SINGAPORE – The Christmas dining table is where all the action takes place during the year-end, and in 2023, three Singapore-based designers show how to create table settings that are not just festive but also impressive.

Pick from three styles – fully decorated (Maximalist), pared down (Minimalist) or local (Peranakan) – designed to spark conversation and celebrate the year-end festivities.

Ms Juliane Bailey, interior stylist and founder of local lifestyle brand The Jungle Emporium, says table art – the art of presenting food – should be a multi-sensorial experience for guests.

“From the aroma of roast turkey fresh out the oven to the Christmas lights to the thoughtful design touches, guests should feel welcome as well as want to stay a little longer at your party,” says the 45-year-old, who runs her lifestyle atelier out of her black-and-white bungalow at 13 Adam Drive.

Table art, or l’art de la table, is believed to have started in France around the 15th century. According to Mr Jean Francois le Du, a modern French expert on table art and entertaining etiquette, the concept is centred on the “architecture of the table and creating harmony”.

One way to do this is by ditching traditional festive design tropes for a minimalist look, says Ms Brenda Lee, founder of Fiore Dorato, an upscale floral design company with a global roster of clients.

She says coordinating the right glassware, serving ware and cutlery will ensure a cohesive tablescape.

“The Christmas dining table is like a canvas for spreading love and joy,” adds Ms Lee, who is in her 40s. “Besides table accessories, beautiful flowers add a touch of nature’s elegance to festive celebrations.”

There can also be a sense of theatre in the presentation of food during Christmas, says Mr Harijanto Setiawan, founder of floral studio Boenga Flowers, which specialises in themed events and weddings.

“It’s the end of the year, when guests are in the mood to relax and be entertained, so find ways to add drama,” says the 51-year-old.

“Make tablescapes memorable by opting for a tropical Christmas with Asian or Peranakan decor accents, and use lots of local flowers for a stunning floral statement.”

Here are three tablescape styles to add zest to your home this Christmas.

Maximalist: Juliane Bailey, The Jungle Emporium

Some may find the visual richness of maximalist designs to be over the top, but Ms Bailey says home owners cannot go wrong with picking a colour or motif from the serving ware and using it as the overarching theme.

“My styling team and I have chosen the burgundy red of hand-painted birds that appear in our store’s ceramics and used Christmas bird ornaments next to them, which serve as name-card holders,” says the 45-year-old founder of local lifestyle brand The Jungle Emporium.

“Once you have established a recurrent theme to hold everything together, you can mix and match candles, flowers, eye-catching vessels or little ornaments that can be converted into name-card holders for your guests.”

Ms Bailey was born in Germany, studied fashion journalism at Akademie Mode & Design in Hamburg, and spent the early years of her career in Sicily, Venice and New York. She moved to Singapore in 2017 with her family and set up The Jungle Emporium in 2020.

One can never go wrong with red for Christmas, she says.

For her 2023 table, the dominant colour is burgundy red, paired with muted shades of pink that can be seen in napkins, vases, candles, glasses and brass monkeys with playful bows wrapped around their necks.

Ms Bailey says another element in creating tablescapes is to invest in reusable items.

“While decorations can be inexpensive and improvised with what you already have, you can also spend a bit more on reusable items, such as colourful artisanal water glasses that can be paired with plain wine glasses to avoid the patterns or shapes clashing.”

Even in an opulent maximalist tablescape, little details matter. Ms Bailey recommends colourful cutlery “in a shade that you love and which is versatile, so that it can be reused and reconfigured for next year’s table setting” .

Tip: Pick a colour or motif from serving ware and stick with it.

Minimalist: Brenda Lee, Fiore Dorato

How do you create a minimalist Christmas table setting without boring your guests?

Minimalist tablescapes are among the most challenging designs, says Ms Lee, founder of Singapore-based global floristry and events firm Fiore Dorato.

“You have to bring all your editing skills to the table and work with restraint from start to finish,” she says via telephone from London, where she is travelling on business. “Every item has to earn its place on your minimalist table.”

She has been working with her interior styling team in Singapore since Dec 4 to flesh out her latest ideas for a minimalist tablescape.

The Singaporean, who is in her 40s, has a master’s degree in floristry from Aalsmeer, Amsterdam. She founded Fiore Dorato – meaning “flowers of gold” in Italian – in 1996.

Start with a vision of simplicity and intentionality, she says. In design terms, “intentionality” refers to deliberate choices about colour, accessories and lighting when coming up with a particular look.

Choose a simple palette, limited to just a few colours, of neutrals such as pastels and monochromes. Add interest with textures such as stone, metal, fabric and glass, so that the finished product does not look dull.

Ms Lee says: “Work with table accessories that have clean lines, and always take a step back to make sure there is some open space so that all the different elements, when assembled together, do not look cramped.”

Next comes the lighting. Ms Lee likes fixtures which are not overly ornamental, though she prefers natural, unfiltered sunlight from an open window for minimalist tables. This highlights details such as textured napkins and the stone surfaces of serving ware.

She says choosing a room fragrance for the occasion is not a must.

“I would go with very light scents that are not too heady. I would even skip them altogether, in this instance, just to hew to the overall minimalist ambience.”

Finishing touches and proper placement can make or break a minimalist tablescape.

“Your minimalist table cannot be presented to guests against a backdrop of stale and ageing furniture from last Christmas,” quips Ms Lee.

“Make sure the backdrop is neutral, such as against a wall with a window, and constantly edit out unwanted details. When you practise paring down, you create beauty through simplicity.”

Tip: Less is more.

Peranakan: Harijanto Setiawan, Boenga Flowers

Christmas in the tropics is an opportunity to explore the rich visual tapestry of Asia. What better way than to design a table setting with a Peranakan theme?

This is how President’s Design Award winner Harijanto Setiawan envisions Christmas 2023, with his tablescape showcasing the hybrid culture of the Peranakans.

“Peranakan” refers to an ethnic group that descended from immigrants around the 15th century who settled in South-east Asia – mainly in Melaka and parts of Indonesia – and married local women, creating a fusion of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures.

“It makes for a nice change from the traditional Western Christmas look that can be seen everywhere, but if it is not well curated to retain the Yuletide spirit, it can end up looking like it’s meant for Chinese New Year,” says Mr Setiawan, 51, who was named Designer of the Year in 2013 for his unique approach to floral design.

He recently published a coffee table book, titled Haribana, about his signature floral art, which fuses Japanese ikebana with Asian floral designs.

The Indonesia-born Singapore permanent resident is the founder of Boenga Flowers in Kallang Bahru, a floral studio founded in 2004 which specialises in high-society events and weddings.

Mr Setiawan moved to Singapore in the early 2000s after graduating with a degree in architecture at Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung, Indonesia, in 1995.

He is certified as a global Master Florist by the Boerma Instituut in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands.

To blend Asian elements with a Christmas tablescape, he suggests weaving Peranakan motifs, patterns and accents around Yuletide staples, such as glass tree baubles or lush pine tree branches.

“Table runners can be in a batik print highlighting local blooms such as orchids, while tree ornaments can be fashioned out of colourful Nonya trinkets,” he says.

“The most distinctive element is Peranakan ceramic and porcelain ware, which sets the tone for the table design. The plates, bowls and table lanterns feature vibrant colours with distinctive motifs such as peonies and phoenixes to usher in good fortune.”

Tip: Weave Peranakan motifs around the central Yuletide tablescape.