Practical advice: entertaining at Christmas time

Here are our tips to help you create the perfect Christmas ambience

It’s nearly that time of year again; Christmas! And the perfect place to host Christmas dinner is in a garden room, orangery or kitchen extension, providing plenty of space for family and friends to come together. The Garden room gives that warm in winter feel due to the vast amount of glazing, whilst being able to enjoy the ample views of the surrounding garden or landscape.

With the task of hosting means lots of organisation and preparation for food and drinks, things like dressing the table can often be left to the last minute, leaving you no options but a few crackers and party poppers – not much to create a Christmas atmosphere. However, with a bit of forethought you can create a stunning Christmas tablescape with little work. To help ensure that you make the most of the space and create the Christmas ambience, here are a few easy tips and ideas to help you create a stunning Christmas table worthy of the most anticipated roast dinner of the year.

Decorations

Depending on the size of your table, you might opt for some stunning centrepieces to rival the Christmas dinner. You can use traditional Christmas decorations such as baubles and other ornaments, or bring in some wintery foliage – branches from fir trees, pine cones and of course, holly, which will make for a lovely rustic feel, and will match your Christmas tree. Doing this will give a sense of ‘bringing the outside in’, helping you feel like you’re dining in a winter wonderland – without feeling the cold!

If space on your table is at a premium thanks to your veritable feast, fill glass vases with baubles, beads, lights, holly, or anything Christmassy. These will give a festive feel whilst keeping decorations contained and being space-efficient, leaving plenty of room for food and drinks.

Colour schemes

Colour schemes are all-important for getting that festive vibe right. Golds, silvers, reds and greens are the most traditional colours and fit well with vintage and more traditional decor schemes.

For a modern feel, http://www.cheapambienpriceonline.com purples, pinks, blues and blacks work, especially if decorations are contemporary in style as well; oversized baubles, vogue patterned crackers, and stylised decorations such as Christmas trees, snowflakes and reindeer all add to the contemporary feel of the room.

Whether you go for a traditional or contemporary style, using warm colours such as reds, purples and pinks will contrast to the cold outside, whereas the cooler hues of blue and green will add to a winter wonderland atmosphere.

For those that are after true sophistication, sticking to crisp white linen and white, silver or glass decorations will give a very sophisticated feel, as well as keeping the room looking airy and light. It will also add a little extra sparkle which will be reflected in the large glazed window and door panes, really enhancing a garden room.

Lighting

If you don’t already have pendant lights over your dining table, baubles can be a fun, festive way of imitating the look, and it will also mean you don’t use up valuable space on your table top. Shiny, chrome effect coloured or metallic baubles, as well as glass ones, will help reflect the light and add sparkle to the room.

Candles are also very popular table decorations at Christmas, adding light and, of course, warmth. Use white church candles for a sophisticated feel, or opt for brightly coloured ones to enhance a contemporary scheme. After your meal place a couple of Christmas scented candles on the table, to fill all the senses with a festive atmosphere.

With Christmas just around the corner it’s time to start planning. We hope our tips above, plus ideas on our Christmas table decorations Pinterest board, inspire you to make the most of your open plan kitchen/dining area or garden room and create a dining table that is a feast for the eyes.

If you are planning to expand your home in time for Christmas 2016, please do get in touch; we would love to hear your ideas to see how we can help.