Table Trends: Fresh Ideas for Holiday Entertaining

By Stacy Moser | Photos by Steph & Chris Photography

Event and wedding designer Chris Cowan, owner of Confetti Rentals, brainstorms with designer Stephanie Graham to create dazzling holiday tablescapes for their clients. Here, they give us insider tips about entertaining during the holiday season—and a sneak peek at some fresh, creative ideas to help spark your imagination.

Create Simple Focal Points

This holiday dinner table uses very simple pieces to create a surprisingly elegant, modern look. Chris and Stephanie chose green glassware to set the tone for the table, then used inexpensive artificial greenery mixed with real cuttings to bring a natural texture to the table, like the rosemary sprigs tucked into twine “napkin rings.” Decorative glass bottles and votives add shine, and the dark color of wood-grained chargers contrasts nicely with the bright white dishes and linens. “Utilize what you have—like white china and flatware, then add a few pieces of Christmas décor,” Chris advises. “We used the white reindeer and star sculptures as focal points for this table.”

Bring the Outdoors In

“Bringing in elements of the outdoors guarantees a beautiful table,” Stephanie explains. “For this table, we coupled artificial greenery with branches of shrubs, cedar and rosemary cut from the yard. “Think texture, too,” Chris adds. “We nestled the two straw birds amongst the bottles wrapped with twine, cotton-ball branches, wood slices and antlers. Send the kids out to collect acorns and display them in glass jars or compote dishes and feature them on your holiday table. Ditto for large, colorful leaves. You can tell everyone how the kids decorated the table this year.”

Candlelight for Two

If it’s a cozy dinner for two that you seek, try tucking a table in front of the fireplace or in a secluded corner of the house. Stephanie explains how to add drama, “Use candlelight for a spark of romance. We took beautiful candlesticks and accented them with gold-dipped, battery-operated pillars. We also used a sheer velvet tablecloth to add texture to the table and added a pair of gold-painted chairs for a little extra sheen.” Picking a bold, dramatic color for plates and napkins adds contrast to the other muted colors.

Self-Serve Stations

Every host knows that party guests inevitably gravitate toward the kitchen, taking up precious space and distracting the cook. “It’s easy to keep family and friends out of the kitchen by setting up food and drink stations elsewhere,” Chris says. “That way, guests can enjoy beverages or dessert without waiting in line at one large table. Position a side table by your front door with wine to greet guests when they enter the house. Finish the evening with a milk-and-cookies bar.” Stephanie points out that decorative chalkboards are a clever, affordable way to invite guests to help themselves. “Our makeup-mirror chalkboards are super easy to customize—all it takes is a steady hand and a liquid-chalk pen.”

Welcome Visitors with an Elegant Cider Station

Why not think outside the box when you set a table? Bringing a touch of the unexpected, like this faux fur throw, into the décor mix adds a touch of surprise. Chris created this drink station in a foyer with a gorgeous copper bowl, red satin tablecloth and a platter of her signature appetizer. “Guests can serve themselves some cider right when they walk in the door,” she says. “And the host can concentrate on mingling instead of serving.”

Chris Cowan’s Festive Cranberry & Cream Cheese Appetizer
1 block cream cheese, 8 ounces
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce, 14 ounces
1 jar hot pepper jelly, 10 ounces
Crackers—be sure they’re sturdy enough to support cream cheese

Place cream cheese block in the middle of a platter and surround it with crackers. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat cranberries and hot pepper jelly, mix and bring to a boil for one minute. Remove from heat, let cool for 10 minutes, then spoon on top of the cream cheese block. (The cranberry and pepper jelly topping can be made ahead, refrigerated and reheated in the microwave before serving.)

Show Them the Door

For a fun alternative to a traditional wreath on the front door, create a vignette with decorated artificial or potted trees. Find an old folding sign, paint it with chalkboard paint and use chalk to customize a holiday message. Chris and Stephanie loaded a bucket with colorful rolled blankets and wrapped boxes with burlap, fabric and plaid ribbon to place under the Christmas trees.

Making Magic Behind the Scenes

Watching designers Chris Cowan and Stephanie Graham set up for an event is a little bit like watching a movie in fast-forward. The two women work quickly in tandem, each moving furniture, unpacking boxes filled with decorations or setting tables with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine.

Stephanie says that planning an event is a lot like putting together pieces of a puzzle—a large, colorful, rapidly moving puzzle. The two women have worked together long enough to anticipate exactly what needs to be done as they unload trucks, meet with clients or scramble up ladders to locate décor stored on a top shelf in their warehouse.
Chris’s business, Confetti Rentals, specializes in full-service wedding design, but you don’t have to be a bride or groom to take advantage of their gigantic warehouse full of decorations. Even if all you need is a special set of candlesticks or linens to match heirloom china you want to pull out of mothballs for a holiday dinner, chances are that you’ll find it at Confetti. Chris has amassed a huge collection of colorful linens, dramatic backdrops, elegant centerpieces and other trappings to augment décor that her clients already have.

Chris, who’s known for her energetic style, flashes a smile when she says, “You can’t buy happiness—but you can rent it!”

Confetti Rentals
2802 Capitol Way, Belton
ConfettiRentals.net | 254.939.3302