How to revive your Christmas table decorations with pink

Can I tempt you with pink Christmas table decorations?

We’ve come in from the garden this week (having cut armfuls of ivy, eucalyptus and birch twigs). And it’s time to plan the Christmas table decorations.

Last Saturday I did an online photography workshop with stylist and photography teacher, Emily Quinton. She warned us all to try out our Christmas table decorations a few days a head of time.

I’m trying out pink table decorations at Miranda’s house. This is the ‘pale pink’ look.

It’s too stressful to start decorating your table on Christmas day, Emily explained. And if you like to photograph it, it’s better to get the Christmas table photos done ahead of time, too.

Meanwhile, I remembered my friend, Miranda’s pink Christmas table decorations. She did them for a lunch party a few years ago. They really were stunning, so I asked her to help me plan a pink Christmas table decorating theme.

You may not have thought about pink as a Christmas colour, but it’s great with winter’s dark greenery. I find it less shouty than red, but just as festive.

Pale pink or bright pink Christmas table decorations?

We soon discovered how quick and easy it is to change your Christmas table decoration theme just by switching a few accessories around.

Pale pink candles, plus dishes of blush pink and copper baubles give this a soft, pretty Christmas look. Miranda and I loved it.

We used a pale pink tablecloth and napkins with a centrepiece of ivy, eucalyptus, birch twigs and pink peppercorns. We added pale pink candles and baubles for an elegant, tradition Christmas table look.

Then we completely changed the atmosphere in just a few minutes. We used the same tablecloth, china and flowers, but switched from pale pink candles to bright pink ones. Then we swopped the copper and pale pink baubles for hot jewel-hued pinks and purples.

The same tablecloth, china, napkins and flowers given a vivid ‘jewel’ look with hot pink baubles and bright pink candles.

What you need for pink Christmas table decorations

You don’t need everything to be pink. Too much pink is too sugary. If you want to see pink gone horribly wrong, search ‘pink Christmas’ in Pinterest. On second thoughts, don’t. It will put you off.

The key is to combine pink with stronger colours, rather than combining it with other pastels.

Miranda makes pink work by using lots of green. She did this table centrepiece by using ivy, birch twigs and eucalyptus, all cut from either her garden or friends’ gardens.

‘Eucalyptus is great with pink,’ she says. If you have a eucalyptus tree, cut the fresh new sprouts at the base of the trunk as they’ll need tidying up anyway. If you don’t have access to a eucalyptus tree, you can buy eucalyptus at most florists’ shops.

Miranda’s one floral purchase was pink peppercorns, which you can buy or order from a florist.

Getting ready – sprays of pink peppercorns (bottom left). You can order these from a florist.

Miranda has collected pretty vintage pink plates, but you could still lay a good pink Christmas table using white plates. Or you could just have pink side plates, as main plates will be covered in food.

For the pale pink look we used the same napkins, but tied them with natural string and a star, and added a pale pink bauble. Then we slipped a sprig of eucalyptus in, too. I bought the stars on string from Cox & Cox.

You can get pink candles fairly easily. We used Pink Bistro-style Candles from Amazon for the pale pink look. Miranda has collected pink tablecloths over the years. She buys very pale pinks, usually in linen or cotton. This is something you probably can’t order online – it’s important to see the tablecloth to make sure it’s a shade of pink you like.

If you have pale pink sheets, you might also consider using these for tablecloths. And, of course, you don’t always need a tablecloth – you can do either of the pinks laid on a wooden table.

Pale pink with copper, hot pink with purple…

We used mainly small blush pink baubles for the pale pink look. We added a few copper baubles – apparently ‘blush pink and copper’ is a fashionable combination this Christmas, according to Emily Quinton. You could mix pink with any metallics – gold, silver or copper all work.

Use a bauble and ribbon to change the theme by tying napkins differently. This is the ‘hot pink’ look.

We used bigger, bolder baubles for the hot ‘jewel’ pink Christmas table, scattering quite big ornate ones around the table. We also used vivid colours like purple and gold.

Cut or pressed glass dishes make a good centrepiece for baubles. We also used a very pretty pink vintage china dish for baubles. Once again, we used the same dishes for both the hot pink and pale pink look.

Add ornaments to Christmas table decorations. Here Miranda has added little bright pink animals from India to the ‘hot pink’ table.

Final touches

I love, love, love battery-operated table lights . We used the same little star set for both the hot ‘jewel’ pink and the pale pink Christmas table decorations. I’ve had it for a few years, and can’t remember where it came from. But this set of battery-operated star fairy lights from Amazon are similar.

Pale pink?

So what do you think? Hot pink table decorations for Christmas Day and pale pink for your New Year Celebration? Or the other way around?

Or jewel pink?

This is the last post for 2016. We’ll be back on January 1st, 2017.

I’ll be doing more gardens on YouTube, especially gorgeous middle-sized gardens that are rarely open to the public. So do subscribe to the Middlesized Garden Youtube channel, and let me know if there are any gardens you’d like to see more of.

I hope you have a really happy Christmas – and I’ll leave you with one more Christmas decorating idea.

Miranda has wound moss, eucalyptus and birch twigs onto a chandelier. Then she hung a large pale pink bauble from it.

There are some affiliate links in this post, which means you can click on some highlighted words to buy. If you do, I may get a small fee, but it won’t affect the price you pay.

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