If you’re feeding a crowd, or just want a much more casual vibe, there’s nothing better than a buffet table. load it up with tasty treats, pretty plates and silverware and let guests loose to serve themselves and mingle freely.
A chandelier that overflows with plentiful greenery turns this easy buffet table (just the dining table, minus the chairs) into an immediate focal point. matching white serving dishes feel orderly, while a few silver accents add hits of luxury.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: house & home December 2010 issue
Designer: Pauline Esdale
Try setting up several smaller, though no less stocked, grazing stations instead of one large buffet. It removes the temptation to congregate in one spot, so guests will mingle much more easily.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: house & home December 2010 issue
Buffet tables still work in smaller areas — just scale things down, and opt for a round table to maximize flow. drape it in a floor-length fabric so you can stock boxes and empty bottles out of sight, and make the most of the tabletop by adding in a cake platter or footed bowl, so food is at different heights.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: house & home December 2010 issue
Designer: Morgan Michener and Kathryn Bala
The holidays are the ideal opportunity to splash out on some pretty serveware — especially if they’ll be the centre of attention on a stocked buffet table. typically used for sweets, a vintage three-tier tray elevates easy stuffed endives.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: house & home December 2013 issue
Edible designs lend a friendly vibe to a buffet table, so fill pretty ceramic bowls with brightly-coloured licorice and classic candy canes — you’ll thoroughly charm any pint-sized guests, especially if a trendy gingerbread house is given place of pride.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: house & home November 2010 issue
Designer: Stephanie White and Michael Penney
Layer your linens for a cosy, unfitted look, and don’t feel obligated to stay with conventional shades — this blue and white combination is a Scandi handle wintry colours. Tip: using a smaller, patterned fabric as an accent is also a smart way to cover the table if you don’t have a single fabric that’s long enough. just drape two matching cloths over the ends then cover the exposed part of the table with your accent.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: house & home December 2010
Don’t forget dessert! vintage silver accents add shimmer to a buffet table, and give easy holiday cookies an stylish upgrade. try decanters, filigreed glasses, tiered trays and pretty bowls for a hit of old world romance.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: house & home December 2011 issue
A sideboard or easy chest of drawers can double as a buffet table, and once the party’s done, clean up is easy because everything has its own place close at hand.
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: house & home December 2010 issue
Designer: Joel BrayNo need to drag a card table up from the basement — your own dining table makes a perfectly beautiful buffet, and you don’t even have to stock the chairs away. A trio of small bouquets are lovely when displayed in tiny vases, while tall candle holders feel chic.
Get more holiday embellishing ideas.
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Source: house & home December 2009 issue