Black isn’t a colour that usually comes to mind when thinking about an Australian Christmas. We tend to lean towards light and bright colours, but a palette of dark hues can be stunningly evocative and rich. It’s a gorgeous look for an Australian bush Christmas and a cool respite from the harsh light.

Freedom invited me to shop their Christmas collection, and their on trend range – featuring black elements – was the inspiration for this festive table setting. When teamed with olive and other shades of green, matte black makes a beautiful base to build on with accents of gold, white and deep red.

Let me show you how you can style a stunning black Christmas table setting that will bring a new and fresh look to your entertaining this holiday season.

My starting point was beautiful matte black dinner plates, complimented by black, white and gold side plates. The gold on Freedom’s Christmas dinnerware is electro plated, so it’s a true metallic luxe finish and the calligraphy adds a quirky, fun element.

I took a mix and match approach, choosing various plates and bowls in either black or gold and white, together with gold cutlery. When sticking to a restricted range of colours you can use different shapes and finishes while still achieving a coordinated well styled look.

My collection of vintage linens in olive and other shades of dark green ties in the colours of the bush vista and softens the contrast of black and white. I like the idea of mixing tones of the same colour to add interest without detracting from the impact of the palette. Finally, pops of deep red add vibrancy and balance.

Don’t be restricted by traditional ideas of where to hang wreaths or place decorations. I hung a number of wreaths at various heights on the large windows to create a festive feature.

Lovely soft white feather wreaths make an unexpected and beautiful textural addition to the place settings. Sequined baubles and ceramic star decorations finish off each place setting, and gold cutlery adds an extra special touch.

Decorative string lights can look fantastic down the centre of the table or grouped in a bowl. These gold mesh lights are battery operated so you can easily hide the battery pack and not be constrained by leads and wall sockets.

Simple ideas for extraordinary gift wrapping

Think outside the box – or the wrapping paper – to create stunning and memorable gift wrapping. Freedom has all sorts of canisters and vessels that are perfect for this, and they are a gift in themselves.

Homemade nougat becomes a luxe gift when placed in a canister topped with a gold lid and a simple black ribbon. I like to have gifts like this on hand in case I need something last minute, and it’s perfect for teachers, neighbours and Kris Kringle too.

These matte black ceramic storage jars with wooden lids are a stylish way to present a beautiful pair of earrings or other small gift. Just line them with black tissue paper and tie a thick black grosgrain ribbon around the outside for instant luxe.

The beauty of going faux

Did you realise that all the flowers in this Christmas setting are faux? Probably not, because they’re so realistic, right? Freedom’s extensive range of faux blooms are beautiful quality and they’re a great solution for summertime entertaining. You can create a lush floral and green installation on your table, mantle or wall without the worry of them having a very limited lifespan in the heat.

Simple mantle decoration

I hung long garlands of faux foliage and flowers between the windows and also added one to the stunning sandstone mantle. This super simple vignette of the ready made floral arrangement, wreaths in contrasting textures and sizes, and a pretty gold dipped feather garland is big on style and impact requires little effort.

Everything in this shoot, with the exception of my vintage linens, came from Freedom. It’s super easy to get this stunning look without having to shop around – and who wants to do that at this time of year when things are just a little crazy? You can find some of Freedom’s Christmas range online, and all of it in store now.

Have you chosen your colour palette and decorating theme for holiday entertaining yet?