40 Chic Table Decorating Ideas for Every Occasion

A light spring luncheon at Jan Shower's home in Hillsboro, Texas, doubles as a valuable tutorial on layering antique tableware. Tory Burch lettuce plates, vintage linens, and heirloom glassware grace a French merisier dining table. Garden pots filled with wildflowers and daisies serve as a lively centerpiece.

Chairish cofounder and president Anna Brockway embraces California cool for a memorable dinner in the garden of her new Sonoma home. “We’ve mastered the mix of high and low, layering unexpected textures, colors, and materials,” says Brockway.

Brockway paired antique chinoiserie salad plates (Chairish) with an electrifying tablecloth (Lisa Corti) and a braided natural placemat (Juliska).

Verdant color ushers in a rejuvenating spirit throughout every room of this century-old Arkansas farmhouse by designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas. Floral motifs make their way onto the table with Herend’s Chinese Bouquet plates and etched fern goblets by William Yeoward. A gold-trimmed dish by Anna Weatherley paired with Chantilly flatware (Gorham) add a bit of glamour to the table.

Extravagant masquerade balls of the past informed the au courant nature of this black-and-white tablescape. Geometric patterns on the Sieger Ca' d'Oro plates paired with playful polka dots (fabric; Nobilis) usher in the high movement style of the 1960s. The handpainted candlestick shades by Ross Alexander were inspired by masks worn at Truman Capote's original Black and White Ball.

For a soulful get-together at her New York loft, designer Joy Moyler leaned on deep red and purple shades (fabric; Dedar) to warm up the monochromatic tone of Art-Deco plates (her own pattern). Mercury glassware (Saint- Louis and Nason Moretti for Artemest) and polished silver add just the right amount of sparkle to the table.

At a Montreal penthouse for a former prime minister, design firm Les Ensembliers mixed French antiques with contemporary pieces and an array of Eastern decorative accents in the dining area. Antique patterns flourish in a collected arrangement of Chinese export porcelain, Versace chargers, and Imari vases.

For floral designer Lewis Miller's holiday tablescape, a canary yellow linen (Gray Line Linens) provides a tonal foundation for lemons, along with blood oranges, pine cones, and cedar clippings as the centerpiece. Punchy blue check napkins (John Derian) and tumblers (Carlo Moretti) artfully contrast against the sunny tones.

"Much like in my design, I appreciate a layered approach to tablescapes," says Cheryl Luckett, principal and owner of Dwell by Cheryl Interiors in Charlotte.

Here, Luckett artfully layers pattern, texture, and color with blue-and-white ceramics from her personal collection, Dunes & Duchesses candelabras, bold magnolia leaves, and natural woven placemats for coastal-inspired luxe.

"Dramatic hand-turned candelabras and simple votives offer mood-lighting and add a romantic element perfect for outdoor dining," she says.

This stunning table is set at event designer Keith Robinson's sprawling homestead just south of Atlanta. This backyard brunch scene lies under a romantic, swooping arbor of Lady Banks Roses and features hyper-local food: The meat, cheese, and produce are all sourced within several miles, if not from his own farm.

"Using fine things in the garden creates magic," he says. Campanella roses and peaches-and-cream dahlias in a centerpiece coordinate with the china and make a striking combination with lilac linen napkins and a tablecloth with a chocolate-hued abstract floral motif. "It's like a waterfall of roses becomes a sea of blossoms on the table."

Robinson's tabletop collection includes Old Paris porcelain, Sferra linens, and freshly picked blooms.

"My husband loves to cook, so I felt that setting the stage for our family meals during this time was a way that I could contribute and make our meals feel special," says entertaining expert and author Kimberly Schlegel Whitman. " I also tried to mix it up, pull out china and linens that we didn’t normally use so that we could break up a bit of the monotony."

Whitman mixes vintage porcelain to create interest and make a one-of-a-kind place setting.

This feminine and flowery Valentine's Day party was designed to celebrate the opening of LoveShackFancy's storefront on Bleecker Street in the West Village.

Event design expert Rebecca Gardner says her team used LoveShackFancy fabrics to dress the table and tied dupioni silk ribbons on anything they could find. Moroccan tea glasses were used as votives, bon bon dishes were filled with French cream candles, and cherries were sprinkled on top of the table for what she calls "a lovely, romantic mess."

FLWR Studio was responsible for the stunning blooms sourced from Rose Story Farm, the famed old-fashioned rose farm that has become a Southern California landmark.

This beautiful scene comes from the backyard of Emily Hertz, founder of the popular lifestyle blog, Born on Fifth.

"Because the tablecloth and plates were floral, I opted to have small bud vases [Alice Naylor-Leyland] and a statement gardenia on the table instead of a floral arrangement," Hertz says. "I love how it turned out!"

Hertz uses Richard Ginori x Cabana chargers as plates, which are complemented by the Bungalow table cloth and Courtland & Co. salad plates and glasses.

"They're somewhat few and far between, but I love our white-based prints," says Julia Amory, founder of India Amory. "There is something somewhat traditional and elegant about the look, and yet it's still bohemian and casual in its overall vibe. Wicker chargers are a must have for any table-setting enthusiast, as are vintage plates."

Here, Amory features the brand's Vie en Rose tablecloth and dinner napkins.

This gorgeous Easter tablescape was designed by Mariee Ami and The Frances Flair. Its green, floral-forward design evokes new beginnings and vibrance that comes with spring's arrival.

"Local flower shops and nurseries are other great resources for making celebrations feel more special at home," says Mariee Ami founder Neillie Buter. "You’ll be helping a small business thrive while giving yourself a treat—the ultimate win-win. Simple greenery and budding branches from your yard or neighborhood walk can also make for a lovely spring arrangement."

This tablescape features linens from Ami a Vie and florals from Southern Posies.

Interiors and lifestyle expert Becky Shea says the four elements of creating a fabulous outdoor tablescape are: location, thoughtful consideration of how your tableware interacts with what you're serving, knowledge of which ingredients are currently in season, and utilizing seasonal blooms. Here, you'll find a recent outdoor summer party Shea hosted in Manhattan.

"We picked midday for our garden lunch at the West Village Maisonette because the sun hits the patio perfectly at 1 p.m.," Shea says. "Having balance between the sun and shade allows guests to be comfortable in an outdoor environment. We also selected this corner of the patio because the fountain serves as relaxing background noise. It's fun to cultivate an experience wherever possible."

Shea used vases from Jenni Kayne, Nayoa Arakawa glassware, and Nordic ceramics by Khwurtz to keep the decor minimalist, allowing seasonal produce, flowers, and greenery to be the stars of the scene.

Amanda Lindroth hosted a dinner at her home, Hope Hill, in Lyford Cay earlier this winter with Julia Berolzheimer of Gal Meets Glam in celebration of launching a tableware collection together this summer.

Along with using the hurricanes, glassware, and linens from the new collection, Lindroth used vibrant crepe myrtle blossoms that bloom all over the island for a chic yet casual Bahamian dinner table.

Keith Robinson loves to put a fresh spin on classic event designs, and here, he sets a fabulous holiday table without all the traditional kitsch. Seasonal greenery and zesty citrus help set a warm and inviting scene in his Georgia home, featuring a mix of Hèrmes and Deborah Sharpe linens and vintage porcelain for a luxe and laid-back Christmas morning.