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It’s the personal touch that can make things really special. Personalise your setting with ribbon, foliage from your garden and handwritten items. I love seeing family and friends around the table enjoying themselves. I don’t have a lot of bling in my home but Christmas gives people the opportunity to add sparkle and have fun – I would encourage people to push the boundaries. I’ve kept things quite traditional with white and green and added a bit of bling with metallics. The placemats (€19), napkins (set of four €60) and tablecloth (165cm x 300cm €140) here are all from my own online store, The Designed Table. I love a mixture of tealights and tall taper candles as it creates layers and height. I recommend Ester & Erik candles from Signature Editions – it’s worth spending a little bit more on non-drip candles. If you over-decorate your table it makes it tricky to see your guests and to pass dishes or wine around and you need room on your table for condiments.Ĭandlelight is key and candles in different colours can completely change the look of a table. I try to keep things quite simple, not overly cluttered or complicated.
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You can handwrite menus and place names or use a gold or silver Sharpie marker on a pomegranate – you can always scoop out the inside afterwards and use it for dessert the next day.Ī tablecloth is traditional and forms a good canvas for the rest of the table. I love to add touches like pomegranates, place-name cards and sprigs of holly. Tara O’Connor: ‘If you over-decorate your table it makes it tricky to see your guests and to pass dishes or wine around.’ Photograph: Laoise Moggan I bought these gold chargers 10 years ago on sale at John Lewis, the plates were a wedding present and the gold cutlery was bought on sale at Arnotts. I buy lots of items for the following Christmas in the January sales – especially expensive items like charger plates or glassware. I pick up lots of things in vintage stores and antique shops and have stuff stashed all over the house that I pull out time and time again. I’m a firm believer in using what you already have – your family and friends won’t judge you if everything isn’t matching. You can use foliage from your garden or your local florist, even the offcuts from your Christmas tree. This Christmas it’s more about traditional foliage than flowers for me. I always pick my centrepiece first and work around it. This year it’s all about bringing Christmas back. Because Christmas was lost on a lot of us last year, I’m going back to tradition with lots of greens and golds. I never follow trends when it comes to tablescaping. Tara O’Connor: ‘I never follow trends when it comes to tablescaping.’ Photograph: Laoise Moggan This year, I am hosting on Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day so I will use the same floral arrangement on the table but will switch things up by using different tablecloths, napkins and candles. I start planning my Christmas table in September – it’s the most important table of the year for me. It hurts me inside.PR consultant and owner of the Designed Table Thank you, and please, don't tell me bad stuff about the ships I like. If you have a possible ship that I missed or never thought of, tell me and I'll edit this. SHIPS I DISLIKE/HATE SEEING/READING/HEARING ABOUT SHIPS I'M OKAY WITH SEEING/READING/HEARING ABOUT SHIPS I LIKE SEEING/READING/HEARING ABOUT SHIPS I LOVE SEEING/HEARING/READING ABOUT