6 Festive Styling Tips for Christmas Entertaining

by Heather Nette King

A stinking hot Christmas day — it’s something people from the Northern Hemisphere struggle to comprehend. No snow? No eggnog? What??? But to us Aussies and New Zealanders, it’s what we do best — we over-indulge at lunchtime, sleep it off in a lounger, then wake to a family game of backyard cricket whilst we work up to round two — leftover turkey and ham for dinner, maybe with a few prawns on the barbeque, and the obligatory fruit pavlova. Whilst these happy scenes are common, there are loads of different ways to add your own stylish stamp to holiday entertaining at yours. Check out these 6 festive styling tips for Christmas entertaining.

6 Festive Styling Tips for Christmas Entertaining with decorative tabletop

Christmas colour palette

This year we have seen a continued rise in the popularity of gentle and harmonious colour palettes that are inspired by nature and evoke a sense of comfort and familiarity in us all. Don’t feel the need to go with a traditional Christmas palette of bright red green and strong metallics like silver and gold. Instead, opt for sage and eucalyptus greens; soft, sea-coloured blues and teals; and pale, flesh-toned pinks, which are all very popular choices for dinnerware and accessories this season.

Image courtesy @threebirdsrenovations with the Antigua dining table and benches

Fresh furnishings

Natural timbers that look gently sun-kissed and faded, together with rattan and cane make a superb base for your festive spread. Chairs that combine woven elements with durable, linen-look seat covers hit the mark perfectly, combining comfort and practicality with the most on-trend look. Fresh white metal is also enjoying popularity this year, as it gives a contemporary and fresh vibe to the natural colour palette.

Festive accessories

Decorative accessories are also embracing the natural colour palette — such as coloured glass vases in gentle greens, blues, nudes and other nature-inspired tones like amber and tortoiseshell. Cushions with botanical prints in nature’s hues will add not just comfort but an extra layer of styling to your scene.

6 Festive Styling Tips for Christmas Entertaining – group grazing

Amazing grazing

A shared platter or two on a table is such a delightful way to begin or end a meal. Timber grazing boards and platters look amazing when piled high with the most delicious fare — you can even add a platter of festive bon-bons to your spread.

6 Festive Styling Tips for Christmas Entertaining – decorative tabletop

Decorative tabletops

Beautiful Christmas baubles can be used for much more than hanging on your tree. Use them to adorn your gift-wrapping, to tie onto a name place-card, and to add a bit of sparkle to your table.

Basket brilliance

Gorgeous wicker, cane, bamboo and rattan baskets and trays serve a multitude of purposes. Big baskets make the perfect stylish holders for Christmas trees — both real and fake. Or use smaller ones to place little trees along your festive table.

Heather Nette King is a Melbourne‑based interiors stylist and writer for many leading interior titles and newspapers. She has been the Melbourne Homes Editor of Sunday Life magazine for over a decade, and her work has appeared in many Australian and international magazines, including Inside Out Magazine, Country Style, Australian House & Garden, Real Living Australia Magazine, Home Beautiful Magazine, Vogue Living, ELLE China, The Design Files and The Interiors Addict. Her own home has appeared in Belle Magazine, and her previous home was featured in the international style bible, ELLE Decoration UK. Heather has created the visual imagery for many well-known Australian brands, and also works behind the scenes copy-writing for their advertisements and websites. Heather is currently renovating her family home in an iconic, heritage‑listed apartment block. Her hobbies are gardening, spending time with her husband and two daughters, and walking her beloved Golden Retriever, Dougal.