Celebrate the New Year With a No-Fuss Tablescape

With 4 simple elements, you can create a fresh, elegant and personalized table for loved ones to enjoy and gather around

Aislin GibsonDecember 20, 2017

Houzz Contributor. Design Director of Modern Hive and Harvard grad student earning a Masters in Sustainability. I write about ways to create homes with a positive impact on people and the environment, and to share what I'm learning as I design our urban homestead. I am slowly renovating a 1962 midcentury Eichler home with my husband, boys, chickens, beehives and a dog. Our design adventures are at modernhivedesign.com.

If you’re ready to ring in the new year with a fresh, beautiful home while eliminating clutter and waste, try this customizable tablescape design for your celebration. A palette of plants, candles and key accessories of your choosing can serve as the building blocks for your holiday table now and be integrated into your home decor afterward. No waste, no fuss and no stress.

This idea works especially well in apartments or other smaller living spaces where it’s necessary to economize on space, and where there are few places to store extra table decor. It can be scaled up for larger celebrations.

Francos Corner AB

1. Start with a natural backdrop. Choose a neutral color for your backdrop. The key here is to create a clean foundation for the layers of texture and light you’ll be adding in the next steps. Your first layer can be a tablecloth or runner in a natural fabric. A nubby linen or soft cotton works well. I’ve even used a canvas drop cloth from the hardware store during outdoor dinners. Kraft paper also works in a pinch.

Nanette Wong

If you have a wood table, you may already have a neutral canvas. Take advantage of wood’s natural warmth and texture as the first layer of your tablescape.

dream design sthlm

2. Create structure with metals, geometric pieces or ceramics. Next, add structure to your tablescape with items like vases, bowls or votives. This is the tablescape’s scaffolding, to which you’ll add greens and sparkle later. Metals, geometric pieces or ceramics add a textural contrast to the natural canvas and will help you build visual interest.

A few choice items, especially in a minimalist tablescape, can be beautiful. The key is to artfully arrange them so the tablescape feels clean and uncluttered. Be sure to arrange your items symmetrically and in groupings of odd numbers. Ceramics in a neutral color are a good option to add warmth.

Francos Corner AB

You may already have some favorite items in the house that will work, saving you time. I have a rotating collection of bowls, including the one shown here, and Heath Ceramics bud vases that come out during special meals at my house. If you end up shopping for an item, be sure it can add beauty to a bookshelf or coffee table when it’s no longer decorating your table. You’ll get to enjoy your investment throughout the year and also save on storage space.

Nanette Wong

3. Add organic texture with greenery. Organic textures are the next step in this neutral tablescape. Greenery adds freshness and life to the table. You can forage for greens outside or buy branches; they can decorate the house until it’s time to compost them.

Learn how to make this eucalyptus garland

Jen Wojcik Photography

Even a small amount of greenery has a big impact. Use your greenery like a ribbon to connect all the pieces of your tablescape so it’s cohesive. Use extra greenery clippings as table settings. Here a fern is used to echo the botanical theme of the tablescape.

Blackband Design

I personally love tillandsias, or air plants, and have a beautiful Tillandsia xerographica that lives in my studio, where I can enjoy it year-round. When we have a celebration, it becomes the centerpiece of our tablescape, usually perched on a small block of wood or cork coaster, similar to the air plants displayed in the tablescape here. The organic, soft curls of the tillandsia complement the metallic gold place settings, linens and natural textures.

User

4. Sprinkle on some sparkle and light. So far we’ve layered a neutral canvas with textured structure and soft, organic shapes. The last step for a stunning simple tablescape is adding sparkle and light. Plain candlesticks, tea lights or even copper wire lights are great choices.

Lights4fun

Candlelight is the pièce de résistance that will add warmth to your tablescape, literally and figuratively. There is something very primal about the warmth of a candle flame; it exudes coziness and invites guests to gather round. It signals warmth, safety and good cheer for the new year.

Blackband Design

This simple garland of eucalyptus and found branches is great combined with the linen runner, ceramic plates and metal tableware. The organic shapes soften the lines of the structural pieces.

Browse gold flatware

dream design sthlm

By combining a natural backdrop, structure that has geometry and texture, organic foliage and candlelight, you’ll have a beautiful setting for your New Year’s celebration. Then you can reuse and enjoy the decor throughout your home during the rest of the year.

More
Simple Pleasures: Welcoming the New Year
How to Host a Big Holiday Meal in Your Not-So-Big Home