Make your Christmas lunch a stylish affair with these fantastic budget Christmas table ideas. Make a stylish statement with inexpensive decorations, ornaments and a few crafty ideas. Start with simple low-cost furniture and build a stylish scheme around it.
Gather pine cones on a winter walk through the park and forest and string them together to make a rustic garland to dress your table. Browse flea markets and car boot fairs for vintage decorations and festive paraphernalia. Buy fabrics and linens from local second-hand shops and upycycle them into festive table runners. Use old scrabble pieces to make attractive place cards and spray paint pine cones in metallic hues for shimmer and shine. Dot a few tealights around the table for a glamorous look that is purse-friendly and minimal fuss. Instead of expensive bouquets, fill glass vases with pretty baubles, tinsel or Holly.
1/18 Go dark and dramatic
Make the most of a dark stone table top to create a striking monochrome scheme with blush accents. Mix black and white patterned plates with marble serving platters and a soft grey charger plate to add to the contrasting tones. Choose modern amber glassware in a simple design, shell pink napkins and copper touches for a luxurious twinkle. A small wrapped gift makes a thoughtful name setting and finishes the look.
LSA edge white wine glass
Houseology
Royal Stafford plate
Liberty
2/18 Go for glamour
Mix rose gold metallics and soft velvet in midnight jewel tones for an effortless yet luxe Christmas table setting. Inky indigo tableware contrasts perfectly with warm copper. Choose a cutlery set with a streamlined minimal design to really show of the beauty of the burnished metal and match to a hammered-effect copper coaster and button details on the table runner.
Bleu de four dinner plate
The Conran Shop
3/10 Look to the north
Use cool wintry colours and icy glassware for a relaxed Scandi-style Christmas table. Stack white and smoky grey plates topped with gorgeous glass bell jars filled with treats or rustic star-shaped decorations, alternating the two colours around the table. For informal dining and a pared-back look, eschew a tablecloth in favour of a rustic linen table runner and matching napkins in a textured taupe. Finish the scheme with frosted glasses wreathed in eucalyptus, foraged berries and woodland finds.
Star bell jar with tray
Nordic House
4/18 Nordic-style dining table dressed for Christmas
Give your dining room Nordic charm with crisp stripes and checks in red and white. Add snow-white highlights with ceramics and candles. Bring it all together with the gleam of glass and silver, and scarlet-berried greenery. Use striped ribbon to tie decorations to guests' chairs and dress the table with a red and white striped cloth. Top sparkling silver place mats with gingham check napkins and go for white tableware with green and red decoration and cranberry-coloured glassware. Make it all shimmer and shine with plenty of candlelight.
Drummond sideboard
Oka
Similar tableware
Not on the High Street
5/18 Christmas board game table decoration
Sometimes the simplest of ideas are the best. Dig out an old box of Scrabble from your loft and use the tiles to spell out each person's name for cute place settings at the table. Wrap napkins and cutlery up with simple ribbon or twine and a sprig of scented foliage.
Similar Scrabble racks and tiles
eBay
Napkin
Thornback & Peel
Twine
Cox & Cox
6/18 Frosted fruit table decoration
Create an instant centrepiece for your Christmas table for under a fiver by placing a selection of fruit, such as pears, apples and oranges, in a glass bowl or cake stand with a few sprigs of holly. Dust the fruit with icing sugar.
Similar cake plate
Marks & Spencer
Similar storage jars
Matalan
7/18 Hand-made dining chair name tags
Keep your Christmas table clear of clutter by hanging hand-made name tags tied with some gingham ribbon on the back of each chair. Attach a few small pine cones to the ribbon to finish off your table with a natural, rustic touch.
Pine cones
Floristry Warehouse
Ribbon
Not on the High Street
8/18 Bespoke table centrepiece
Add some greenery to your table by creating a centrepiece of plants and flowers in a mini greenhouse or glass cloche. After you?ve eaten, move the display to the sideboard or mantelpiece so you can continue enjoying it throughout the day.
Similar greenhouse
Ikea
Similar round vase
Kendall & Ko
9/18 Sparkly Christmas table setting
Add some drama to your Christmas dinner by popping a festive sparkler at each place setting around the dining table - it's an easy way to add a touch of magic to proceedings.
Sparklers
John Lewis
Name cards
Hobbycraft
10/18 Homemade place settings
Get the kids involved with decorating the dining room this Christmas by encouraging them to make name tags for each place setting at the table. It will save you the job, so you can pay more attention to peeling the spuds.
Similar gift tags
Cox & Cox
Similar chocolate coins
Chocolate Trading Co
11/18 Baked Christmas plate decorations
Take advantage of the fact that your oven is nearly always on over Christmas by baking your own place settings. A simple cookie cutter and a thin length of string will make the prettiest homemade treats to munch on after dinner.
Similar cookie cutter
Not on the High Street
Ribbon
Josy Rose
Similar tea light holder
Bodie and Fou
12/18 Simple Scandi dining table
You want the food to be the star of the show on Christmas Day, so when decorating your dining room, think less is more. Plain white tableware and linen with red placemats and ribbon won?t cost the earth and will give your Christmas lunch a simple backdrop from which to shine.
Similar cake plate
LSA International
Ribbon
John Lewis
Table linen
Walton & Co
Liked this? See more Christmas craft ideas and find more of our favourite products on Ideal Home's website
13/18 Shabby-chic Christmas dining room with shimmering votives
Painted furniture comes alive with soft glow of candlelight in this pared-back, neutral dining room.
Keep decorations simple with a neat table runner, votives and
glistening baubles placed here and there. A simple vase of flowers gives
a fresh look to this subtle festive scene.
Table runner
Habitat
14/18 White and green Christmas dining room with log fire
A soft-sage dining room
scheme with white-painted furniture is given a magical feel with pretty
evergreen foliage, white tableware and - of course - a stunning white
Christmas tree. Place church candles on a mantelpiece for a safe way to
create a soft glow and tie foliage onto the back of dining chairs,
complete with sparkling baubles.
Similar tree
Homebase
Similar wreath
Cotswold Trading
15/18 Rustic Christmas dining room with beaded cone table decoration
If space is tight in your dining room,
choose a refectory table with benches that can be tucked away. For
Christmas, dress up this simplistic scheme with sheepskin throws on the
benches, pure-white tableware and even pure-white crackers. Storm
lanterns provide a safe way to enjoy candlelight at the table, while a
modern centrepiece, like this beaded cone, becomes a real showstopper.
Similar throw
John Lewis
16/18 Scandi-look Christmas dining room with red and white crackers
Fresh reds and whites and simple patterns epitomise Scandi style in this festive dining room.
Go for a mix of cute patterns on a variety of accessories, from table
runners to napkins and ceramics. Add sparkling glassware for a
celebratory style that is both relaxed and rustic.
Cake stand
Next
Jug
The Contemporary Home
17/18 Nordic-style dining room with faux fur throws
A rustic dining room
filled with upcycled furniture and second-hand buys is given cool
Nordic Christmas style. The simple table setting, packed with sparkling
glassware and silvery tableware, offsets the striking animal skin rug
and sheepskin throws over the chairs - perfect for a warm and festive
retreat.
Similar map poster
Allposters.co.uk
18/18 Festive kitchen-diner with berry table decorations
This family kitchen-diner
has a rustic refectory-style bench alongside a contemporary glass table
for an eclectic look. Mix in colourful glassware with your table linen -
here, a red table runner and green glasses add a jolly festive touch.
Bring in evergreen foliage and red berries and line your shelves and the
tops of cupboards for an extra Christmassy feel.
Berry garlands
Bloom
-
‘We’ve given our dining room a fabulous festive makeover in time for Christmas’Painting the dining room a stylish shade of teal and adding on-trend bow decorations made all the difference
-
This £10 tool could be the key to keeping on top of damp and condensation according to expertsKeeping your home at the correct humidity level makes all the difference when it comes to keeping on top of damp, mould and condensation
-
What is replacing farmhouse kitchens? These 6 country-inspired trends are the ones to watch for 2025A traditional farmhouse kitchen will always be beautiful, but here's what to try if you want a fresh take on a classic look
