–6 business days. But special orders take 10–20 weeks, so a special-order table needs planning well before December.
How do you style a Christmas table to suit its shape?
Style a rectangular or oval Christmas table with a long, low centrepiece that runs down the middle, and a round or square table with one compact arrangement in the centre. Matching the decorations to the table's shape keeps the setting balanced and gives every guest a similar view and similar space.
Rectangular and oval tables
Run greenery along the centre like a garland, with candles or small vases spaced evenly along it. Repeating the same few pieces at regular intervals looks deliberate, and it's easy to take one out if you need room for a dish. On an oval table, taper the arrangement towards the narrower ends.
Round tables
A round table suits one central cluster, because a long runner leaves the curved edges looking bare. Keep the cluster compact so dishes can sit in a ring around it. A lazy Susan is a rotating tray that sits in the centre of a table so guests can turn dishes towards them. Some Adore dining tables, such as the Omega, come with a lazy Susan, which gives a round arrangement a natural base.
Square tables
Treat a square table like a round one: a single arrangement in the middle, scaled so each side still has room for a serving dish. A short runner, or two runners crossed in the centre, can frame the arrangement.
How do you fit the centrepiece and the food on the same table?
To fit a Christmas centrepiece and the food on one table, keep the centrepiece low enough to see over when you're seated and narrow enough to leave room for platters on both sides. Building the centrepiece on a tray means you can lift the whole display off the table when the food arrives.
A few practical checks help:
- Decide how you're serving. If dishes are shared at the table, the centrepiece needs to be slimmer than if food is plated in the kitchen or served from a buffet.
- Measure your largest platter. Leave a clear strip beside the centrepiece wide enough to hold it.
- Do a test run. Set out the decorations and the empty serving dishes the day before to see what fits.
- Move tall pieces. Tall candlesticks, branches or a tabletop tree block the view across the table, so place them at the ends or on the buffet.
- Give the centrepiece a movable base. Adore's trays and marble lazy Susans let you shift or lift the whole arrangement in one go.
How should you set each place for Christmas lunch?
Set each place for Christmas lunch with a plate, cutlery, a glass, a napkin and a bonbon (Christmas cracker), plus a name card or a sprig of greenery if you like. Keep each setting within its own share of the table so guests have room to eat comfortably. That share is about 60 cm per person in IKEA Australia's guidance.
Build each setting from the plate out:
- Charger (optional): a charger is a larger decorative plate that sits under the dinner plate to frame it.
- Plate and cutlery: forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right.
- Glass: above the knives.
- Napkin: folded on the plate or beside it, tied with ribbon or a sprig of rosemary or gum leaves.
- Bonbon and name card: on the plate or just above it.
If you're adding borrowed or mismatched chairs, tie them in with something repeated, such as the same napkin colour at every place or a sprig of greenery tied to each chair back. The repeated details draw the eye, so the different chair styles matter less.
Which Christmas colours and styles suit your table and dining room?
The Christmas colours that suit your table are the ones that work with its surface and the finishes already in your dining room. Warm reds, greens and golds sit well against timber, while white, silver and greenery suit pale stone and marble. Choose one palette and repeat it across the centrepiece, the place settings and the buffet.
Four styles work well on an Australian Christmas table:
- Classic: red, green and gold, with baubles, ribbon and candles.
- White and natural: white, cream and soft greenery, with linen and timber or rattan accents for a relaxed coastal feel.
- Australian native: gum leaves, eucalyptus and native foliage in greens and soft greys.
- Metallic: gold, champagne or black accents, used sparingly for a more formal table.
The tabletop helps decide which palette to use. Marri is a Western Australian hardwood, and each piece has its own colour, grain and natural markings.
| Tabletop | Palettes that suit it | Styling tip |
|---|---|---|
| Timber, such as Marri, oak or ash | Classic red and green, native greenery, natural tones | Use a runner rather than a full cloth so the grain stays on show |
| Marble | White, silver, greenery | Keep the centrepiece simple so the marble stays part of the look |
| Ceramic and sintered stone | Any palette, depending on the top's colour | Pick up one colour from the surface and repeat it in napkins or ribbon |
| Glass | Metallic, white and silver | Use placemats or a runner so the decorations have a defined base |
If your table or chairs have metal legs, repeat that tone in your decorations. Adore's dining and living furniture uses metal finishes in Gunmetal Black and Champagne Gold. These pair easily with black or gold candle holders, napkin rings or cutlery.
How do you keep Christmas table decorations fresh in Perth's summer heat?
To keep Christmas table decorations fresh in Perth's summer heat, use artificial or hardy greenery instead of delicate fresh flowers, swap wax candles for LED candles, and keep the table out of direct afternoon sun. A Christmas lunch can run for hours, and heat and sun take a toll on anything fresh or made of wax.
Perth averages 11.6 hours of sunshine a day in December, according to Bureau of Meteorology climate statistics for Perth Airport. That's a long stretch of strong light on a table near a window.
- Flowers and greenery: fresh flowers droop quickly in a warm room. Artificial flowers and greenery are made to hold their shape and can be reused next year. If you prefer fresh, arrange them as late as possible and keep them in water.
- Candles: wax candles can soften and lean in the heat. LED candles give the glow without the flame or the melting, but many run on button batteries. According to Product Safety Australia's button batteries guide, three children have died in Australia from button battery incidents. The guide notes that children up to 5 years old are at greatest risk. Choose LED candles with a secure battery compartment and keep spare batteries out of reach.
- Real flames: according to Product Safety Australia, a permanent ban applies to candle holders and candle decorations that catch fire. Greenery, napkins and bonbons on the table can still catch, so keep flames clear of them and don't leave candles burning unattended.
- Sun: draw blinds or curtains on the side of the room that gets afternoon sun, for the decorations and for the tabletop underneath.
- Lilies: if a cat lives in or visits your home, leave lilies out of the arrangement. Lilies are toxic to cats, and that includes the water in the vase.
How can your buffet and the rest of the dining room add to the Christmas table?
A buffet or sideboard adds to your Christmas table by holding the platters, drinks and extra decorations that would otherwise crowd it. Style it as a second display in the same palette. Use the rest of the dining room, such as a rug under the table, to frame the setting.
A buffet (also called a sideboard) is a low storage cabinet with drawers or doors, usually placed against a dining room wall. On Christmas Day it can work as:
- A serving station: desserts, extra platters, or the whole spread if you're serving buffet-style.
- A drinks station: a decanter, water jugs and glasses, so guests can help themselves without reaching across the table. Adore's decanter and jug sets suit this job.
- A display: the tall candlesticks, branches or small tree that would block the view across the table.
Load a buffet with care. Keep heavy items low, and anchor the buffet to the wall, particularly if young children will be visiting.
A rug can also define the dining area. According to IKEA Australia's dining rug guide, a dining rug should be 60–70 cm larger than the table on both sides, so the chairs stay on the rug when they're pulled out.
What else do people ask about Christmas table decorations?
How far ahead can you set the Christmas table?
You can set most of a Christmas table the day before: the base, the place settings, bonbons, name cards and any artificial greenery. Leave fresh flowers, fresh greenery and anything edible until the morning, and add candles last. Covering the glasses with a clean cloth overnight keeps them free of dust.
Can you decorate a Christmas table without a tablecloth?
Yes. A bare tabletop can look great at Christmas, especially timber with visible grain or stone with natural veining. A runner down the centre and placemats at each setting define the layout without hiding the surface. Placemats under the plates also add a layer of protection for tops that aren't heatproof.
How do you decorate a Christmas table for an outdoor lunch?
For an outdoor Christmas lunch, choose decorations that cope with wind and sun: a tablecloth with clips or weights, heavier centrepiece pieces, and LED candles instead of open flames. Set up in the shade, and bring the decorations outside while your indoor dining table and chairs stay inside, out of the sun and weather.
What can you use for a Christmas centrepiece besides flowers?
A Christmas centrepiece doesn't need flowers. Baubles in a glass bowl, a row of candles in holders, greenery woven with ribbon, or ornaments grouped on a tray all work well. In an Australian summer, a bowl of cherries or other fresh fruit adds colour to the table and doubles as dessert.
What should you do next?
Three steps will get your table ready:
- Check your table against your guest list. Work out how many people it seats, and if you need an extendable table or extra chairs, allow time for delivery.
- Pick one palette and build the layers. Start with the base and the centrepiece, then add place settings, lighting and greenery.
- Plan for the heat. Choose decorations that cope with a warm room, and keep the table out of direct afternoon sun.
Adore Home Living can help with both the table and what goes on it. If the table, chairs or buffet need to change before Christmas, you can see dining tables in ceramic, sintered stone, marble, glass and Marri timber, including extendable ranges such as the Axis, Eason X, Ezra and Harlo round, along with dining chairs and buffets, at Adore's Perth showrooms in Jandakot, Cannington, Malaga and Rockingham, open 7 days. For the table itself, Adore stocks vases, candle holders, trays and marble lazy Susans, decanter and jug sets and artificial plants, and Adore Design Services can help you plan your dining room in-store, in your home or by phone.