The chaos and spirit of holidays or family dinners have a charm that no one can quite replicate in a restaurant. The loud conversations, cramped spaces, and heaped plates are a sign of a happy and prosperous family. What about the times you have guests over that are not family? Setting a table has rules and you can follow them and great a predictable result. What about dining table decorations? A lot of us panic and either overdo the decorations or do very little to make our table look pretty. What if you had rules to decorate the dining table too? 

Let us look at a few ways you can successfully make your table look pretty. 

1. Focus on what you have – Fix the theme of the table based on the furniture around and the table mats and table runners. Try and work around that and build from that. The decoration on the table should look cohesive rather than cluttered and untidy. 
2. Leave space for the essentials – In your enthusiasm to decorate the table, don’t forget to account for the space that will be taken up on the dining table by food and drinks. If it gets too full, then people might not be able to eat comfortably. 
3. Height of the decorations – More often than not, people forget that if the table is decorated for meals, then the flower arrangements, candles, or any other decorative items should not be more than 10 to 12 inches. If the decoration is taller then, it hinders the conversation and it is difficult for people to pass food and mingle with the person across the table. 
4. Gauge the size of the table – If you have a dining table that seats 4 people then a small and single arrangement is enough. There might not be any place left for the covers to be set. If you have a 6-seater dining table you can do a trinity of various objects and keep things light. If you have an 8-seater table, you can easily accommodate bigger vases and decorations. 
5. Items you can use – There are many items you can use to spruce up your dining table. One thing to remember is that nothing visually unappealing should be placed on the table as it may spoil the appetite of your guests. You can use pots, urns, leaves, flowers, vases, urns, and a lot of other knick knacks to make your table look pretty. 
6. Candles and potpourri – Although candles and potpourri look very nice on the table, it is essential to remember that the fragrance of these should not overpower the smell of food or clash with it. The result can be confusing or unpleasant odours. If you have some candles that are studded and can be used as showpieces without lighting them, then these are the ones to go for. 

These are a few of the simple rules you can follow to make your table look gorgeous and keep it functional too.