5 Steps for styling a winter table setting that ‘wow’s’ guests at first glance

Featuring Salt&Pepper

Throughout history our lives have revolved around the seasons, especially what and how we eat. Therefore, it’s so comforting to go back to basics, and enjoy a meal with friends and family that celebrates the season and matches its mood. Salt&Pepper has set me the task of styling a winter table setting that ‘wow’s’ guests at first glance, utilising their new season collections. And the winter’s evening I have in store for you involves warming up with some comfort foods in the late afternoon sun, finishing up with an epic cheese board, and lively conversation continuing into the wee hours. Here are my five steps to styling a seriously Pin-Worthy winter table setting.

1 Let the season inspire you

In winter, we always want to feel cosy and warm, so these are the feelings I want to convey when entertaining friends and family. Not limited to the recipes themselves (for which I highly recommend hearty comfort casseroles and thickly cut artisan bread), the styling should include elements which remind you of both the cold and bare personality of winter, as well as the indulgence of escaping it into the warm indoors. I always picture the colours to be a juxtaposition of dark and warm, and the textures, rich and tactile. The Salt&Pepper SHADE collection encapsulates this imagery perfectly.

 

2 Start from basics

Build your table setting from the basics, starting with the dinner set. It doesn’t have to be your fine china (‘with the hand-painted periwinkles,’ as the self styled hostess extraordinaire, Hyacinth Bucket, would say). The age of keeping your best for guests is behind us, and a simple and clean lifestyle calls for one stylish dining set for all occasions. I’ve styled my winter table setting with Salt&Pepper’s SHADE dining set. As for serving dishes, mine includes matching stone bakeware that goes straight from oven to table with rustic appeal. To create that juxtaposition I was talking about, I’ve mixed and matched the dining set, serveware and bakeware in two different colours, ‘charcoal’ and ‘warm grey’.

 

3 Attend to the details 

Creating a table setting with a wow factor is all in the details. Think outside the square of your usual stainless steal cutlery set and divert the eyes of your guests with unexpected tones. The HOST Cutlery Set, salad servers and cheese knives in black is an ever so slightly adventurous conversation starter. Your glassware shouldn’t be ordinary either. Mine are Salt&Pepper CUVEE tumbler and wine glasses, which are simple and clean, with visually striking, seamless curved forms.

4 A centrepiece to pull it all together

The icing on top of every table setting is a beautiful centrepiece, which creates a focal point and pulls the other elements together. Flowers and candles are always a good idea. However, steering clear of any clichés, I’ve combined a modern and clean Salt&Pepper GRAND vase and refreshing Aussie natives (which not only look amazing but last for weeks), and FACET concrete candles which mirror the same form and patterns. Three is a magic number, and not just in interior design, so use this to your advantage. The trick is to place threes objects that relate to each other, but are never exactly the same.

 

5 Consider the rules

There’s virtually enough rules about table etiquette to fill a book, and as much as I am not a fan of following these to the detriment of creativity, table setting rules are almost always based on practical considerations that make the experience more enjoyable for your guests. For example, that you should lay out the right cutlery that will be used for the dishes you’re serving, and that the glasses should be placed above the knives on the right hand side so they are in easy reach. Familiarise yourself with the rules, and then bend and break them to taste.

Featured in this editorial are Salt&Pepper SHADE, HOST, FACET, GRAND, CUVEE and FROMAGE collections. Products as follows:

43555: Salt&Pepper SHADE Dinner Plate Warm Grey $16.95
43556: Salt&Pepper SHADE Side Plate Warm Grey $12.95
43558: Salt&Pepper SHADE Soup Bowl Warm Grey $13.95
43557: Salt&Pepper SHADE Noodle Bowl Warm Grey $10.95
43544: Salt&Pepper SHADE Dinner Plate Charcoal $16.95
43545: Salt&Pepper SHADE Side Plate Charcoal $12.95
43546: Salt&Pepper SHADE Noodle Bowl Charcoal $10.95
43547: Salt&Pepper SHADE Soup Bowl Charcoal $13.95
43549: Salt&Pepper SHADE Salad Bowl Charcoal $39.95
43553: Salt&Pepper SHADE Sandwich Tray Charcoal $29.95
43398: Salt&Pepper SHADE Casserole w/ Lid Warm Grey $49.95
43396: Salt&Pepper SHADE Baker Rectangle Warm Grey $39.95
35641: Salt&Pepper FROMAGE Cheese Board Round 40cm $49.95
30960: Salt&Pepper CUVEE Red Wine glass Set of 6 $59.95
31798: Salt&Pepper CUVEE High Ball Tumbler Set of 6 $49.95
43426: Salt&Pepper HOST Cutlery Set Black 16 piece $169.95
43428: Salt&Pepper HOST Salad Server Black Set of 2 $39.95
43427: Salt&Pepper HOST Cheese Knife Black Set of 3 $49.95
43205: Salt&Pepper FACET Candle Pot Concrete $19.95
43186: Salt&Pepper GRAND Vase White Ceramic 30cm $59.95
43519: Salt&Pepper PAINT Dinner Set 16pce $179.95
43206: Salt&Pepper FACET Candle Pot Concrete $14.95

Find out more on these collections at Salt&Pepper, or call 1800 246 987 for stockists. Also follow Salt&Pepper on Instagram.

Incredibly important minimal style tips to your inbox? Join my mailing list or follow me on Blog Lovin’!