Holiday Table Settings

If your favorite plates are colorfully patterned, build your table around them as you would an outfit around a printed blouse.

Gretta Monahan, Rach's fashion and beauty buddy and owner of Grettacole spas, recommends pulling out two or three main hues and use them in accessories to highlight your statement piece. "Then next year, pick out different colors for a whole new look!"

Multicolored dinnerware, like Gretta's Denby Monsoon Cosmic plates, is the chameleon of the china cabinet.

$23 and up, denbyusa.com

Loosely wrap a thin metallic cord around jewel-tone cotton napkins.

Play off the main course: Trim the stems off decorative feathers, then glue them to folded cardstock with each guest's name.

The easiest table topper ever: Fill clear vases with water and varying amounts of food dye -- in one color -- to create an ombreé design.

Choose rich-colored burlap and hot-glue a matching ribbon to cover the frayed edges for a showstopper you can use again and again.

That classic pattern you inherited from Grandma takes on a modern look against a chocolaty backdrop. The result: a homey look anyone can achieve.

Evette Rios, Rach's design buddy and correspondent on ABC's The Chew, says, "Blue, white and brown are an unstoppable combo." Yellow, orange and red flowers play up the warm tones; arrange them casually in soup bowls or compote dishes to balance the fancy feel of the plates.

Evette adds to her vintage transferware collection at flea markets. "Your table actually looks more interesting if your pieces don't match," she says.

Blue Willow plate, $10 and up, rubylane.com

A satiny brown fabric looks elegant yet earthy.

Use terra-cotta saucers as bread plates -- and place cards: Simply write guests' names in chalk.

Stick craft-store wheat stalks to the stems of blue wine glasses with floral glue.

Libbey Premiere cobalt blue wine glasses, $42 for 12, amazon.com

Before arranging flowers, make a scotch-tape grid across the top of the container to keep blooms in place.

Metallic-trimmed dinnerware anchors a blinged-out table with shimmery accents and icy colors -- a scheme that works well with colid white plates, too.

Erica Domesk, Rach's buddy and founder of the DIY brand P.S. -- I Made This, says "Gold or silver with pops of puple and blue feels glamorous and rich." With her DIY touches, this display only looks like a million bucks.

Metallic white china, like Erica's Larabee Road Platinum plates, can feel formal on its own -- but you can offset any fussiness with repurposed household staples and punchy colors.

Label your drinks: Write beverage names on colorful glass bottles in dry-erase or metallic paint markers.

Giara bottles, $13, whisknyc.com

Fill large glass jars or bowls with anything shiny: foil-wrapped candy, costume jewelry or, for a Christmas table, ornaments.

This dazzling cuff was once a paper-towel roll! To make: Cut 2-inch rings from the roll with a sharp blade and coat with glitter spray paint.

Sold on a perforated roll, bright cotton mats add a big kick of color behind white plates.

Create a table based on the season's theme of harvest and bounty, without a pumpkin or gourd in sight! Bright leaf plates (or any dishes with a botanical feel) set the tone.

Libby Langdon, Rach's interior designer buddy and founder of Libby Langdon Funiture, says "Most of what you need can be found at the grocery store or in your backyard."

Plates that feature foliage or flowers -- like Libby's Foglia Fresca set -- can be used year-round by mixing in seasonal accessories.

$168 for 4, graciousstyle.com

Tie green beans and asparagus around pillar candles with ribbon, or remove the core of an artichoke and pop a candle inside.

A bamboo-inspired cloth unifies the table items without distracting from the display.

Chilewich "Bamboo" runner, $55, blooming dales.com

Write what you're thankful for in marker on small rocks, then place them in wooden bowls around the table.

Piccoli bowl set, $13, crateand barrel.com

Bring some sparkle to the outdoorsy elements with silver candlesticks.