The Best Tableware Trends for Christmas 2026

Words by Eliza Warden

5th November 2026

Comfort, familiarity, heritage and nostalgia: these are the trends that stand out in research into the psychology behind modern design desires. In other words, it’s important that your space acts as a haven from life’s chaos, even if it’s just for a short time – like Christmas lunch.

Our visual merchandising team have brought together five tablescaping ideas to help you create such a haven, and our Interior Design team can set each one up for you, if so desired.

Gather your loved ones and enjoy some escapism with Alpine Après, warm yourself with a touch of bohemia in Home For Christmas, or revel in the glamour of Celestial Banquet and A Crystal Winter. Throwing an event that calls for brighter colour palettes? Our Retro Christmas spread could be just the inspiration you need.

Oh holy night, indeed. Let the stars be your guide for this theme, full as it is of moody blues and sparkling accents.

This tablescape is less overt festivity and more intimate wintertime sky. Allow plush fabrics in deep hues to set the scene while warm, glowing lighting reflects on gold-tone metals. Opt for blue table linens in a variety of hues with orange, yellow and beige options working best for the napkins, placemats and decorations.

Our top tip? Your dinnerware can do some heavy lifting here, if you’re able to source white porcelain plating options already detailed with blues and, even better, gold detailing. Might we suggest Wedgwood’s Renaissance Gold collection, or perhaps MacKenzie-Childs’ even cosier pastel blue check range?

With the advent of long nights and the mercury descending to levels often accompanied by a gasp, there’s never a better time to indulge the timeless wintertime look of snow-covered landscapes. Jack Frost may well have just tapped his fingers against your dining room table, filling it with silver-tone details, billowy white linens and crisp crystal.

Use metal serving trays and sculptural cutlery that adds character to every place setting while layering textured materials – think lace, embroidery, and beading – in pale hues beneath chrome, stainless steel and crystal pieces to bring a cool, frosty feel to the table. The show-stopping ice sculpture? Optional, but recommended.

You may well be returning from the actual slopes of Verbier or Val D’Isère – in which case, enjoy your vin chau and Schnapps – or perhaps you’re simply looking to harness the mountain atmosphere and create a kitchen-cum-chalet in your own home. Either way, with a judicious touch of tartan here and a considered amount of wooden accents there, you can achieve this look in no time.

Play into natural textures and colours, using the reds of berries on bushes and the hues of evergreen foliage as starting points. Bring the outside in with real pinecones and holly sprigs as part of the decorations, and tie napkins with velvet bows (optional detail: adding a small bunch of winter flowers into the knot) before placing atop textured or patterned plating. Rustic touches like wooden boards, copper accents and artisanal serveware are important features, while a crackling log fire will take care of the lighting, atmosphere and scentscaping for you.

This tablescape is what we hope Chris Rea is dreaming of returning to after his drive home for Christmas. Since 1986, his nostalgic “car version of a carol”, Driving Home For Christmas, has captured the feeling of packing up the car, shaking off the year and settling in for a week or more of good food, good company and – most importantly – unmatched aesthetic indulgence.

And indulgence truly is the name of the game here: tie long strips of velvet ribbon into bows and drape them everywhere. Lean into layered table linens – you can use a different tablecloth across each third of the dining table, for example – and create a centrepiece made from an abundance of wintertime florals like wine-red poinsettia and bright witch hazel, dotted into garlands made from lengths of pine. When it comes to plating and serveware, the more whimsical, the better.

What do you get if you take the glamorous delicacy of Art Deco and throw in the colourful creativity of the Eighties? Our Retro Christmas tablescape, full of Addison Ross' sculptural accents and Gustaf Westman curves.

This look offers your festive fiesta unapologetic maximalism. Bright tablecloths, textured napkins, statement placemats and fun, bright glassware are all necessities, but the real heart of this theme is in the details.

To maximise the look, indulge in larger-than-life table decorations: oversized paper stars covered in patterns inspired by the Arts & Craft movement, bows that trail down the table, paper chains made of colourful velvet and Christmas crackers that wouldn’t look out of place in an Andy Warhol pop-art portrait.