Five tips for setting a gorgeous holiday table

Entertaining tip: “The holidays are not the time to try out new dishes for me. My caviar eggs and beef tenderloin are real crowd-pleasers, but so easy to make, which leaves me free to mix and mingle.”

Holiday table how-to:

1. Choose a tablescape the way you’d pick an outfit. Mix and match your favourite colours, materials and accessories, and they’re sure to look good together.

2. Keep centrepieces simple. Group big bunches of the same flower together in one vase for a simple but dramatic look.

3. Pick a theme. For my luxe-Canadiana look, I’ve paired warm amber tones with lavish textiles, antlers and wooden snowfakes.

4. Be creative with place settings. Try trays instead of placemats and ornaments instead of name cards. The only limit is your imagination.

5. Skip the dessert. Set out trays of cheese, fruit and fine chocolate instead, and let the evening unfold naturally.

Trays, Hermes. Flowers, Vases, Earth Work. Teddy bear ornaments, Gucci. Orrefors glass candle holders, IIttala wineglasses, William Ashley.