Winter is a time of connecting with friends and family. This season is for gathering around hearty meals and enjoying the company of those who mean the most. It’s a time for reminiscing on past holidays and sharing our hopes for the new year. And, it’s especially for welcoming those special people in with a sense of purpose and ease. (And, okay, a bit of excitement too!) With these goals in mind, we’ve created our Winter Warmer Tablescape design, ideal for connection and memory making through embracing the essence of what this season is all about.
We’ve shared before about our tablescape recipe and how it’s a go-to guide for any and every tablescape you’d ever want to create. (You can read Part 1 and Part 2 here, in case you missed it!) However, we want to show it to you in action. Did we use our tablescape recipe to create our Winter Warmer design? We sure did! So today, we’re breaking down the ingredients to this seemingly complex dining room set up to showcase how it’s actually quite simple – and absolutely easy to recreate in your home this season.
How to Use Our Tablescape Recipe: The Winter Warmer Design
Winter Tablescape Part 1: The Centerpiece
Ingredient #1: Textural Table Throw
For this foundational piece, we went with our soft, plush Plaid Throw in Olive Green. With a two hues perfect for the season, this throw blanket sets the tone for the rest of the design. Here, we chose an organic look, laying the throw length-wise on the table and then scrunching it into the center, but there are simply so many ways to style a throw blanket. Furthermore, this essential throw can be used in a plethora of other ways throughout your home after your winter gathering is over. Place on the edge of a guest room bed, style on the arm of your sofa, or lay on outdoor seating for easy access when guests want to get cozy.
Ingredient #2: Centerpiece Medley
A centerpiece medley is typically made of decorated vases with either faux, fresh or dried greenery, but since this is a festive time of year, we added to our norm! In addition to placing dried greenery in our Medium Weathered Black Cement Planter, we nestled our Distressed Embossed Mercury Glass Trees around the throw and greenery. Finally, we couldn’t resist including our Antique Brass Bell Garland for that extra touch of charm and cheer!
Want to add a little more holiday feel to your tablescape design? Incorporate whole nuts, such as walnuts or chestnuts in a decorative bowl, such as our Weathered Black Cement Planter Bowl, for an undeniably warm and cozy look.
Ingredient #3: Illuminating Candles
Create a warm glow by placing tealights in a deeper vessel, such as these Small Weathered Black Planters. Style near your centerpiece medley, creating a stunning focal point to be enjoyed by all. (If you’re interested in a bit more drama, then check out these beautiful candelabras for instant elegance.)
Ingredient #4: Accentual Serveware
Gold serveware is one of our favorite holiday accents to include in our tablescape designs. This hue instantly adds a bit of sophistication and ornate color that complements more neutral serveware pieces. For our gold accent, we chose our Matte Gold Cheese Knife Set to pair with this stunning Stone Gray Marble Cheese Board with Leather Tie.
Incorporate style with functional pieces, such as salt and pepper containers, and add muted green hues to your design to make your space feel cheerful and visually interesting.
Ingredient #5: Sculptural Pitcher
A stunning pitcher not only adds visual interest, but it also serves a very functional purpose. Fill a pitcher with iced water or a seasonal beverage and enjoy fewer trips to the kitchen to refill guests’ beverages.
For this design, we chose our Recycled Glass Pitcher in Olive Green for a unique and festive look that perfectly fits the season.
Winter Tablescape Part 2: The Place Setting
Ingredient #1: Foundation Charger
The best part about our tablescape recipe is that it’s just a guide. You can veer off in any creative direction you see fit – and we do this too! Case in point: our Winter Warmer design doesn’t have a charger. We ended up selecting a deeply layered dinnerware place setting (see next ingredient below!) where the dinner plate is large enough to frame the space for each guest. So, like we always say, any and all hosting rules are not really rules at all; they’re merely guides to get us started!
If you’re interested in incorporating a charger, however, be sure to check out our favorites here!
Ingredient #2: Layered Dinnerware
Layering dinnerware, from dinner and salad plates to soup or salad bowls, easily creates a formal and sophisticated aesthetic on your tablescape design. We layered our favorite Matte Chalk Dinnerware with a bowl on top for a delicious Butternut Squash Soup from Heirloom to be enjoyed with loved ones.
Ingredient #3: Woven Dinner Napkins
For special gatherings, such as during the holiday season, we like to include woven dinner napkins. This simple addition elevates the occasion and accentual hues can add to the festive feeling. We styled our dinner napkins in the shape of a Christmas tree and added one of our Jingle Bell Stirrers to create a unique look that is sure to make an impression on your guests!
Click here for our easy tutorial on this Christmas Tree napkin fold!
Ingredient #4: Accenting Flatware
Similar to gold serveware, accentual gold flatware provides a subtle hint of luxury in your design. Instead of choosing shiny gold, consider opting for a brushed or matte gold, softening the overall aesthetic and ultimately making the flatware blend seamlessly with other tablescape components.
Ingredient #5: Display-Worthy Drinkware
A functional essential, drinkware can be another way to create an elevated aesthetic while also showing guests an extra layer of thought and care. We love to place two sizes of drinkware on our place setting, and this time we chose our Fluted Tumblers. With these two choices, guests are able to fill one with iced water and another with a seasonal or specialty beverage.
There you have it, friend! Using our Tablescape Recipe makes setting the table with style easy and doable. Remember that this “recipe” is simply a guide to give structure to your creativity, and you can decide which ingredients you want to include and which you’d rather skip. (We do this too, just like with the charger in this tablescape!) When it comes down to it, though, we encourage you to embrace the fact that the items you place on your table aren’t nearly important as the conversations and memories made around the table. Focus on what matters this holiday season, and the rest will fall into place.
Happy holidays, Busy Bee!
Shop Our Winter Tablescape Design
Easily recreate this tablescape design, or pick and choose items that match your style. Many of these items, such as our Chalk Dinnerware, are season-less and can be used throughout the year. If you’re looking for more holiday inspiration, be sure to check out our entire Holiday Collection to find the pieces that make your house into a home this season.
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