If you know me, you will also know that I adore my country.  While the Australian environment can be unforgiving, wiping away everything we have worked towards without notice, I can’t help but love it for it’s natural rugged beauty.  Colours that merge in an ever changing landscape.  Drifts of green grass across red soil and coastlines of deep blue ocean kissing white sandy beaches.  The rush of angry storms and the quiet of rainforests and rolling hills.  So when I create my home I generally look to that beauty for inspiration.  Here is my Australian inspired Christmas table.  Enjoy xo

I love a relaxed Australian style without fuss.  It’s comfortable and really speaks to me.  Botanical prints and hues inspired by the Australian landscape repeat throughout the table, telling the story.

Napkins & Side Plates- Target Australia, Dinner Plates- Maxwell Williams, Name tags- Home Beautiful Magazine, December 2019 Issue, Table Runner- Wheel and Barrow

My everyday white dinner plates in combination with a blue green side plate with an uneven reactive glaze reference the waters off Straddies coastline, while a charcoal linen napkin speaks to storm clouds rolling in.  It takes me back to salt laden air and walking boardwalks with my kids, a special wedding, moments in time.

Glamorous crystal champagne glasses will be filled with champagne, mixed with cranberry juice and maybe a rosemary sprig for something extra nice.  Tables are taken to a new height when you add simple items like a runner and linen napkins.  They take your dinner from weekday to the main event.  Notice nothing actually quite matches here, creating a more interesting, relaxed tablescape.

A beautiful native bouquet, and gum leaf wrapped candles immediately bring the Australian bush to the table.  The tea tree offers some creamy whites and I just love the impact of the red.  If you’re looking for native inspiration never be afraid to go into your garden to see what you can find.  A lot of my vases are filled from my yard, especially after a summer storm has knocked down a few branches.  In the past, my table has seen anything from a flat lay of pine branches woven with gumnuts and lights, through to a collection of small food jars filled with wax flowers and tealights.  Choose flowers and greenery for their longevity to avoid having to replace them too many times.  Keep arrangements low so as your guests can see each other across the table.

Flowers- Wattle and Daisy, Samford Village Qld, Plate under vase- Kmart Australia

Simple candles will create a beautiful glow into the evening. The gum leaves are straight from my garden and tied on with string.

Botanical prints and hues inspired by the Australian landscape repeat throughout the table…

It’s Christmas so remind your guests of how much they mean to you by adding something extra special to each of their places, like an ornament to take home, hand pressed clay stars or a home made biscuit.  I’ve used these antique style bells coupled with a personal note on name tags.  If I were by the ocean I would have used something like a starfish.  Scatter decorations on the table as well.  Not too much – we need room for our wine and champagne after all.  A few baubles or some small timber Christmas trees to add that little seasonal touch.

an ornament,

hand pressed clay stars

or a home made biscuit

These same principles can be applied to any style and adjusted for seasons too.  It’s truly about layering your everyday setting to lift it a little.  Christmas is a moment in time when we stop, reflect and appreciate what we have.  Christmas is often the basis for our strongest memories with our loved ones.  Beautiful Christmas tables are not required for a special Christmas….they just make the memory more of a gift to be cherished.