Celebrate year’s end with a dark and elegant table setting

Devika Narain draws from her expertise in designing stunning wedding decor to show us how to prep our homes for the holiday season. For this Christmas dinner look, our guest stylist decided to stay clear of the traditional red, gold and green; focusing on moody aesthetic with dark colours and lots of Indian elements. “The reason I designed this setting is because normally when we think of festive décor, we only see bright colours. I wanted the modernity of edgy dark colours and streamlined furniture,” she explains. She has offset this with the rusticity and visual interest of an assorted setting. “I don’t like an extremely manicured look where everything matches. I like to fill the room with eclectic pieces that are fascinating.”

Check out these tips on creating a beautiful Christmas dinner table:  

Go dark
“Instead of going for traditional Christmas colours, try a moodier palette. In this look, I’ve worked with deep blue walls contrasted with burnt orange cushions. The greenery elevates the colour palette and brings life to the setting.”
 

Layer, layer, and then layer some more
“I like it when the eye has different places to travel to in a room. Fill the dining setting with varying heights, shapes and textures; it gives so much depth to a space.  Another thing I like to do in a dinner setting is to bring in a console. I don’t like placing the dining furniture flush against the wall, instead I prefer to create a vignette behind it to add depth, but also for convenience. It can double as a place to set up the food without cluttering the dining table.”

Make merry with lights
“I think it is very important to have a beautiful pendant light above the dining table, softly illuminating the entire setup. Layer on more lighting with candles of different heights and battery fairy lights. I personally love using battery fairy lights bunched up in clear glass vases or jars. For the candles, I’ve used glass tumblers and copper bowls.”
 

Set the table
“Use a brass thali as an underplate; a regular dinner plate will fit perfectly on top of it with just a hint of metal peeking through. With cutlery, place only what you will use – a spoon, a fork and a knife, if necessary. Brass cutlery, instead of stainless steel, can really uplift the plate setting. Also, with glasses place only those glasses you require. However, don’t shy away from mixing different colours, patterns and styles of glassware.”

Bring in that personal touch
“Finally, a little hack that I like to use for all my parties at home is to place personalised menus, name cards or thank you notes on each plate; it’s an inexpensive way to add a special touch.”