Update traditional place settings with a casual, colorful new take. Get our budget-friendly ideas
Written byMiranda JonesDecember 10, 2009
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Photo: Thomas J. Story
1 of 8Photo: Thomas J. Story
Holiday decorating: Fresh ideas for your Christmas table
Relax your holiday look
Give a nod to the season with dashes of bright red―but pair them with an unexpected shade such as pale turquoise.
You can even skip the tablecloth: Show off a pretty table along with your easygoing style. Just keep a few cocktail napkins handy for spilly friends and relatives.
Photo: Thomas J. Story
2 of 8Photo: Thomas J. Story
Mix up the china
Trade fragile-looking or matching tableware for an inviting, eclectic mix.
Top your white heirloom dinner plates with colorful pottery. We found these at a thrift store.
Ceramic salt and pepper cellars, $36 for the set from Rare Device.
Similar napkin rings $6 each from the Conran Shop.
Photo: Thomas J. Story
3 of 8Photo: Thomas J. Story
Swap glasses
Try contemporary glass flutes instead of crystal Champagne stems.
Create placecards from any type of thick paper that you have on hand, then nestle them in clusters of colorful winter berries, branches, or pinecones from your yard.