Party Table Decorations: Using Silver Tabletop Decor for New Year’s Dinner

In this post: Looking for party table decoration ideas for a New Year’s dinner? Try adding a note of elegance with silver tabletop decor.⇒

All that glitters is not gold.

Sometimes it’s silver!

In fact, some of my favorite table settings utilize silver tableware and accessories to impart a feeling of nobility and celebration.

In this season chock full of holidays and festivity, a tablescape that wears this patina of elegance is right at home. Today I’m sharing a table I planned for New Year’s Eve, but it would be equally at home for any other chic gala.

New Year’s Dinner

Like most of my tables, there are various elements that are unequivocally posh, but the presentation is anything but stuffy. I try hard to avoid a prescribed layout of formal china with matching serving pieces.

It’s not that I don’t like formal table settings, but I find a more creative approach to be infinitely more interesting. Certainly you don’t need me to show you how to place an entire set of matched china on the table.

Instead I like to share a more unique perspective, one that doesn’t necessarily need to be followed exactly but that can inspire ideas for your own vision.

The Place Setting

The heart of this tablescape is…

well, literally a heart.

These gorgeous heart shaped salad plates are embellished with a silver zebra pattern, and are from the wonderful table and giftware brand, Annieglass. Dinner plates with platinum edging, also from Annieglass, are perfect to collect and mix and mingle with their other pieces.

(If you missed my last two holiday tables with Annieglass, be sure to visit them HERE and HERE.)

*This post was sponsored by Annieglass but all opinions and styling are genuine and my own.

Mix and Match Flatware

Flanking the plates I used refined flatware, but instead of using one set, I mixed it up with a mis-matched selection of vintage pieces.

If you’ve inherited several sets from your parents or grandparents, this is a wonderful way to update the look. It’s also a great solution for missing pieces or half sets, or simply to utilize one-off items you’ve fallen in love with at an antique market and couldn’t leave without.

The Color Palette

While my color palette on this table is almost completely silver and white, I chose pops of lilac and lavender to add in an extra note of pretty.

These small touches of color are just enough to keep a tonal winter table from looking too ‘one-note’. You’ll find the color mainly in the florals but also mirrored in the classic linen napkins.

The Centerpiece

The primary centerpiece is a lovely bouquet comprised of lilac-toned roses, cream daisies and pale green Queen Anne’s lace. The blooms are tucked inside a silver champagne bucket, the quintessential repository for this silver garnished table.

Candlelight

I chose a pair of vintage silver candelabras to line the center of the table and provide a bit of space between the florals. They add candlelit ambiance and a wonderful note of grace. Scattered at their feet are a few glass votives, to magnify the effect of the warm candlelight.

Stemware

I stayed pretty simple when it came to glassware, preferring to let the other elements shine, so I chose lovely cut crystal stems in a wine goblet and champagne flute and left it at that.

Serving Pieces

At the table’s ends I had room for some serveware, so I opted to contrast the sophistication of silver serving utensils against the rustic charm of vintage wood cutting boards.

I’m not a fan of heavy food platters on the table, but this is a great little perch from which to tempt with simple desserts.

Accent Florals

I often like to spread my florals out along the table and in this case I added a few accent florals near the outer ends. Just a few sprigs of iris and lisianthus are pinched into the narrow openings of cut crystal decanters.

All the components of the table come together to convey the theme of silver and glass with a hint of purple. It’s elegant but modern, opulent but dignified and ever-so-perfect for a holiday gathering!