It's the most wonderful time of the year and we can't wait to stuff ourselves with delicious Christmas turkey.
After a disappointing Christmas last year, people are looking forward to getting together to celebrate the festive season with their loved ones.
If you're looking to add a little festive magic to your Christmas dinner then Dublin woman Sam Ashe of Hostaro Tableware has some fantastic tips on how to elevate your table decorations.
Tablescaping is the art of arranging items on a table in a stylish manner.
Sam, who is originally from Mount Merrion but lives in Cabinteely, said: "My background is marketing and events and I’ve done that for 20 years. I loved the events side of things. We did a lot of corporate events both for businesses and consumers.
"In my later years, I started to style for a lot of photoshoots and with that it would have been a lot of setting tables. So with both the events and the styling came this idea. I love to entertain at home as well.
"So I would’ve done a lot of tablescaping at home and before I even knew that term 'tablescaping', I was doing it."
Here are some top tips from Sam to create beautiful tablescapes for Christmas dinner:
Theme
Sam said: "I think the number one tip is to agree on your theme. Obviously, it’s going to be Christmas so absolutely embrace it.
"So whether your theme is going to be red or white and gold, choose that theme and stick to it because that will give you direction."
Flowers
She went on to say: "If you’re going to with the red theme you can bring that into your flowers. To have a flower display is so important. I think it really adds to your tablescape.
"So look into building your tablescape around your flowers. Think about not having them high because you want to see your guests on the other side of the table."
Dinnerware
"Your dinnerware and glassware are so important so when you’re thinking about your theme are you going to buy new dinnerware or are you going to use what you have?
"So say, between now and Christmas you’re probably going to use what they have. So when choosing your theme think about the dinnerware that you have so it’ll complement the whole look and feel.
"And in terms of glassware, what I do a lot of times is I bring in an added colour into the glassware to add to the theme. So I’d have some coloured glass goblets to have a pop of colour on the table.
"So if I have the red theme, I have some red goblets to go with it."
Texture and Layers
"Whatever you have as your placemats or your charger plates to go underneath them as well can add a bit of a dimension to it.
"And your candles - we’ve got these lovely tall candles that you can put in to add a bit of height. Or you can add some tea lights to give it a bit of that extra dimension and ambience.
"You could also add fairylights. You can get really affordable lights for €3 in Dunnes and they’re twinkle lights you can put around your centrepiece. It just adds a little bit of festiveness and glow to the table.
Table Linen
"I love table linen whether it’s a runner that you want - because I know a lot of people have beautiful tables that they don’t want to hide- or your table cloth.
"I also love adding napkins. You can go mix and match with those or you can have them matching."
You can check out Sam's tablescapes on her website here.
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