Photos by Carmel Brantley
This season, we turned to celebrated event designer Lewis Miller, known for his exquisite event designs, florals, and lush, joy-filled Flower Flash™ installations, to share his tips on setting a holiday table that feels inviting, effortless, and anything but ordinary.
Using the new Reverie Tabletop Collection, inspired by painterly fall hues and tactile details, Miller shows us how to celebrate the art of gathering with style and heart.
Photo courtesy of Lewis Miller
Q&A with Lewis Miller
Kassatex: Lewis, you’re known for transforming spaces into warm, welcoming works of art. When setting a holiday table, what are the key elements that make guests instantly feel at home?
Lewis Miller: It’s all about atmosphere. A holiday table should whisper “welcome” the moment someone sits down. Flowers, fragrant citrus and firs set the tone, but equally important are the tactile details: linen that feels good to the touch, a mix of China that looks collected and loved, and lighting that flatters everyone. The goal is a table that feels layered and thoughtful, but never fussy. A fleet of twinkling votive candles never hurts!
Kassatex: You’ve worked with florals your entire career. What’s your secret for arranging flowers that complement, rather than overpower, a holiday tablescape?
LM: Restraint. Flowers should feel like a conversation, not a monologue. I love using seasonal blooms and foliage in looser, more organic arrangements so they feel as if they’ve just been gathered. The trick is scale—keeping arrangements low enough so guests aren’t talking through a hedge. Let the flowers echo the season and the festivity but let the people be the main event.
Photos by Carmel Brantley
Kassatex: When designing a table for entertaining, how do you balance practicality with beauty?
LM: Space is a luxury. If you overload the table, there’s nowhere to put the food or wine. I’ll often cluster flowers and candles in moments along the table, leaving generous space for platters and bottles. I love family style for the holidays. Practicality and beauty aren’t enemies—they’re dance partners.
Kassatex: Do you have any signature “finishing touches” that make all the difference in an inviting holiday table?
LM: I don’t have a signature finishing touch for the holidays, for gift floral arrangements, I always tuck in a hand painted life-size lady bug, on a petal or leaf. That’s definitely an LMD signature. But for holiday, I think a sprig of rosemary tucked into a napkin, or bowls of clementines and pomegranates that perfume the air is perfect.
Photos by Carmel Brantley
Kassatex: What’s one unexpected detail hosts often overlook when setting the table for the holidays?
LM: Flow. People tend to fixate on the table itself but forget the movement of the evening. Is there a spot for cocktails before dinner? Is the lighting in the dining room dim enough once candles are lit? You’re not just setting a table— you’re setting a rhythm.
Kassatex: Let’s talk etiquette. What’s one do and one don’t every host should keep in mind when entertaining guests this season?
LM: Do: introduce your guests to one another with a morsel of connection— “She’s just back from Tokyo” or “He makes the best martinis”— it breaks the ice instantly.
Don’t: overfill glasses. It’s generous but impractical— spilled wine on velvet or silk is never festive.
Kassatex: If someone is hosting their first big holiday meal, what advice would you give to help them create a table that feels elevated yet effortless?
LM: Don’t overthink it. A single variety of flower en masse can be chicer than a complicated arrangement. Mismatched chairs or a borrowed tablecloth can feel charming when paired with good candlelight. Confidence and ease are the ultimate luxuries—if you’re relaxed, your guests will be too.
Photo by Carmel Brantley
Kassatex: What are some simple swaps or additions that instantly transition a fall table to a festive holiday one?
LM: Switch pumpkins and gourds for bowls of citrus, pomegranates, or evergreen boughs. Trade amber glass for crystal. And suddenly, what was autumnal becomes holiday. A small gesture— like a velvet ribbon tied around the napkins— can shift the mood without an entire overhaul.
Kassatex: If you could have a holiday feast with 5 people, past or present, who would you choose and where would you sit?
LM: We’d have Julia Child to take care of the feast, Bezalel for the spirit of creativity, King Solomon for wisdom, CS Lewis for philosophy, Mother Theresa for compassion, and Kristin Chenoweth for wit. Where? A long table in an old Paris townhouse or a cottage in the Cotswold’s.
Kassatex: What are your favorite flowers or natural elements to incorporate into a winter tablescape?
LM: Anemones for their beauty, paperwhites for their scent, branches of winterberry for color, and always something green like pine or magnolia leaves. Nature in winter has its own grandeur; you don’t need to gild it; just let it be.
Photos by Carmel Brantley
Quick Fire:
Velvet or Satin?
Velvet
Martini or Champagne?
Martini
Favorite Holiday Song?
Joy To The World
Favorite Holiday Movie?
Love Actually
Rainbow or White Lights?
White Lights
Favorite Gift to Give?
Santa Maria Novella Potpourri
Finish this sentence: The holidays officially begin when ________.
The last installation/party/job is complete!
Shop holiday tabletop essentials here.