6 Elegant Holiday Centerpiece Ideas

Written by Brad Mee | Photography by Adam Finkle

A centerpiece can make or break a holiday table. That’s a lot for pressure for these festive florals—and for those who create them. But don’t stress. These 6, easy-to-make centerpieces are guaranteed to be the tops on your table this season.

1. Simply Statuesque

Stand wheat stalks upright in a tall crystal vase, fill with water, and top off with an unexpected ornamental blossom such as leafy kale. This tall arrangement is ideal for a buffet or sideboard.

2. Gorgeous Greens

A fresh mix of juniper, bay leaves, china berries, figs, and cymbidium orchids creates an elegant island of green when staged in florist’s foam and displayed in a low, white ceramic planter.

3. Carnation Sphere

This ruby red sphere consists of frilly carnation flowers pressed into a water-soaked ball of florist’s foam. Silver ornaments add a touch of sparkle. A silver candle stand serves as an unexpected base for the gorgeous globe.

4. Platter of Produce

A glass cake stand makes a surprising and handsome pedestal for a sculptural arrangement of green apples, mixed mushrooms, and assorted pinecones. A single pillar candle anchors and illuminates the centerpiece.

5. Orchidtini

A martini glass performs as a stylish bud vase for a single cymbidium orchid floating above a stem of chinaberries. Create impact by clustering orchidtinis in the middle of a round table, positioning them on a tray, or running them down a long dining table.

6. Luxe Layers

Start with a stocky glass bowl or vase and fill it with layers of your favorite flowers and fruits. Then top it off with water. Stylishly submerged, strata of wheat grass, pinecones, and Habañero chilies perform as a colorful base for exotic Makara orchid flowers.