Dining Room• Holidays

Setting a Holiday Table

Thanksgiving kicks off a season of dinner parties and holiday meals, so I’ve put together a few options for setting a festive table. I kept it it monochromatic, adding metallic accents instead of color for interest. Here are the base pieces I used (some I own, some were borrowed).

  1. PB White Soup Bowl, Pottery Barn

  2. Scalloped Bowl, Target

  3. Wood-Slices Organic Dinner Plate, David Stark for west elm

  4. Wood-Slices Organic Bowl, David Stark for west elm

  5. Silver Charger, Pier 1

  6. PB White Salad Plate, Pottery Barn

  7. Wood-Slices Organic Salad Plate, David Stark for west elm

  8. Lotus Bowl, Cost Plus World Market

  9. Dazzle Dinner Plate, Crate & Barrel

  10. PB White Dinner Plate, Pottery Barn

Here are just a few of the possible combinations (and no, I don’t mind mixing silver and gold).

The Marimekko Lumimarja tablecloth was a gift from my mom last year, but it is available this year in gold. I also mixed in bird napkin rings and plain white napkins, along with our everyday flatware.

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  • luuve
    November 24, 2010 at 3:57 am

    i think the last is my favorite :) i think i love how you have the lotus bowl and the napkin together…really cute…i set my table with our lotus bowls often…usually with a small sweet surprise…

    i really enjoyed this post…gives me some ideas..

  • disorganized creativity
    November 24, 2010 at 4:21 am

    I’m not convinced by any of the combinations. Maybe because I do not like the napkin with the bird?

    I think I would do this combination: 4 +3 +5 +6

    And I do not mind mixing gold and silver (in perspective ~_^)

  • Danielle@Newlyweds Paradise
    November 24, 2010 at 6:05 am

    I am in love with the gold accents!! It adds such a nice feel to each one! And the birdie napkin rings are awesome!

  • Jess [tenpenny splendid]
    November 24, 2010 at 6:40 am

    I like the 8+6+3+5 combination, though all dishes are beautiful!

  • Melissa
    November 24, 2010 at 7:17 am

    Love those bird napkin rings!

  • Cat
    November 24, 2010 at 7:57 am

    Thanks for posting this! I have silver chargers and plain white plates but nothing to spice it up. Buying a few fun salad plates is totally doable! I liked the top right the best, but I’m a simple gal ;) hooray for the holidays!!!

  • Tania @ Passport2Design
    November 24, 2010 at 8:18 am

    Every single combo looks fabulous – hard to pick just one. I really get the sense of the value behind buying dishes that are all easily coordinated. You have so many beautiful options when it comes to creating a gorgeous table setting.

  • Maggie
    November 24, 2010 at 8:22 am

    Each combination is beautiful! I love the way your dining room hutch is organized/decorated too :)
    Plate #9 is my favorite, so any combination with it gets my vote!

  • Melissa Allam
    November 24, 2010 at 8:42 am

    Lovely table settings and I like the new white trim in your dining room.

  • christina winters
    November 24, 2010 at 10:40 am

    those candlesticks are EXACTLY what I have been searching for…mind sharing the source? <3

  • nicole
    November 24, 2010 at 10:53 am

    i *think* the last one is my favorite (so hard to choose!). they’re all beautiful — so much visual interest! <3

    happy holidays!

    *xo…

  • my little apartment
    November 24, 2010 at 11:07 am

    ooooh! I’m lovin’ the 8 +6 + 3 + 5 combo…that wood-slices plate is my fave!

  • Jessika
    November 24, 2010 at 11:11 am

    I just emailed several people in my life, letting them know how fantastic those bird napkin rings are. Hint hint!!!

  • Jen K
    November 24, 2010 at 11:45 am

    I love the last option especially the big full table picture of it. I’m so glad that you posted this beacuse my Mom was trying to convince me that my table needs more color. This is prook that metallics and neutral can look lovely! Bravo!

  • Mary-Grace
    November 24, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    Must. Have. Those. West. Elm. Plates. !!!! Seriously, plate #3 is amazing. Loved seeing all the fun place setting combos! Great post:)

  • Vanessa
    November 24, 2010 at 1:18 pm

    gorgeous. i love the look of white on white, but it is so hard for me to resist the buying of colorful dishes. i do tho, because i know that the food will be more beautiful on white plates.

  • Jill Seidner | Interior Design
    November 24, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    Those are all so pretty! AND they look great with the newly painted white dining room trim! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

  • jessibee
    November 24, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    Love! I can’t even begin to pick a favorite! Those napkin rings are amazingly cute! I’ve loved the Ikea candlesticks for a while now and now you have really sold me on them! Everything is beautiful!

  • jbhat
    November 24, 2010 at 4:33 pm

    You have such a nice way of elevating the everyday. Love your taste (eew–is that gross somehow?) and take on things.

    Happy TG!

    jbhat

  • PriscilaPetersDecor
    November 24, 2010 at 4:34 pm

    This is pretty and elegant. Great post.

  • Tineke
    November 24, 2010 at 4:46 pm

    I have the West Elm salad plates! We looked at the Crate and Barrel dinner plates too…. but I liked the idea of sneaking in a fancy salad plate without the cost of a new set of dishes.

    Could you please tell me where you got the ceramic vase in the center of the table? I really want a white nice everyday vase and I think that one would be perfect!

    • Making it Lovely
      November 25, 2010 at 1:56 pm

      I picked that vase up from Crate & Barrel several years ago. Jonathan Adler’s lantern vase is similar.

  • jenn
    November 24, 2010 at 6:50 pm

    The candles in the last picture are so pretty against your new white trim! :) Those options are beautiful … and I really love the bird napkin holder. Too cute!

  • Laura Gaskill
    November 24, 2010 at 7:28 pm

    Ooh, it all looks so nice & fresh with the white trim in your dining room :) And I love silver + gold together (with plenty of white), I think it is festive in a nicely understated way. Happy Thanksgiving sweet Nicole! xo Laura

  • Ann
    November 24, 2010 at 8:22 pm

    ALL awesome. Love your style.

  • Tanya
    November 24, 2010 at 9:57 pm

    I am sometimes leary about mixing silver with gold, but the way you did it just looks so right! I’m going to reevaluate some silver/gold picture frame pairing issues I’ve been having . . .

  • georgia
    November 25, 2010 at 3:50 am

    I like it when someone sets a table with not all-uniform, matchy-matchy crockery, but with a theme and a style trend still apparent. It shows confidence in combining things and making new ‘rules’. Nice :)

  • Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife
    November 25, 2010 at 5:40 pm

    So gorgeous! Love it!

    Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

  • Jessica @ FLOURISH
    November 25, 2010 at 8:03 pm

    Do you realize how genius you are??? This post is so creative and genius. Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

  • ~*S*~
    November 26, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    Beautiful!! I always have to consult my hubby about where the spoons/forks/knives go…his mother taught him well! haha….shameful of me, i know!

  • TheAL
    November 26, 2010 at 4:47 pm

    I absolutely love these place settings and white is just the best color for dinnerware. The pale pink napkins add the right hint of color. Lovely!

  • cassandra @ coco+kelley
    November 26, 2010 at 10:50 pm

    ohhh – the birdie napkin ring ties so well with the wood dishes! you know i love those c&b ones though :) love the all white and gold together! my own was very white inspired too… keeping it simple this year!

  • Tyla B
    November 28, 2010 at 6:50 am

    I love, love, love this little tutorial! It’s great; you must have had a fun time putting it together. I wish I was this organized – maybe one day – when the kids are like eighteen…???… Love you and your blog!

  • Ingrid @ Fable of the Table
    November 28, 2010 at 8:48 am

    Those birdie napkin rings are amazing. Together with white china plates and linen cloth I would love them on my table this year.
    I x

  • Disorganized Creativity
    November 28, 2010 at 9:27 am

    I realized that I must be the only one who does not like the napkin with the bird … Is it serious?

  • 2010 Recap: The Home | Making it Lovely
    January 5, 2011 at 9:31 am

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  • jj
    June 15, 2011 at 9:20 pm

    I don’t often comment but I always look @ your latest and always admire it

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