clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Table Centerpiece Must-Haves for Every Holiday Vibe

Whether you’re channeling a hunting lodge, a seaside cottage, or full chaotic maximalism, here are our favorite tablescape looks for your specific flavor of festive.

by Rebecca Flint Marx

If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Rebecca Flint Marx is the editor of Eater at Home. Her areas of expertise include home cooking and popular culture.

Putting together a tablescape can teach you a lot about yourself: how you define your personal aesthetic, how much you’re willing to spend on candle holders, the relative importance of napkin rings to your chosen lifestyle. Putting together a tablescape can also be overwhelming: there are a lot of home goods sites out here on the internet, and each one contains, like some demonic Russian nesting doll, a seemingly infinite array of options for accessorizing your place settings. Who am I?, you might find yourself asking as a hundred equally winsome placemats blur before your eyes. Who do I want to be? What have I done?

The great thing about home entertaining, though, is that it simultaneously allows you to be yourself and embrace a lifestyle that isn’t necessarily your own. What is a dinner party if not an exercise in aspirational living? As someone who has spent many hours throwing dinner parties and even more hours trolling home design sites, I have done a lot of aspirational living, and, as such, have a lot of thoughts about table decor. With that in mind, I’ve curated a guide to four different themed tablescapes. Because even if you don’t own a seaside cottage or rustic hunting lodge, you deserve to be able to eat like you do.

It’s Autumn in a Hunting Lodge Somewhere WASP-y and Cold

The mood: Tradition meets rustic elegance, with a charcuterie board on the side

All Roads Charleston Plaid Tablecloth - Bailey

  • $150

Prices taken at time of publishing.

To begin with, you need some plaid. This All Roads Charleston tablecloth in Bailey print does the job and then some, with orange, mustard, and indigo hues that suggest both autumn leaves and moody but cozy nights somewhere in the vicinity of a taxidermied moose head. Made of cotton and handwoven in Mexico, it’s a beautiful marriage of practicality and style.

Hawkins New York Essential Dinner Napkins, Set of 4

  • $32

Prices taken at time of publishing.

A perfectly autumnal tablecloth demands complementary napkins, and for that job, we love these terracotta ones from Hawkins New York. Something of a ground-zero for table linens, Hawkins makes machine-washable napkins that can not only take a beating but also happen to come in eight very attractive colors. 

East Fork Butternut Wood Candle Holder

  • $55

Prices taken at time of publishing.

You’re going to have candles at this dinner, and they demand a candle holder. These butternut wood candle holders from East Fork are perfect for that task. Handmade in Québec, they lend a touch of sleek but homey understatement to any table.

Serax Wood Paddle Serving Board

  • $131

Prices taken at time of publishing.

No hunting lodge dinner is complete without some sort of hearty, vaguely rustic board situation — you want a pile of meat and cheese, or bread, or all of the above borne aloft to the table. This carbonized ash wood number from Serax will carry all that and more, and its raised edges will prevent any part of your spread from slipping off in transit. 

The Floral Society 10-Inch Fancy Taper Candles

  • $33

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’re going to pretend you’re dining at a hunting lodge, overhead lighting is an absolute no-go — you want atmosphere, not last call at the club. That’s where these Floral Society taper candles come in. Designed to burn clean, smokeless, and scentless, they also last a long time and come in an array of nature-evoking tones like moss, clay, and petal. 

A Winter Seaside Cottage

The mood: Rocky shores, churning surf, and the reflection of candlelight on sea glass

Feast of Burdens Moodance Tablecloth

  • $75

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Again, the tablecloth sets the mood here: you want something that will evoke seaside living without turning your table into the equivalent of a Chatham Airbnb. This Feast of Burdens Moondance tablecloth understands the assignment: its wavy lines and rich shades of blue, pink, and green suggest some kind of well-appointed underwater fantasia. 

Schoolhouse Scallop Trim Napkins, Set of 4

  • $39

Prices taken at time of publishing.

With their scalloped edges, these Schoolhouse napkins supply both a nifty visual pun and low-key elegance. Made of cotton and linen, they’re machine-washable and come in four different colors, but the green is our pick for effortlessly channeling a wintry seaside retreat. 

ESH Twirl Taper Block Colour Candles

  • $6

Prices taken at time of publishing.

It wouldn’t be a seaside cottage in the winter without some candles, the more the merrier to beat back the briney chill. These twisty tapers from ESH come in a variety of colors and are made with soy wax and recycled wicks. They’re also unscented, and if you squint at them in low light, their twisty shape suggests a tidal whirlpool.

MoMA Faceted Crystal Candle Holder

  • $79

Prices taken at time of publishing.

We highly recommend pairing the candles with these crystal candle holders from MoMA, and not just because the petrol, pink, and peach one makes a beautiful partner to the tablecloth. The true genius of these holders is that they’re reversible: one end holds a taper, and the other can hold either a taper or a tea light. 

Mosser Colored Glass Dinnerware

  • $94

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’re going to play Winter Seaside Cottage you need some sea glass. This Mosser colored glass dinnerware isn’t sea glass, but it is gorgeous, and comes in aquatic shades like jadeite. It’s also microwave- and dishwasher-safe, and made at a family-run factory in Ohio that’s been employing local folks for over 50 years.

The Kitchen in The Family Stone

The mood: Modern country farmhouse with a soupçon of bric a brac

Mix and Match Vintage China

  • $13

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The Family Stone is a 2005 holiday family comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Keaton, but more importantly, it is the movie that gave us one of the most iconic home kitchens in cinematic history. It’s big, homey, and looks like people actually use it, making it infinitely more relatable than anything Nancy Meyers has given us, sorry, Nancy. To channel its spirit, start with some mix-and-match vintage patterned china, the kind that Diane Keaton’s Sybil Stone keeps in its own attractive hutch. Etsy is a great source for old china, along with almost everything else. 

Mosser Glass Trish the Turkey Dish

  • $90

Prices taken at time of publishing.

One of the best things about The Family Stone kitchen is its realistic level of clutter: there are mugs and bowls and tchotchkes everywhere. Moser’s beauty of a lidded glass turkey dish — its name is Trish — feels like something that would be right at home there, or, really, anywhere.

Block Shop Textiles Squiggle Dot Tablecloth

  • $170

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The Stone family’s kitchen leans traditional, with lots of creams and wood. What it lacks in flash it more than makes up for with low-key class and comfort, two qualities that this Block Shop squiggle tablecloth has in spades. It’s easy to imagine the Stones gathered around it, making their guests feel uncomfortable.

Green and Purple Artificial Grapes

  • $6

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Included in the Stone kitchen’s clutter is a lot of food — which, again, relatable. It’s in bowls, it’s on the counter, it’s everywhere. To bring some of this to your table, you could, of course, make a centerpiece of real food, or you could opt for something that you can use over and over again and won’t decompose, such as these artificial grapes from Michael’s.

Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage Tall Salad Bowl

  • $110

Prices taken at time of publishing.

As a woman who owns a lot of serving ware and also knows her way around a whimsical ceramic, Sybil Stone seems like she’d have a classic cabbage bowl lurking among all her bric a brac. This one from Bordallo Pinheiro is made in Portugal, and is both beautiful and sturdy enough to bear any kind of salad or family drama. 

The Happy Maximalist

The mood: Bright colors and bold prints to keep the seasonal gloom at bay

Dusen Dusen Herb Stripe Placemats

  • $32

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Are you the kind of person who smiles cheerfully through months of 4 p.m. sunsets and chronic post-nasal drip? No? Allow us to help you pretend to be, starting with these Dusen Dusen striped placemats, which are like the table linen equivalent of a light box. They come in four vibrant spice-themed colors, like this rather stunning paprika. 

Dusen Dusen Herb Stripe Napkins

  • $28

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Dusen Dusen makes matching napkins that, like its placemats, are machine washable and made of 100 percent cotton. We love the way the thyme ones look with the paprika placemats.

Oorun Didun Ceramic Serving Platter by Yinka Ilori

  • $89

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Like the table linens, Yinka Ilori’s Oorun Didun serving platter radiates good cheer. Ilori, a London-based artist of British and Nigerian heritage, named it after the Nigerian expression for “sweet sun,” which seems wholly appropriate. It’s perfect for serving many kinds of food, but would also just look nice on its own, bringing good vibes to your home.

Ale Pepper Mill by Alessi

  • $205

Prices taken at time of publishing.

It’s rare that a pepper and salt mill can double as an instant mood elevator, but this pink, red, and yellow one from Alessi is just such a mill. Designed by Ettore Sottsass, a legendary 20th-century architect, it is, admittedly, quite a chunk of change. But think of it this way: you’re getting a pepper, salt, and spice grinder all in one, along with a decorative object that can convincingly double as a sculpture on or off your dining table. 

Atelier Saucier Sunburst Felt Cocktail Napkins, Set of 4

  • $48

Prices taken at time of publishing.

These sunburst coasters from Atelier Saucier are an effective way to let the sunshine in, and also happen to be stinking cute. Made in the U.S. from 100-percent reclaimed wool, they’re perfect for protecting wood surfaces, and also for remembering what the sun looks like.

Next Up In Holiday Gift Guides

The Latest

The Best (Wildly Early) Black Friday Kitchen and Cookware Deals

By Francky Knapp

Black Friday (er, Now) Is the Best Time to Buy Pots and Pans

By Francky Knapp

Why Are People So Freaked Out About Seed Oils?

By Jaya Saxena

New Supermodel Spoon Alert

By Francky Knapp

What’s the Best Chicken Soup Recipe on the Internet?

By Bettina Makalintal

What’s the Difference Between the FDA and the USDA?

By Daniela Galarza and Amy McCarthy

Share this story