Hello lovelies, Christmas is getting closer and so I have some inspirations for a festive Christmas table and easy decorating ideasfor you today. Have you planned your Christmas celebrations yet and will you have guests? Are your Christmas decorations and your advent wreath ready? Together with IKEA Switzerland* I have arranged some ideas for you and also prepared 2 DIYs that are super easy to replicate.
For this purpose I have taken over the IKEA Switzerland Instagram channel on Sunday and created an atmospheric tabletop in red/blue/gold for the VINTER 2018 Christmas collection. I also created a quick advent wreath, a pretty idea for a table card made out of rosemary twigs and an alternative for a classical Christmas tree. Back then, the Instagram stories were saved in Ikea Switzerland’s highlights here.
I also want to show you the result of beautiful pictures and decorating ideas in this post to get you guys in the mood for the festive season.
Advent wreath
A must have during Advent season for us is an advent wreath which shortens the waiting period for Christmas and is a perfect way for children to see how many weeks or Sundays they have to wait until baby Jesus finally arrives. It’s no longer necessary to use fir branches and candles to make an advent wreath, it’s available in countless creative variations. I showed a quick to fix version at XMAS Takeover that only takes about 10 minutes.
All you need is a serving tray like this one from the VINTER 2018 collection, 4 candles of course, some masking tape, hangers, Eucalyptus twigs, small balls and other decorating material, such as branches or pine cones.
You can decorate the candles with some masking tape, label the hangers with numbers and then garnish everything on a serving tray. It’s super quick to make, it looks pretty and you can even use things you already have at home or collected in the forest.
The festive table
Our home is usually set up in very bright colors with mostly white furniture and turquoise highlights (perhaps you have already discovered our home in the latest issue of the Ikea Family magazine). I usually kept it in bright colors for Christmas in the past but I have to admit I really like this year’s VINTER collection in red, gold and blue, it’s very elegant. This is why I decided to make a change this year – and I’m absolutely thrilled.
In combination with fresh eucalyptus and ilex twigs, the red balls from the VINTER line, red candles, a light chain and other materials such as pomegranates, a festive but also very natural table came to life – the only thing missing now is a delicious Christmas menu (the recipes are long since online, you can find the complete vegan Christmas menu collected on the blog).
Golden candle holders and this stunning étagère are further highlights on the table. I always find an étagère very useful anyway. You can use it for decoration, but also for dinner or café to present appetizers, desserts or cookies – it saves space on the table.
Today I chose the new plates from the ARV line, the dark blue plates for starters or dessert and the matching bowl for soup as a starter of the meal. I especially like the fact that you can combine very many styles and the big plate presents a nice contrast to the dark blue velvet table cloth.
Table cards
Now it’s time for my 2nd DIY: easy and lovely table cards made from rosemary twigs. All you need are of course rosemary twigs, some wire, some ribbon and hangers. Make a wreath out of rosemary twigs (approx. 2-3) using wire. Then add the ribbon, drape a labeled place card on top and you have an individual table card. A side effect is the yummy smell of the rosemary twigs which may quicken your guests’ appetite.
Now the table is set and we need some more Christmas decorations around it. For this purpose I have transformed our sideboard into a little „forest“ made out of many natural materials. The pretty bell jar is the perfect eye catcher. You can fill it with i.e. moss, pine cones and this cute decorative mushroom. I spreaded some more moss and decorations from the forest on a board. You can also achieve a beautiful effect by putting a light chain with batteries into a glass. It provides a festive mood filled up with small pine cones and fir branches.
Fir branch
My last idea presents a wonderful alternative for a classical Christmas tree: you can just simply hang up a nice fir branch and decorate it with Christmas balls. It’s a good option if you don’t want to buy a Christmas tree, don’t have enough space for one or if you have small children or pets that shouldn’t touch the tree.
We decorated the fir branch with edible gingerbread hearts, red balls and further wonderful decorative elements from the VINTER 2018 collection. There are no limits to your creativity. Of course you can also add a light chain just like on a Christmas tree. Another advantage is obvious: there is plenty of room for presents underneath the Christmas branch!
I hope I was able to inspire your Christmas decorations a little with my ideas. I’d love to be able to find some of them again in your homes. Feel free to double check Ikea Switzerland on Instagram and have a look at my takeover.
I’m wishing you a joyful and festive holiday season. My vegan Christmas menu has of course long since been shared. If you are still looking for festive recipe inspiration, the vegan Christmas starter mushroom cappuccino looks wonderful on this table and vegan Christmas cookies in 3 variations are the perfect match. Ideas for the turn of the year await you at our New Year's Eve party 2018.
Love, Verena
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**This blog post was created in collaboration with IKEA Switzerland, but reflects my own opinion. *
