Decorating a dining table for a party is essential in keeping guests entertained and also in flaunting your interior design skills to your Instagram and Facebook friends. You just need to style your table with the usual decoration items available at home. The key is to keep the dining table organized and decluttered to make it the perfect place for sharing meals and holding important conversations. In this blog, we will discuss how to decorate a dining table for a dinner party at home and that too on a budget. Create a memorable table setting using these tips and tricks. So, let’s get started.
How to Decorate Your Dining Table for a Dinner Party at Home
There are various ways with which you can decorate your dining table for a dinner party at home without breaking the bank. Let’s check it out.
- Use your dining table as a canvas
- Make your own centre-piece decoration
- Create an ambience with candles
- A buffet dinner
- Use decorative lights
- Go full colour
- Monochromatic setting
- Terrarium or fresh flower setting
- Set up the cutlery and folded napkins
Let us now discuss how to set up the perfect table for your family dinner on any festive occasion.
Use your dining table as a canvas
Your dining table is a reflection of which places you have traveled to or what you have inherited over time. It is a perfect place to display your heritage and small memorable mementos you have collected in life. Before setting up your dining table for a dinner party at home, remember to add your personal touch to it in order to give it a unique décor.
For instance, if you have the exclusive Kantha embroidered table mats that you had brought with you from one of your visits to the northern areas or the bamboo stick table mats you got from Srilanka, a festive occasion like Eid or a birthday party, calls for bringing these unique items to the party.
Your guests would love every bit of detail you put in when decorating the dining table. If you have not been a traveler, but you take pride in the wooden inlay teak coasters your grandma gave you, display it in a wooden tray as the centerpiece of the dining table to leave an everlasting impression on your guests. This is also one of the best ways of decorating the family dinner table.
Make your own centre-piece decoration
You can very well create a stunning centerpiece when styling your dining table for the festive occasion of Eid. If you have a long piece of Styrofoam left off from your child’s school activity, then you can use it to create a decorative floral piece for the dining table. Make some bows out of a wide ribbon. Glue them on the Styrofoam with some space in between.
Use colourful flowers (but the ones which look real) and stick them into the styrofoam. Place tall three glass candle holders in between and use scented candles to complete the centerpiece for your dining table. It requires little effort and can be easily completed in an afternoon, leaving a great impression on your guests.
Create an ambience with candles
The glimmering light of candles always adds a bit of magic to the overall setup. Nothing beats the dining room decor than the glow and fragrance of scented candles. You have to carefully choose the type of candles for your dining table décor. If it is a birthday party where kids are the main guests of honour, then you can use flameless LED candles which are safer to use.
If it is a formal dinner, then go for lavender scented candles for a pleasant fragrance and well-lit dining set up. If it is your wedding anniversary and you have set the table for two, then go for rose-scented pink candles in the centre of the table so that the soft glow of the candles can illuminate the space around you, making it more magical and fairytale like.
On the other hand, if you are setting up the dining table for a family dinner on a festive occasion like Eid, then you can go for a string of LED lights on the sides of the table or you can use more scented candles in the centre of the table.
A buffet dinner
If you have a short time in throwing an Eid party for your family, then you can plan a buffet dinner for the guests. Instead of cluttering the main dining table with goblets, glasses, bowls and silverware, use a separate sideboard or table to keep all the accessories in one area. Keep only the main dishes and plates on the dining table.
This way, the guests can take water or juice when needed from the juice corner and enjoy their meal on the dining table. In order to organize some of the commonly used items on the table, place them in a round wooden tray. You can keep the salt and pepper shakers, tea coaster or the pickle jar and cutlery in a mason jar on the dining table.
In case anybody wants an extra set of spoons or something, they can get it from there. Mealtimes on festive occasions are special moments of sharing and caring with your loved ones. Make it more special with these table decorating ideas.
Use decorative lights
A decorative table is incomplete without the presence of decorative lights. Use spotlights on the dining table to not only illuminate the space but also highlight the many dishes you place on the table for your evening party. Play with lights smartly. If you have a painting that can be the perfect backdrop, then placing a spotlight on it can give an artistic touch to the entire décor. Use tea light holders on the dining table through which light can be reflected through the coloured glass. This will accentuate the overall décor of your dining area.
If you want to add to the festivity, placing a string of fairy lights or rice lights on the four corners of the table can certainly add to the glamour.
Go full colour
If you don’t have proper dinnerware to serve 50 guests at home, then don’t worry! Go for a mix and match theme. You can add all sorts of glasses, colourful plates, goblets and silverware to the dinner party. However, don’t clutter them on your dining table. You can place the plates and glasses on a separate table from where guests can pick up the plates or glasses and head to the dining table where you can serve the dishes.
Monochromatic setting
If you have a small dining space, then go for a monochromatic setting which will not break the room into different colours and portions. Try placing the plates on white mats with the cutlery arranged on the side. Use white flowers on the centerpiece. One colour throughout will help create greater synchronization.
Terrarium or fresh flower setting
You can also add a wow factor to your table setting by placing a vase full of fresh flowers plucked from your garden. Or if you have a small terrarium, then placing it in the centre of the table can give your décor a more natural look. You can also place some rose petals around the vase displaying fresh flowers. Keep scented candles amidst the scattered rose petals to create a mesmerizing effect.
How to set the table for your guests?
If you want to know the perfect table setting guide, then read further. A basic form of table setting is to place all cutlery on the napkin. This means you can place the fork, a knife – the blade should be facing the fork and a spoon towards the left of the plate. The goblet or glass can be placed towards the right side above the plate.
If you are looking for a formal table setting, then follow these steps:
- Place a dinner plate in the centre. Lay two forks (one a bit bigger than the other) towards the left of the plate. Keep the knives and spoons on the right side. The blades of the knives should be facing the plate.
- Place the side plates on the left side of the setting.
- If you are serving soup and salad, then place the salad plate on top of the dinner plate. The soup bowl should be kept on top of the salad plate.
- Place the napkin on the dinner plate. If you have folded the napkin other than the simple basic version, then highlight it by placing it on the centre of the setting or on the side plate
- The goblet or glass should be kept towards the right side above the knives.
In order to entertain your guests over a dinner party, you must learn the art of folding a napkin. You might find it tricky, but once you practice it, it is quite easy. Keep the napkin out flat on the table. Fold it in half horizontally. Fold both the left side and right side vertically to meet at 1/3 the length of the napkin. Then fold it one more time so that both of the sides overlap each other. This is the classic way of folding a napkin. You can place your cutlery on the folded napkin or if you like you can place the folded napkin in the tall glasses that are set in front of the plates.
A feathered napkin looks great when it comes to setting your dinner table for a festive occasion. Take a napkin and fold it in half. Rotate it at about 90 degrees. Sinch together to create the folds of the feathers. Leave some space towards the end. Now fold it in half. Keep a tight hold on one edge of the folded napkin and then crease out the pleats. Once you let it go, it will create a feathered napkin. You can also place a fancy napkin ring holder which will give the entire décor a formal look. These stylish dining table arrangements will make your guests feel special.
So, these were some of the best dinner table decor ideas for Eid or any festive occasion. If you have a smaller dining area, then check out how to decorate a small dining room and organize the party you have always wanted. Here is how you can creatively design your dining room. Make sure to subscribe to the Zameen Newsletter appearing on the right hand side of the page. Don’t forget to write to us at blog@zameen.com. Stay tuned to the Zameen Blog for more informative posts on lifestyle and home decor.
