Brilliant New Year's Eve Party Ideas From Our Favorite Tastemakers
Ten of our favorite hosts and hostesses share their best ideas for a memorable New Year's gathering.
Whether your ideal of a smashing New Year's celebration leans more towards confetti and a glitzy night out dancing or a cozy dinner party with your favorite people and bottles of the finest champagne, it's important to celebrate every occasion to the fullest, especially when it comes to ringing in 2022. While many of our holiday traditions and festivities have had to be postponed or adapted to social distancing guidelines in the last year and a half, it doesn't mean we should avoid ringing in the new year in style, whether it's with your immediate family or a gaggle of your closest friends.
We asked 10 tastemakers and hostesses extraordinaire to share their fondest memories from New Year's celebrations of yesteryear, tablescape inspiration, and tips for making this New Year's Eve the best yet. From globally inspired gatherings to rustic and cozy brunches, these ideas are sure to inspire your own party ideas for New Year's Eve.
Stephanie Bloom and Julie Darwent's East-Meets-West New Year's Eve
Bloom and Darwent are the founders of Setting Pretty, a London-based tableware brand. The tastemakers created a stunning tablescape with pieces from their Ikat Collection that is perfect for a one-of-a-kind holiday party.
While the Indonesian ikat pattern is the focal point of this table, traditional English china and English roses create a special scene for guests to enjoy alongside a menu of delectable dishes from eastern and western cuisines. Plus, we always love an Asian-inspired twist on classic cocktails born out of London's Savoy Bar or American Prohibition. This table inspires us to get creative and serve what we love for an intimate evening to remember.
Stephanie Nass's New Year's Eve Disco
Bring out the sequins and crank up your favorite 70s dance playlist, because chef and shop owner Stephanie Nass is helping us throw a disco-themed NYE. Chefanie, her online shop, has the disco ball napkins and place card holders to help you get the table (and party) started. She also has the perfect menu of bite-sized treats ready for a night dancing your heart out.
"On New Year's Eve, I love to serve more indulgent bites: caviar blinis, mini crab cakes, champagne, to usher in a year of prosperity," Nass says.
Caroline Downing Nadel's Globally Inspired Celebration
"Our favorite part of New Year’s Eve is getting family and friends around the table for New Year's festivities," says Nadel, Wicklewood's founder and creative director. "Whether you live in a small rental flat or a spacious country home, whether you're entertaining for 20 or two, table decor is an absolute must, as well as a fun way to experiment with and infuse creativity into your home."
Nadel and her team source tableware and decor from some of the world's most talented artisans in locations like India, Central America, Hawaii, and even her native England. After a long season of isolation and the occasional road trip, a little global flair is just what we need for an unforgettable New Year's celebration.
Caroline Downing Nadel's Globally Inspired Celebration
Nadel's three tips for ensuring your eclectic New Year's Eve table is the focus of your dining room, living room, or even your patio are: layering up, be playful, and bring the outdoors in. She loves to begin her tablescape with a block-printed tablecloth which not only looks beautiful but is easy-to-clean after a big night of celebrating. She encourages mixing tableware—which may be a necessity if you're creating a table for 20—to further create an interesting, layered look.
Nadel says pops of playfulness can come from favorite trinkets you've sourced on your travels and vases filled with vibrant blooms. (Pro tip: fill the vase with LED lights for an unexpected glow). She says that after setting the table with her beloved frog pitchers from Mexico, a table-wide conversation was sparked about the party's favorite travels and where everyone hoped to visit after the pandemic.
Aerin Lauder's Rustic Luncheon
Tastemaker and lifestyle mogul Aerin Lauder has entertaining in her blood, and hosting an intimate gathering to ring in a past New Year at her family's Long Island manse was the perfect celebration for her clan. While the scene is certainly rustic, it's full of luxe touches like golden accents, striking antique dining chairs, and understated yet elegant china.
Aerin Lauder's Rustic Luncheon
While this event was for New Year's Day, her beautiful decor serves as excellent inspiration for a weekend getaway in the mountains with a few loved ones or a laid-back NYE in your own home. Lauder incorporates plenty of elements that allow any existing Christmas decor around your home to complement your New Year's table, with pine cones and evergreen fronds at each setting, and plenty of neutrals that won't clash with your red-and-green housewares.
Check out Lauders brand-new book, Entertaining Beautifully, for more gorgeous hosting inspiration.
Rebecca Gardner's Elegantly Cozy New Year's Eve Dinner Party
"I usually fail at New Year's Eve, but I am planning ahead to start 2021 with a bang," says tastemaker, author, and founder of the new Houses & Parties e-commerce brand Rebecca Gardner. "Using this past party as inspiration, I'm going to host a cozy, candle-lit dinner for eight in front of my fireplace."
Rebecca Gardner's Elegantly Cozy New Year's Eve Dinner Party
Gardner says her large dining space will allow her to add some dramatic flair by utilizing citrus branches, which means guests will have to pull back branches full of ripe, aromatic fruit to find their table. Plush, heavy-patterned couches; romantic mood lighting; colorful table linens; and an array of layered floral arrangements she created herself make for a dazzling, elegant, and ultra-comfortable place to spend a memorable New Year's Eve.
Kim Seybert's Ultra-Chic NYE Tablescape
This beautiful tablescape from tastemaker and tableware designer Kim Seybert is perfect for a luxe NYE at home. Whether you're used to spending your December 31 at a lavish cocktail party or an idyllic ski chalet on another continent, you can still ring in the New Year in style.
"Setting a table for New Year's is the perfect time to embrace sparkle and shine," Seybert says. "I love my Abstract collection and how it adds glow to any table to create a festive atmosphere for family and friends.”
This tablescape is inspired by twinkling lights for a dreamy vignette, and we especially love these linen cocktail napkins that were inspired by a Mexican tapestry.
Michelle Nussbaumer's Chinese New Year's Eve
Here, interior designer Michelle Nussbaumer artfully blends the traditions of New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year to create a one-of-a-kind celebration. Her family and friends typically gather at Nussbaumer's Swiss chalet to ring in the New Year together with drinks, dinner, and dancing before hitting the town, but, even though she says she will likely be staying stateside this year, her parties can still inspire a uniquely beautiful New Year's at home.
Michelle Nussbaumer's Chinese New Year's Eve
Nussbaumer utilized Chinese-inspired decor from the table linens, from paper lanterns to mini pagodas, to help create a gorgeous tablescape. Her extra-long dining table is perfect for a socially distanced meal before following her family's tradition of having a dance party into the wee hours after dinner.
Danielle Rollins's Palm Beach Brunch
Lifestyle maven Danielle Rollins loves to spend the holidays at her Palm Beach home, and what better way to ring in the New Year than a sunny brunch with plenty of Champagne? Lush, tropical plants and natural fibers help bring the outdoors in along with the bold blue-and-white fabrics on the table and over the windows. This breakfast room is full of natural light, optimism, and brunch favorites—an ideal start to 2021, if you ask us.
Discover more beautiful interiors and tablescapes in Rollins's new book, A Home for All Seasons, with a foreward from designer Miles Redd.
Kimberly Schlegal Whitman's Family New Year's Eve
Simple elegance is the focus of this table designed by hostess extraordinaire Kimberly Schlegal Whitman. She says her family has enjoyed taking the time to set the table together throughout the pandemic to keep holidays (and weeknights!) feeling more special.
Here, Whitman uses her favorite blue-and-white canyon plates with faceted crystal chargers to bring a glamorous New Year's Eve element to the table. Elizabeth Lake linens and Moser crystal glassware bring an extra element of elevation. She also plans to include some table favors for a fun surprise.
Kim Seybert's Wintry New Year's Eve Tablescape
“New Year's Eve can sometimes feel like a whirlwind, but I love designing a table that feels intimate with elements of glamour," Kim Seybert says. "The Snowflake collection is inspired by nature and brings a sense of softness to the table while the unique, complex shape of the snowflakes adds sparkle and makes the occasion feel special. Using napkins and napkin rings that complement the color scheme keeps the evening feeling intimate and elevated.”
Whether you're spending your New Year's on a snowy mountaintop or overlooking a white sandy beach, this glitzy, wintry tablescape is perfect for an elegant New Year's Eve dinner for two by the fire or under the stars.
Keith Robinson's New Year's Eve Soiree
Event designer Keith Robinson created this stunning table for a New Year's Eve soiree with glitzy tableware, white tablecloths, and elegant flower arrangements for a luxurious holiday at home. His vintage gold Greek-key china and enviable collection of crystalware make for an understated and chic table.
Keith Robinson's New Year's Eve Soiree
Because New Year's Eve will likely be small and simple this year, why not go all-out with a fabulous meal and tablescape? Robinson uses an array of fresh white blooms and antique pieces to create an elongated centerpiece that still allows plenty of room for guests to converse across the table as they await the next course.
Michelle Nussbaumer's Alpine New Year's Brunch
Leftover Christmas decor, a vibrant variety of blooms, and heavily patterned textiles create a beautiful scene to enliven guests after a big night of celebrating. Here, at Nussbaumer's vacation home in Switzerland, her family can gather around a hot breakfast and chat about how the rest of festivities played out once they went their separate ways. This year, it can serve as a place for loved ones to share what they were thankful for in 2020 and their hopes for 2021 alongside a steaming cup of coffee.
Lauren Wicks is a Birmingham-based writer covering design trends, must-have products, travel inspiration, and entertaining. She’s obsessed with globally inspired textiles, hosting dinner parties, and French cocktails.
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