Christmas in Australia means prawns on ice, cricket on the telly and a lunch that somehow runs until dinner. So why are we still dressing the table like a snowy cottage in Vermont?
This year, let the table match the weather. Bright, warm and a little bit cheeky. Here's how to build a colourful Christmas table that feels festive without a single sad sprig of plastic holly.
Pick your palette
A great Christmas table starts with one strong colour story. Choose your lead, then build around it.
Pink Christmas. Hot pink and blush feel playful, fresh and unexpectedly festive, especially with gold candles and a mountain of cherries. We go deep on it in our Pink Christmas Table Styling guide.
Yellow Christmas. Nothing says summer lunch like sunshine on the table. Yellow napkins with a crisp white cloth and lemons as decor are basically a mood board for joy. Get the full look in Yellow Christmas Table Styling.
Orange Christmas. Warm, glowing and made for golden hour. Orange loves a bowl of mangoes and a candle or six. Our case for orange as the new Christmas hero is right here: Orange, the New Christmas Hero.
Pink and orange together. Can't choose? Don't. It's the most summery pairing going, and we've explained exactly why pink and orange work so well together.
Build your table in layers
- Start with a runner or tablecloth. This is your colour anchor. A runner shows off a timber table; a full cloth hides the evidence of Christmases past. Not sure which? We've settled the table runner vs tablecloth debate.
- Add napkins in a contrast shade. This is where the personality lives. Mix two colours around the table, or give every seat a different one. Shop napkins
- Bring in candles. Tall dinner candles in a punchy colour make even an arvo lunch feel like an occasion. Shop candles
- Decorate with food. Cherries, mangoes, lemons and stone fruit are cheaper than florals, smell incredible and can be eaten for dessert. Everybody wins.
Summer-proof your Christmas table
Linen is made for an Australian Christmas. It breathes in the heat, feels soft against sunburnt forearms and looks better a little rumpled, which is lucky by the third helping of pav. Setting up outside? Weigh down your napkins with cutlery so the northerly doesn't take them to the neighbours.
And yes, someone will spill the rosé. Linen can handle it.
Hosting the whole extended family?
Feeding 30 cousins and a plus-one nobody's met? Skip buying 30 napkins. Our event linen hire has you covered, with colours you won't find at a party supply store.
The bottom line
Christmas doesn't have to be red and green to feel special. Pick a colour you love, layer it up and let the table do the talking. Merry Christmas, you colourful thing.