Finishing Touches : My Dining Table This Christmas

How are doing with your Christmas plans?  My decorations are up, I’ve nearly finished the gifts (I’ve just got to wrap them) and now I need to put a little thought into the food and the dining table this Christmas.  How you decorate your dining table during the festive period I feel is very important.  My taste isn’t too fussy (eek, I hope!) and there should be enough space to both see across the table, as well as space to add serving plates and dishes and jugs. However its a time for adding something special like metallics, sparkle and opulence too.

There will be just the four of us this Christmas, so we’ll be using the table in our kitchen, which is more like an island, with tambour units and cupboards underneath. It’s a black granite table top, in an unusual shape, so it’s not the easiest to buy for.

 

I’m not the kind of person who changes how I decorate the table at Christmas or my home every year.  However we’d had the same things for a very long time so I fancied adding some new items to mix it up a little.  I wanted to give it a softer feel, as the granite can look very harsh.  I headed to my closest Homesense branch – Castle Marina Retail Park in Nottingham as I knew it would perfect to buy everything I needed all at once, perfect when it’s so hectic at Christmas and you don’t have time to visit lots of shops.  I went with a very rough list of things that I needed, but the colours and style I wanted to choose once I was there.  I think that’s the beauty of shopping at Homesense. I’m always prepared to be surprised by what I can find, and in fact that’s one of the many reasons I love it, as is the ever-changing stock and the incredible savings of (up to 60% off the rrp) you can make.

What I was going to look for:

• Chargers/Placemats
• Tablecloth/Runner
• Water glasses
• Plates/Bowls for a second course
• Coasters
• Cutlery
• Something for the center of the table?

If you are in the same position this Christmas, looking to add new style to your table, I would recommend taking stock of what you do have and would like to use again, before heading off to the shops, it’s very easy to duplicate things.  I do have a bit of a rule when I go shopping at Homesense.  I first walk all the way around the store, before grabbing a trolley to begin my shopping.  There is so much to look at, in many different departments, it good to have a recky first before making any decisions.

Whilst I did my first walk around the store, I noticed lots of gold accessories, which would go well with what I had already, I also spotted a gorgeous white linen tablecloth, that I very nearly bought, but when I found this soft pink table runner with matching placemats, I knew it was perfect and a really different more modern way of introducing colour to our Christmas table.

The table runner and mat are soft velvet, completely washable (hurrah) so any gravy and wine spills will not be a problem. Such good value too, at 14.99 and 12.99. The napkins, are just perfect, with the gold stag printed on white linen, such a great find at 4.99, I’ll be using these forever I think.  I spotted these glass bowls (2.99 each) which I thought were so pretty and delicate, quite tall and could easily be used for a starter or dessert. It actually looks almost like gold lace has been pressed onto the glass. I also found a glass serving plate in a similar design (4.99) that I thought perfect to either add to the table with candles on it, as it was dressed the night before and then used as a serving plate once dinner was being eaten.

We have a little bit of an obsession with candles, and if you are looking for them, I definitely recommend going to Homesense as you can honestly find any colour, style and scent you might wish for. I spotted three that I thought we could burn throughout the Christmas period, and would look great on the glass plate.  They were priced from 5.99-14.99 for the three wick Olivia Blake which retails at over £35.

I love the contrast of the black, gold and pink. The cutlery was another great find.  Gold is a trend still very hot, and gold cutlery….well I couldn’t resist. They were 39.99 for a set of 16. I’ve seen lots for well over £100 so I thought they were great value.  They feel heavy and expensive to handle, and really add opulence to the table. I also spotted some beaded gold coasters, which I always need at 4.99.

It’s such an important time of year, of family togetherness.  The look on my girls faces at the sight of their stockings, that post dinner slumber, playing games  and watching the TV specials.  Christmas dinner is definitely a time of the year we really pull out all the stops.  My husband and I cook together and its one of things I most enjoy as well as the eating of it of course.

One final thing I bought was the card wheel decorations in black white and gold, 9 of them for 9.99. You can stick them with double-sided tape or as I did use a paperclip to keep them together so you can reuse them.  I hung them from a beam above the table and put some on the windowsill too.  I found them in the partyware section, and thought they looked kinda retro and added something a little different to the table. I just love them now and I think I’ll keep them up until new year.

So there you have it, my new look table this Christmas, what do you think?

This post is in collaboration with Homesense.

 

If you enjoyed this, how about my Christmas planning and menu post – HERE.