Birthday decorations: ideas for the table and party

When you're decorating for an adult birthday, it's tempting to want it all. But the decorations that feel well thought out are often the simplest. By gathering the party around one theme or one recurring colour, you get a table and a party that hang together, without spending time chasing lots of different things.

Here you'll get the principles for birthday decorations: how to choose a theme, set the table, add candles and sparkle, and how to make it extra special for a milestone birthday.

The short answer: theme, table, candles and sparkle

If you're decorating for a birthday, three principles will take you far. First, choose a theme or a colour that ties the decorations together. Then set the table so it looks festive without being overloaded. And finally, add candles and something with sparkle, so the mood feels lifted as soon as the guests step into the room.

What makes birthday decorations memorable is rarely the amount of things. It's that everything fits together, and that thought has gone into the details, from the napkins to the light in the ceiling.

Choose a theme: colour, decade or favourite things

A theme makes every choice easier. It could be a single colour that you let recur in napkins, flowers and candles. It could be a decade, if the birthday person has a favourite era. Or it could be something completely personal, like the birthday person's favourite fruit, colour or animal.

The point is that once the theme is chosen, the rest of the decorations fall naturally into place. You don't have to decide on every single detail, because you already have a direction to style around.

• Choose one main colour and let it recur in at least three places on the table.
• Use the same theme in the invitation, table setting and candles.
• Stick to the theme, also when choosing table decorations, so everything looks pulled together.

Get more ideas for how to build on a theme in the centre of the table, in our guide about table decorations: how to build the centre of the table.

The table: runner, napkins, plates and table decorations

The table is where guests spend most of the evening, so this is where decorations make the biggest difference. Start with a runner or a tablecloth, add napkins in the theme colour, and choose plates that match the mood.

If the theme is citrus or summer, you can use lemon plates in stoneware or orange plates in porcelain to set the tone. If the table should be more playful and colourful, plate del mar plates in dolomite work well to break up the plain colours. For serving, a rainbow fish dish in stoneware or a lemon dish in ceramic can give the table one last festive touch, when snacks or fruit need to be brought out.

The table decorations themselves don't need to take up much space. A simple vase with flowers, a couple of figurines or a small detail in the middle of the table is enough to make it look well thought out without becoming overloaded.

See the full range of table settings and table decorations, and get inspired to mix styles in our guide about mixing ceramics, colours and shapes on the table setting. If you'd like to see how to set the table from scratch, you can read more in table setting: how to set a beautiful table.

Candles and sparkle: candlesticks, candles and a disco ball

Candlelight does more for the mood than most other things on the table. Bring out candlesticks in different heights, and light candles when the guests arrive. It instantly gives a warm and festive setting, whatever theme you've chosen.

If you want to give the party an extra lift, a disco ball is a simple way to add sparkle. Disco balls from Rice come in several colours and sizes and cast glittering light when they hang above the table or stand as an eye-catcher on a shelf or side table. A large disco ball in multicolour works as a centrepiece in the room, while a medium disco ball in pink or a medium disco ball in multicolour works well if you want to keep the theme simpler. If the party is going dark green, a large disco ball in dark green is an obvious choice, and if the sparkle should just be a small detail, a small disco ball in pink can be brought out without taking up too much space.

See the full range of disco balls and candlesticks, and get inspired in disco balls as decor: party meets home decor as well as how to create cosiness with candlelight.

Milestone birthdays: theme based on the day's significance

For a milestone birthday, it's an obvious choice to let the actual occasion become part of the theme, without it having to turn kitsch. It can be about choosing colours or a style that suits the day, and using them consistently in the table setting and decorations, instead of filling the table with banners and signs.

Keep the decorations simple, and let the occasion be present in details, such as a single table decoration or a colour you consistently choose in napkins and candles. That way it becomes festive and personal, without taking over.

Practical tip: prepare the evening before

Much of the decoration can be set up the evening before the party. Set the table, bring out candlesticks, and hang up the disco ball in good time, so you have the energy to enjoy it yourself when the guests arrive.

Also think about seating, so everyone has a place to sit, and so the table doesn't get too crowded for the decorations to be seen. Save the best you have, like a nice table decoration or a special dish, for the spot guests look at the most, so that's what they notice first.

Summary

Decorating for a birthday doesn't need to involve loads of things. Pick one theme or one colour, dress the table with napkins, plates and simple table decorations, and let candles and a disco ball add sparkle to the party. For a milestone birthday, the special day can become part of the theme without it feeling over the top, and with a bit of preparation the evening before, you can enjoy the party yourself when the guests arrive.

Read also

• Table decorations: how to build the centre of the table
• Table setting: how to set a beautiful table
• Disco balls as decor: party meets home decor
• How to create cosiness with candles