Expert advice on how to style your Christmas table this holiday season

Dinner hosting season is at its peak around this time of year, not to mention that the Christmas train is also fast approaching.

You are probably super organized and have already planned out every detail for your perfect Christmas table BUT for those who haven’t, we’ve teamed up with two fabulous women who know a thing or two about making your Christmas table magical.

They’ve gone out of their way to create and put their spin on the traditional Christmas table setting using a few pieces from our table linen collection, natural decorations and have agreed to share their key tips to help you create your versions at home. Read on for inspiration!

We first spoke to Danielle van der Reijden who is the owner of a styling agency and runs a beautifully curated interior design blog. Danielle has plenty of tips under her belt especially when it comes to perfecting Christmas dinner soirées.

Danielle’s top 3 tips for the perfect Christmas table setting:

• Vary your heights: so if you set the table make sure that everything standing is not at the same height level. Opt for a variety of heights, this can be achieved with candles or flowers.
• Add a surprise element for your guest: try not to make everything the same. For instance, for one of your guests you can make a name-card and for another you can decorate their place at the table with a Christmas bauble.
• Make a color scheme: try picking 3 colors. This year Danielle is decorating with whites, naturals and golds. You can see her beautiful table setting above.

We also turned to Irene Berni for some advice on how to turn your table into a Christmas miracle. Irene is not only very passionate about food and has written two cookbooks, but is also an expert host. A skill she proudly wears at Valdirose, a stunning B&B in Florence which she runs alongside her family. Irene draws inspiration for interior design during her travels, when visiting local markets and while browsing antique stores.

Irene’s top 3 tips for the perfect Christmas table setting:

• Use natural material and handcrafted objects. You can see that for her table Irene has created a majestic centrepiece using materials found in the outdoors.
• Go with a color palette inspired by nature and the season
• Elements you place on the table should be usable and functional

Holiday hosting can be tough, especially if you have the whole family around your house this year for Christmas. We asked both Danielle and Irene how they treat technology around the table and is it something that they simply ignore or go as far as to ban it completely. They both feel pretty relaxed about it and as Irene points out, we now use our smartphones to capture memories and family Christmas’ are always a memory to cherish.

If you would like more inspiration check out their Instagram profiles, where you will find beautifully styled homes and carefully selected pieces to match their styles: @ellefotografie & @valdirose

Wishing all of our readers a wonderful and magical Christmas!