Create Your Own Beautiful Dinner Party Table

Sarah-Jane of Just A Little Build

Just A Little Build founder, Sarah-Jane, shares her dinner table style

Lady in white jumper laying reclaimed wood dining table

We’ve been lusting after the interior style of Sarah-Jane, the stunningly gorgeous and oh, so talented lady behind Just A Little Build, since she completed her build and renovation project back in February 2019. Documented on her Instagram and blog, her honesty, enthusiasm and love of interiors shines throughout, but it is her stories of family life (she’s a full time mum of three with a menagerie of animals and a career of her own) and how she juggles this with her wonderful style and design that makes us ‘just a little’ bit obsessed with Sarah-Jane.

With her love of entertaining and attention to detail, when it comes to creating a show-stopping dinner party table, Sarah-Jane is the lady to ask. So, we did just that.

Here are her style secrets for a dinner party to impress….

Fresh Flowers: never underestimate the impact fresh flowers can give to your table decor. Not only do they instantly lift the mood of the room, but they also lift the eye, creating height and interest.

Green foliage in centre of a dinner table with clear plastic chairs

Use seasonal blooms to add colour to your table or for an understated elegance, simple green foliage, such as eucalyptus, are a wonderful way to add a stylish bit of substance. Just be careful that they don’t obstruct the natural eye line, so you can still see your guests!

Flowers in glass jar on wooden table

Accessories: when sourcing plates, placemats and glasses etc. for the table, I use the same design process I would for a room. It all comes down to the styling and what materials, colours, heights and textures work together. I coordinated the smoked grey water glasses to mirror the frames of my sliding doors and blue bottom wine glasses to match my kitchen island and cushions.

Silver and black round placemats and glasses

Placemats: these can play an integral role in helping frame the plate and tie in your colour scheme. Here I have layered two different styles to add texture and contrast. The silver woven mat ties in with the cutlery, whilst the smaller slate placemat on top brings out the smoked grey of the water glass, as well as highlighting the stunning natural cracks and grooves of the wood in the reclaimed wood table. I love how the varying sizes and contrasting materials add interest and dimension to the table.

Candles and tea lights on a wooden dining table

And lastly, the final piece for a heavenly table setting is lighting, or more specifically, mood lighting. To make a dinner party special I love to bring in a bit of sparkle and atmosphere to the room. I do this by placing tealights in small glass votives along the table or by adding tall candlesticks with long candles. You can also introduce a small wired string of LED’s for a festoon of light. Weave the lighting amongst the foliage or flowers for a stunning table setting. And, don’t forget the rest of the room. I like to add additional candles for a subtle glow and floor and side lamps to layer the light.

 

Sarah-Jane of Just A Little Build

Who would be on your ultimate fantasy dinner party guest list?
Michael McIntyre – for happiness and laughter; Prince Harry – to find out all the goss!; Bradley Cooper – my celebrity crush; Jennifer Aniston – I think she’s just fab!
What’s your signature dinner party dish?
A good one which I used to cook and was originally passed down to me by my mum is chicken breasts stuffed with Stilton cheese, wrapped in parma ham and served with a cream and port sauce. However, as I no longer eat meat I tend to serve fish these days – I love pan-fried sea bass with cider braised mussels.
Sea bass with mussels in cream
Summer BBQ or cosy winter supper?
Summer BBQ – I love cooking with marinades and you can do so many lovely fish dishes on the bbq. A favourite of ours is this Sunshine Tuna recipe; tuna steaks marinated with orange juice, fresh coriander, chili, garlic and then barbecued – pure summer on a plate!
What’s your food guilty pleasure?
I love a Gu Hot Chocolate soufflé – with raspberries pushed into the middle!
Woman leaning against kitchen island with dog
When you’re not being a mum, blogger, Instagrammer, brand consultant, holiday rental manager and events organiser (phew!!!), what do you do to relax?

Ha! For me, a quiet night in with a lovely candle burning, some mindless tv and some sweet and salty popcorn is pretty much the ticket!

For stunning dining tables to create your perfect dinner party, take a browse through our wonderful wood dining table collection. It includes Sarah-Jane’s stunning reclaimed wood dining table.