Dressing your Christmas dining table to the nines

With a heritage in home furnishings spanning more than 150 years and an online store packed with gorgeous dining table accessories, the team at Arighi Bianchi certainly know a thing or two about how to put on the style at Christmas and dress a dining table guests will drool over.

Antonia Wheeler, Design Director at the Cheshire-based interiors emporium, has these top tips for setting a super stylish seasonal table…

With the table being such an integral part of Christmas Day, it’s important it’s dressed to perfection and looking as seasonal as it can be.  With a few magical touches, you can easily take your table from everyday plain to dinner-party wow that's worthy of a festive feast.

Build up your collection of timeless pieces, to enjoy year after year. We all get excited when we bring our favourite novelty baubles or Santa stockings down from the loft, so why not build nostalgia with festive tableware as well? You can always freshen it up each year with a pop of new colour through accessories such as ribbons, crackers and napkins."

Carefully curated colour schemes

It’s easy to fall into the trap of choosing a typical green or red colour scheme, so why not explore beautiful metallic fabrics or Nordic rustic tones and add a pop of colour with the latest on-trend hues, such as these Mustique 29cm Plates £15 in teal.

Start from the table surface up - choose a simple but effective runner that’ll dictate the rest of your theme.

A runner, napkins and setting plate adds an air of luxury and it’s nice to have something left on the table once the plates are cleared away. For a quirky touch, why not use large leaves as placemats?

Statement Centrepieces

A statement centrepiece is a must for any festive gathering at Christmas whether it’s the main Christmas Day meal or a Boxing Day Brunch – it’s a sure-fire way to make a table super seasonally special.

Seasonal foliage – from fresh sprigs to fake snow-tipped holly – look great at this time of year, presented in either a statement vase or arranged around candles to bring a warm, wintery flicker of magic to the dining table. Introduce different heights to your centrepieces, by mixing large pillars and tiny tealights.

 Frost Eucalyptus & Mistle Table Decoration (below), £35

Ergonomic Elegance

With all of the gorgeous festive trimmings that make up the ultimate Christmas dinner, space around the dinner table may be limited. By investing in practical pieces, such as these ergonomic salt and pepper pots, means there will be lots of space for the sprouts! Team it with a matching Champagne cork wine bottle stop, £25.

A top tip is to always leave room on the table for more. Whether you’re serving bread, an ice bucket or bowls of food straight to the table, you’ll always need some extra room, so layer up where you can.

Champagne Cork Salt & Pepper Set, £35; Champagne Cork Wine Bottle Stop, £25.

Dazzle with a drinks cart and statement accessories

With so much to fill the table with, have a drinks cart at hand for wine, champagne and the after-dinner port.

Also ensure you have a full set of matching glasses – it’s always advisable to buy a few more than you think you will need for the inevitable breakages.

Drinks cart, £495; Stag wine bottle holder, £35; Stag head wine cooler £85; Gold Champagne flutes and Gold Leaf Platter, £129

Cutting Edge Co-ordinating Knives

If you’re planning on offering – or rather, devouring – some cheese and biscuits post-mains then these matching Stag Head Cheese Knives or the quirky ‘spanner cheese knife’ will finish off the festive fabulousness!

Stag Head Cheese Knives, set of 3 £35; Spanner Cheese Knife £15. 

For more dining accessories and dining table sets visit www.arighibianchi.co.uk