Remember being banished to the dreaded ‘kids’ table during the holiday meal? Usually it was a card table pushed into a corner with paper plates and plastic forks. Shudder!! Why does being a kid mean that you can’t dine in style? Designers Kathleen Matthews and Brett Clark show you how to create a fanciful and functional tabletop for your youngest guests this year.
Photo by Loren Doughty
MAKE IT CHEERY
Creating the perfect kids’ table means making it a happy place to be! The key here is to mix fun patterns, such as polka dots and stripes in bright colors. Remember, you don’t have to stick with traditional red and green for the holidays. Make the table an explosion of vivid hues in purples, blues, yellows and pinks!
MAKE IT WHIMSICAL
Felt ornaments, pom pom garland and mason jars filled with more felt pom poms are unexpected and youthful tabletop décor, as are gold polka dot Christmas tree shaped dishes and tea towels used as placemats.
MAKE IT FUN
Being a kid means having fun . . . even at the dinner table. Striped straws in soda bottles are a whimsical detail that says ‘it’s okay to blow bubbles into your drink today!’ Stools covered in white faux fur and white reindeer at the base of the table are extra fun finishing touches.
MAKE IT MEMORABLE
Setting a fanciful, but functional kids’ table isn’t difficult, and it’s a special touch that the kids and their parents will remember every year. Remember even luxury can be pint-sized.
