There’s a particular kind of Australian Christmas light. It comes slantwise through the leaves at about four in the arvo, turns the lawn both honey-gold and emerald and makes every glass of something cold look like a tiny celebration.
This is the Christmas our most visionary table stylists are designing for now - not the snow-globe one. Think eucalyptus instead of fir, sculptural ceramics instead of plastic, native florals doing the heavy lifting and a quiet, confident refusal to drape the whole thing in tinsel.
Welcome to the table as canvas: where lunch goes long, colours nod to Country and coast and the styling feels like Summer itself took a seat and loosened its collar.
The new Aussie Christmas mood (no baubles required)
Across the country, stylists are trading the northern-hemisphere script for something more honest to how we actually live in December. The palette is sun-washed and botanical: gum leaf greens, chalky whites, protea blush, banksia toffee, sea-glass blues. Tablescapes lean into native foliage runners (eucalyptus, Geraldton wax, Christmas bush) and airy, outdoor energy.
Ceramics are a big deal in this shift - matte, handmade, imperfect in the best way - because nothing says "stay awhile” like plates that feel touched by a real person, not a factory. Native blooms arrive not as polite little bunches, but as wild, sculptural gestures that mirror the bush and the shoreline.
It’s festive, sure, but it’s also you.
If you’ve ever seen one of Steve Cordony’s Christmas settings and felt your chest go a bit fizzy, that’s because he styles like a man composing a memory. Steve’s tables are lush and cinematic, threaded with warmth rather than gimmick.
His Christmas table energy:
Steve starts with atmosphere. Fresh greenery is a must and he builds the rest in textures: rumpled linen, antique-leaning cutlery, candlelight that makes everyone look like they’ve just come from a film shoot. There’s always a sense of gentle abundance - not cluttered, just generously alive.
Why he feels so "Australian Christmas now”:
Steve doesn’t fight the season. His tables invite you outdoors, into the heat and the chatter, where the styling is lush enough to feel special but breathable enough to feel like Summer.
The look says: we’re here, we’re together and we’re not rushing anywhere.
Saskia Havekes has spent decades turning flowers into mood, theatre and art. Her arrangements aren’t ‘pretty’ in the simple sense - they’re felt. Big. Sculptural. A little wild.
Her Christmas table energy:
Less "centrepiece” and more "centre-world.” She forages branches and native blooms into installations that feel like part of the landscape wandered onto your table - twigs, pods, waratahs, gum, leaping contrasts and glorious scale.
Why she’s redefining the aesthetic:
Her work is pure Australiana without being theme-park about it. It’s bush poetry. The flowers don’t just decorate the meal - they conduct it, pulling the eye along the table the way a good host pulls a story along a night.
Jake Harlow is part of the newer wave of Christmas stylists bringing a designer’s eye to holiday homes - refined, sun-friendly and sharply personal.
His Christmas table energy:
Jake’s tables are like a deep breath. He’s into restrained colour, well-chosen statement pieces and letting foliage do the talking. Picture a eucalyptus runner, a few clustered candles, crisp napkins and negative space that makes the food feel even more celebratory.
Why he works for real Aussie hosting:
Hot weather + big groups = you need beauty that survives a breeze and a dozen refills of pav. His look is festive without being fussy - designed for use, not just photos.
Eclectic Creative has become a reference point for people wanting Christmas to feel local - native greens, playful mixing of tableware and a breezy "use what you love” philosophy that makes the whole thing feel easy and joyful.
Her Christmas table energy:
Joy in layers. Jess leans into mix-and-match ceramics, colour pops and native foliage styled casually (like it just happens to look perfect). It’s the kind of table that makes guests grin before they even sit down.
Why she’s part of this visionary crew:
She shows that an Aussie Christmas table doesn’t need to be muted or minimalist to be modern. It can be bright, textural and a bit cheeky - still grounded in Summer, still totally tinsel-free.
The quiet heroes: native florals + ceramic artists in the background
Not every visionary is a household name - some are hands in studios and early-morning market regulars. Yet they’re shaping this aesthetic hard. Florists are pushing native Christmas arrangements as centrepieces: proteas, waxflower, gum, banksia, wattle pods, Christmas bush.
Ceramicists? They’re giving us the vessels that make the whole thing sing - chalky vases, wobbly-perfect plates, handmade candleholders that catch the late sun just right. The look has become so recognisable it’s practically a genre: natives in ceramics, crisp linen, no glitter required.
These makers are the reason the new Aussie Christmas table feels real: grounded, tactile and warm in the way only handmade things are.
