Christmas Tablescape Ideas: Rustic Elegance with a Touch of Gold for a Glamorous Holiday Celebration

Embrace the charm of rustic elegance with a touch of gold for a glamorous holiday celebration. Discover inspiring Christmas tablescape ideas that will transform your dining room into a cozy and festive dining experience.

As a gardener who loves to bring the beauty of the outdoors into my home during the holiday season, I love crafting a Christmas tablescape that seamlessly blends rustic charm with elegant decor.

There’s something enchanting about the combination of natural elements and a touch of gold, creating a truly glammed-up atmosphere for a memorable holiday celebration.

Today, I’m excited to share some ideas and inspiration that will help you achieve this rustic elegance on your Christmas table.

Wait until you see how easy this Christmas tablescape is to create!

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How to Blend Rustic With Elegance

The beauty of combining rustic and elegant elements lies in the striking contrast between these two design styles.

Rustic exudes a cozy, earthy charm with its use of natural materials, simplicity, and a sense of authenticity, while elegance emphasizes opulence, refined details, and a touch of luxury.

When artfully blended, they create a unique style that’s all your own. By incorporating rustic elements like organic textures and greenery alongside elegant features such as gilded accents and fine china, you can strike a harmonious balance, resulting in a decor style that beautifully marries the warmth of rustic with the sophistication of elegance.

This fusion of styles helps you blend your personal taste and creativity into your Christmas table decorations, making them a true reflection of your own personal style.

But the best part? You can incorporate the things you have so you don’t have to go out and buy all the things to create a casual and sophisticated look if you choose not to shop.

Here’s how to design a rustic elegant Christmas tablescape with a touch of gold.

Start Your Christmas Tablescape with a Natural Foundation

The key to achieving rustic elegance is to begin with a natural, organic foundation. A wooden table or a table runner made of burlap or linen can serve as an excellent base for your Christmas tablescape.

These organic materials not only evoke a rustic feel but also provide a warm and inviting backdrop for your holiday decor.

For this Christmas tablescape, I started with an ivory tablecloth and burlap table runner as the base. I could leave the table exposed so you can see the wood, but instead opted to use a tablecloth to brighten up my holiday tablescape in the potager garden.

Incorporate Christmas Greenery

Christmas greenery is your best friend when it comes to decorating for the holidays. Add fresh or faux pine branches, juniper, cedar branches, eucalyptus, or holly berries as table runners or wreaths. This lush greenery instantly infuses your table with a touch of the great outdoors, creating a rustic ambiance.

Evergreens tend to dry out indoors if you don’t properly care for them, so if you plan to use fresh greens, learn how to stop the needle drop with my free guide and keep your greens looking fresher longer here.

If you don’t have access to fresh winter greenery or you don’t want to care for it, there is no shame in going with faux Christmas greenery. There are so many beautiful options out there. Just make sure it looks real and authentic so it will be hard to tell the difference. And there are also a few ways to blend faux with real to get a more authentic look too.

Since I like to build my tablescapes with cozy layers, I used these GORGEOUS, like I mean seriously beautiful, cedar branch garlands. It’s really full, the branches look authentic, and I would run to get this if you don’t have it because it looks great on a table but would also look incredible on a mantel or staircase. Just sayin’!

You could use just one if you don’t mind the garland not spanning the full table, but I’d go with two. I love how it looks layered over the end of the table.

Gilded Accents

Elegance comes to life with the introduction of gold accents. Incorporate gilded elements such as gold-trimmed dinnerware, flatware, stemware, candlestick holders, and other table decor items. These metallic touches add a sense of opulence to the table while beautifully contrasting with the organic materials.

I lean towards vintage gold versus brassy gold. To me, the vintage gold looks a bit more rustic and elegant than using brass but that’s just my personal preference.

For this table, I used those gorgeous vintage gold candlestick holders and mini gold lanterns on the table. To add a bit more bling, I opted to go with my Lenox pattern that has a gold rim and my Grandmother’s vintage gold flatware.

Candlelight Magic

Candles are a timeless symbol of warmth and coziness. Place an assortment of pillars or taper candles with tea lights or votive candles in gold or glass candleholders to create a romantic and elegant atmosphere. The soft flickering of candlelight against the rustic backdrop is pure enchantment.

I like to use dripless taper candles and votives so there is less of a mess. But you can also use flameless taper candles that are set-and-forget.

As an aside, I use these all year round for a soft glow when the sun sets to cozy up my living spaces. They are battery-operated and you can set them on timers so they go on and off without you having to lift a finger.

Natural Christmas Centerpieces

Enhance the rustic charm with natural Christmas centerpieces using fresh or faux winter greens. Consider using pinecones, berries, or cinnamon sticks. A vase filled with fresh flowers like white roses, Christmas amaryllis, or poinsettias adds an extra touch of elegance too. You can also include small twinkle lights within the arrangement for a warm, magical glow.

While I am using that gorgeous garland as a table runner it is also the centerpiece. I could use just that as the centerpiece alone. But I wanted to level things up! So I added this gorgeous holiday centerpiece that I made in this beautiful vintage gold fluted bowl.

Yes, that centerpiece now would obstruct the views during the meal, but I’ll just remove that when we are ready to sit down and keep the garland.

Oh and if you want to learn how to make this rustic elegant Christmas centerpiece idea, it is super simple to make! I shared a step-by-step tutorial here.

Rustic Christmas Place Settings

To complete the look, opt for rustic-inspired Christmas place settings. Use rattan or wooden chargers, cedar branches, handwoven placemats, or even wooden slices as coasters for your guests.

Tie gold, red, or green velvet ribbon around the napkins, or use a festive napkin ring with a little bling for an extra dose of holiday charm.

For this table, I used a gorgeous red plaid linen napkin in a wood napkin ring that sits atop the Christmas place settings.

Personalized Place Cards for the Christmas Tablescape

Add a personal touch to your table with handcrafted place cards. Use natural elements like birch bark, twine, or miniature pinecones to create unique place cardholders. Handwritten name tags or elegant calligraphy can add a touch of sophistication.

I have to admit that I don’t always use place cards. It really depends on the kind of dinner party I’m throwing. When we enjoy a formal sit-down meal, like Thanksgiving, I prefer to use personalized place cards. But don’t do it for all the holidays.

Rustic Elegant Christmas Tablescape for the Little Ones

Don’t forget the little ones at your celebration. Create a kids’ table with miniature versions of your rustic elegance theme. You can provide coloring books with Christmas designs, kid-friendly utensils, and festive gingerbread cookies for them to decorate and keep them busy while the rest of the family is dining.

Keep it Cozy

If you want to level things up a bit more, create a cozy ambiance with soft, neutral-toned throws or blankets draped over the chairs for guests to snuggle up in. A rustic wooden tray with mugs of hot cocoa or mulled wine will add another layer of warmth and cheer too if you celebrate outdoors.

Bringing It All Together

Incorporating rustic elegance into your Christmas tablescape can transform your holiday celebration into a glamorous and inviting event. By blending natural elements, gold accents, and a touch of your own personal style, you can create a memorable and enchanting atmosphere for your guests.

Embrace the beauty of the great outdoors with the allure of elegant decor this holiday season, and you’ll be well on your way to hosting an unforgettable Christmas celebration friends and family will be chatting about for years to come.

Happy decorating!

More Rustic Elegant Christmas Tablescape Ideas

Will you create a rustic elegant Christmas tablescape this year? What features will you include in your table design? I would love to know more in the comments below.

And don’t miss joining my Gardening DIY and Decorating Community on Facebook for more chatter. And follow along there and on Instagram as well. There are behind-the-scenes daily things that I share on Instagram that don’t make it to the blog. Would love to see you there too!

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Shop the Look

Want to recreate the look? Here is a list of Christmas table decorations used to create this cozy, rustic look.

The Table

• Burlap Table Runner
• Ivory Tablecloth (similar)
• Linen Napkins (similar)
• Linen Napkins (similar)
• Cedar Branch Placemats
• Mini Gold Lanterns
• Votive Candles
• Dripless Candles
• Vintage Candle Holders (similar)
• Flameless Candles
• Candle Holders Vintage (similar)
• Vintage Wine Glasses

Centerpiece

• Gold fluted bowl
• Artificial Cedar Garland
• Faux juniper branches with berries
• Real touch fir branches
• Real Touch Hanging Cedar Branches
• Natural Touch Cedar Pine Branches
• Real Touch Cedar branches.
• Red Berry Branches
• Dull Red Berry Branches
• Red Berry Stems
• Red Berry Garland

Wait Until You See These Rustic Christmas Tablescape Ideas

My supper club and I got together this month to share a cabin-in-the-woods-inspired Christmas dinner party. Wait until you see how gorgeous each Christmas party decoration looks. Click on the blog name on the image to head over to the post.

Want to Learn How to Decorate With Fresh Greens for the Holidays?

Sign up here to get a discount on my ebook, 15 Easy Ways to Decorate With Fresh Greens for the Holidays which offers beautiful, budget-friendly, and sustainable holiday decorating inspiration using fresh greens from the landscape.

This 40-page guide is full of simple DIY holiday decorating ideas that include how to cut, care for, and design with fresh greens, as well as tips to purchase and incorporate faux greens with your holiday decorating style to create a cozy, beautiful, and organic vibe.

From porch styling to cozy centerpiece and tablescape inspiration, wait until you try these budget-friendly holiday decorating ideas using fresh greens for every room in your home.

Want to Give the Gift of Flower Gardening This Year for the Holidays?

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What’s In the Bricks ‘n Blooms Guide?

• Gardening basics to set you up for success
• Great garden design ideas with ready-made plans for you to follow
• Easy-care instructions for a wide variety of flowering annuals, perennials, and shrubs
• Helpful how-tos for container and cut flower gardening
• Graphs, charts, and lists to help you stay organized

My book publishes on February 6, 2024, but you can preorder now and get a special pre-order bonus chapter you can’t get when the preorder period closes.

Preorder your copy here and get a free, downloadable guide that shares bonus information with tips and unique garden designs to get year-round color in your landscape. Offer ends 2/5/24.

Looking for More Supper Club Ideas?

Our supper club has been so much fun and we’ve covered so much over the last year.

Whether you are in a supper club or just want some dinner party theme inspiration, check out the themes we’ve hosted before.

And click here if you want to learn how to organize and host your own supper club. They are so fun to do and provide a great reason to gather regularly with family and friends.

• Galentine’s Day Brunch
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Spring Brunch
• Cinco De Mayo
• 4th of July
• Picnic Date
• Tailgating Party
• Thanksgiving Dinner Party
• Christmas Dinner Party
• New Year’s Eve
• Cozy Winter Dinner
• Afternoon Tea Party

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Enjoy a beautiful day! xo