The festive season is the perfect time to join friends and family together around the table to celebrate another year around the sun. Hosting a get-together this December? You’ll love these tips on how to transform your dining space.

A good starting point for decorating your dining space is to consider whether you’d like to transform it for just this season or make stylistic changes to carry over into the new year. Setting a theme is also important, be it for Christmas, New Year’s, or both.

The dining space sets the scene

The dining room is the heart of the home. It is a place to spend time together and share meals from brunch to lunch, tea, and dinner. It is the perfect part of the home to dress with decorations to make it feel special. One of the easiest ways to set the mood is with lighting, so consider introducing twinkling fairy lights or enchanting floating candles.

There are so many ways to transform the dining space, from tweaking your usual layout to accommodate extra guests to decorating the room with special items like candles, streamers, and maybe even a secret Santa doll. It’s all about spreading the cheer and creating a fun-loving atmosphere.

Fit for a feast

As the room in the house where meals are shared, the table is naturally a statement piece. Ideally, you’ll want a dining table that is big enough for comfortable seating. If you’re shopping for a dining table, we suggest investing in one that your family will use for years to come. The chairs can be replaced based on trends and seasons.

When it comes to a festive feast, you’ll need to lay out the food. This can be traditionally set in the middle of the table for each to pass around and dish up. Alternatively, you can create a buffet-style layout with a selection of dishes on a console table, leaving enough room to lay a runner with the decor in the centre.

Once the table planning is complete, it’s time to set everyone’s plate. Begin with the glassware, crockery and cutlery for each guest. There are many ways to set the table for the season, from colour co-ordinated tableware and specially folded napkins. You can introduce festive fun by having personalised name tags and a traditional item like a cracker to kick off the celebrations.

If you’re expecting children, consider having a special kid’s table where they can eat, play, and open their gifts.

Set the tone of the season

All that glitters is gold during the holiday season. The decor sets the mood of celebration, with sparkles and metallic colours sweeping across homes all over the world. We suggest sprinkles of decor accessories and one focal item to transform the room, be it with a chandelier, table centrepiece, or garland.

Since it’s still warm outside you’ll have the opportunity to create an inviting space that allows your guests to enjoy the festivities both indoors and outdoors.

That wraps up our guide on how to transform your dining space this festive season. Get ready to host and entertain guests with decor that will set the scene for everlasting memories.

For more decor inspiration, explore the full collection at Chattels & More.