New Year’s table setting 2023 at home: 30 best ideas with photos

The holiday with which the year begins is the most important. Delight your guests not only with delicious food and gifts, but also with a pleasant table setting.

During a home feast, relatives and closest friends usually gather. The New Year is a great occasion to talk, have fun, take stock of the past year and recharge your batteries for the future. Beautifully served dishes and successful table setting will give everyone a great mood and make the winter holiday even more magical. Worth the effort!

New Year’s table setting ideas 2023

Scandinavian motives

For the New Year, a white tablecloth and silver appliances look appropriate. To feel the aroma of the forest, place small cups with sprigs of spruce on the table.

Country style

This serving has a slight aftertaste of “wear” and antiquity. Decorate the center of the table with a small Christmas tree with 2-3 balls and a small bright garland. Offer guests cozy blankets, and put lace napkins under the cutlery.

Serving in eco style

If you are a supporter of respect for nature, use simple canvas bags for spoons, knives and forks instead of paper napkins. Place forest cones and homemade decorations made from natural materials between the plates.

Reasonable minimalism

The New Year is, first of all, an occasion for a warm meeting with relatives and friends. So that the feast does not interfere with communication, set an ascetic table without frills. A minimum of variegation and bright decorations.

White

In the setting of the festive table, white color always looks advantageous. Snow-white dishes on a white tablecloth look textured and neat. It is better to put napkins in a light beige or other pastel shade, without patterns.

noble gold

It is easy to create a festive mood by placing golden candlesticks and cutlery on the table. To add sparkle, use a tablecloth with a gold pattern or canvas.

In red

Serve the New Year’s table in bright red colors. If there are no red plates and tablecloths at home, it doesn’t matter! Use red paper napkins, spread red apples and bunches of rowan on the table.

Unusual tones

If you are tired of the classics and want original solutions, arrange a New Year’s feast in purple, blue or terracotta colors. For a holiday, one should not be afraid of brightness, the main thing is that the overall decor should be in the same style.

Green composition in the center

The New Year is associated with a Christmas tree, so it is appropriate to put beautiful bouquets of spruce and pine branches in the center of the table. Home plants decorated with bright berries or red beads look good. You can make one big green “island” or distribute bouquets in several places.

Tiger motifs

To celebrate the year of the Tiger, pick up dishes, napkins and a tablecloth that would remind you of a beautiful big cat. You can put figurines of tigers on the table or put funny tiger cubs cut out of paper under the cutlery. Meeting the New Year “in stripes” will definitely bring good luck.

Large candles

Live fire will create a magical atmosphere at the table. Use a few large candles in simple glass or ceramic candle holders and you won’t have to think about additional decorations between the plates.

Table lamps

A wonderful solution to decorate a festive space is small decorative lanterns. Soft light will highlight the brilliance of the gold border on glasses and dishes.

elegant vases

Such vases can be used to serve dishes, fruits, painted cones, nuts, spruce twigs or flowers. Preferably a vase with a thin stem. They take up very little space and are ideal for a small table.

funny napkins

New Year is a time for fun, especially if there are children at the table. Give your guests napkins in bright colors or colorful prints.

Arrangement of places for guests

Tie napkins and cutlery for each guest with sparkly ribbon. Place mini-cards with New Year wishes and boxes with small gifts near the appliances.

more tree

Decorate the New Year’s table with miniature wooden figurines – small Christmas trees, snowflakes and stars. Use wooden plates to serve food. The tree gives warmth and makes the holiday truly family.

Wooden saw cuts

Instead of napkins and decorative mats, you can put round saw cuts of wood. We will not discover America – in the old days, wooden saw cuts were used instead of plates and for serving food.

Compositions with Christmas toys

It is customary to decorate a Christmas tree with shiny decorations, but they are quite appropriate on the New Year’s table. To prevent toys from breaking, make holiday arrangements in vases. In combination with needles, cones and bright berries, they will look great.

New Year’s decoration of dishes

When preparing for the holiday, remember not only about the decor of the house and the table. There are many New Year’s themes in the design of dishes. For example, decorate salads with snowflakes or Santa Claus figures made from eggs and mayonnaise.

Stars on the tablecloth

Shiny stars, snowflakes, rhinestones and confetti scattered on the tablecloth look cute and bright. True, for such decoration, the tablecloth must be plain.

Santa Claus and Snow Maiden figurines

Guests will be happy to see figures of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden on the table. The main thing is that they are small and stable.

Separate serving table

On New Year’s Eve it is customary to cook a lot of dishes. If you put them out right away, the table will be overloaded, and the guests will be uncomfortable. A small serving table will help you out. It is convenient to take additional dishes from it.

Children’s table

On New Year’s Eve, set a separate table for the little guests. It is served like an adult, but with fewer utensils. The design must be festive, with cheerful bright details and surprises.

Two tablecloths

When setting the table for the New Year, prepare two tablecloths. One will be required for the festive table. When the meal is over, you will remove all the dishes and cover the table with a new tablecloth for tea drinking with sweets. It is good if both tablecloths are designed in the same color style.

Natural flowers

Any holiday benefits from a bouquet of flowers, and the New Year is no exception. The poinsettia is considered a symbol of the New Year celebrations. But other beautiful flowers are also suitable for decorating the table.

Tangerines

It’s a great idea to use ordinary tangerines to decorate the table. They can be placed in glass vases or simply laid out between plates. An excellent addition to sweet citrus fruits will be orange napkins or plates.

Alarm clock

You will definitely not miss the chiming clock if there is an alarm clock on the table. To make an original decor, place a clock, scarlet berries and cones on a beautiful plate.

upside down glasses

An interesting table setting is obtained by turning wine glasses over. Inside, you can lay out Christmas toys, flowers or sweets, and put small candles on the legs.

Decorations above the table

To save space, place a piece of decor above the countertop. You can hang a wreath of spruce branches, a New Year’s garland or a mobile on the chandelier.

Money Symbols

According to tradition, on New Year’s Eve, everyone wishes each other health and material success. To make wishes come true, put a small money tree and other symbols of prosperity on the table.

expert Tips

Author of books on etiquette Yaroslav Anararskaya shared with KP readers useful tips on how to properly serve a place for each guest.

– A set of cutlery and items intended for one guest at the table is called a couvert. It includes forks, knives, spoons, glasses, plates, napkin. If you have 12 people, there will be 12 couverts. The largest plate in the couvert is the main one. They do not eat from it, but plates with portions of dishes are placed on it. For a New Year’s home celebration, you can choose a main plate with a festive ornament or an elegant pattern on the side.

On the left side of the main plate, a small bread plate is placed, which is similar in size to a tea saucer. On it will lie your piece of bread.

On the right side are glasses. At least one for water. A classic, but not mandatory, set: glasses for red, white wine, water and a glass for sparkling. They can be set in different ways, the main thing is that the glasses that are used first are located closest to the guest.

To the right of the main plate are spoons and knives, turned with the blade towards the plate. On the left – forks prongs up. If there are a lot of dishes, then three devices are placed on the right and left, and the rest are brought as needed. Loading a couvert with a huge number of devices is a mistake!

Farthest from the plate are the cutlery for the dish that is served first. In most homes, serving cutlery for each dish is problematic, so you can get by with two pairs of forks and knives in a couvert – snack and main ones. Also at home, you can change plates, but not a fork and knife. In this case, special stands for cutlery are used so as not to put them on the tablecloth.

A textile napkin is placed on the main or bread plate. The simpler it is, the better. No swans and roses! Add a decorative Christmas element? Please! That’s why they are holidays!

No textile napkins? Take large paper ones. Yes, it’s not solemn, but napkins should be! Do not force guests to wipe their lips with their hand.

Ekaterina Dronova, founder of the Academy of Diplomatic and Business Protocol shares tips on how to add elegance and sophistication to the decoration of the New Year’s table.

– One of the mandatory attributes of the New Year’s table is a tablecloth, and almost always it is white. The main rule is that the tablecloth should be ironed, without folds. The edges should hang down by 25-30 cm, and for special occasions – by 50-70 cm.

Linen napkins should be of the same fabric as the tablecloth, or match it in color. If you sew them at home, the recommended size is 45×45 cm. You can embroider a small inscription or monogram in the corner, this will add sophistication to the New Year’s table.

When serving, napkins are tied with beautiful colored ribbons in the color of the table decor, or, as they did in the old days, put into special rings. Previously, such rings were nominal, so each guest could determine where his napkin was.

The most important thing is to fill the festive table with decor, beautiful attributes and serving sets. You should start by choosing a color scheme. Accents are placed thanks to accessories. For the New Year, accessories will be a composition in the center of the table made of spruce and dried flowers, or a vase with fruits and flowers. It should be of such a height that it does not interfere with the guests sitting opposite each other to meet their eyes.

In harmony with the central dominant of the table, dishes are selected, decor in the form of small twigs, Christmas trees, candles and winter berries. There are two main rules. First: no more than 3-4 colors at one table. Second: the decor should not prevail, but only complement.

If we want to add a touch of elegance to our table, the design of each couvert should start with a stand plate. Sometimes it is called serving or decorative. It is this plate that can be the most beautiful and stylish, set the color scheme for accessories in the form of ribbons for linen napkins and ribbons for glasses. It serves to protect the tablecloth from drops and crumbs, as well as from the high temperature of the main dish. Often the pattern of the table is set precisely by the pattern of substitution plates.

The devices are located next to the substitution plate, an individual linen napkin is placed either on it or on the left. Sprigs of spruce, juniper, rosemary and notes with wishes for the New Year can be put in napkins.

I advise you to pay special attention to glasses and make sure that there are one glasses for sparkling wines, another for red / white wines, and glasses for spirits. Don’t forget the water glasses.

On the legs it is worth putting markers for glasses. This will give mood and help guests avoid the eternal question – which glass is mine. If there are no markers at home, you can tie ribbons of different colors from the range that is on the table.

When setting the New Year’s table, never put packaged products on it. It is better to pour juice from plastic bags into a decanter, mayonnaise, ketchup and other sauces – into gravy boats or bowls, and put oil into a butter dish. Serving sprats in jars or Olivier salad in a saucepan is simply unacceptable! Strong alcoholic drinks should also be poured into carafes. Sparkling and regular wines, champagne can be put in a beautifully decorated ice bucket, and red wine is poured into a decanter.

The most important thing at the New Year’s table is your mood! The tone set by the hosts, the topics of light conversation and the elegance of small talk at the table. The mood that is created by the background music, the pace of movements, is conveyed by the look, the sound of appliances, the whisper of happy lips and the clink of glasses. Be happy and surround yourself with beauty!