For London-based creative director Fiona Leahy, the holiday dining table is her stage, and right now, every night is opening night. The self-confessed “holiday tablescape obsessive” is famous for her bespoke detailing, unexpected arrangements, and a personal touch that sprinkles each of her tables with signature wit and whimsy.

“I really believe in magic, and I think that the more layers of magic you apply to a table, especially during the holidays, is just so nice,” she says. “My approach to holiday tablescape dressing is humorous. I like to have a lot of fun with my tables, and when a guest sits at my holiday table, I like them to feel wanted, invited, and seen. My table is a world, and everybody wants to be in that world.”

With the festive season approaching, Leahy is busy plotting her forthcoming acts. “Maybe I’m an amateur dramatic, but I like the performance and the ritual of the table,” she says, pointing to her signature candle-lighter wand. “I feel like I’m adding magic to the table as well as illuminating it,” she smiles.

Especially for ABASK, Leahy has conjured two different yet distinctive tablescapes to inspire imminent holiday-season soirees and shared her professional tips and tricks for each: a minimal mise-en-scène that celebrates the classics with a twist and a maximalist grand finale that infuses festivities with bold bohemia.

“The most important thing about a tablescape for the holidays is not whether it’s maximal or minimal—a table works when it is really an extension of your personality,” she forewarns. “So, if you’re feeling maximal at that moment in time, totally go abundant; go wild. And I think if you’re feeling minimal, that’s also fine. The most important thing that you can do is set a table that is completely authentic.”

Prepare for a standing ovation…

“Crackers are essential for my holiday tablescapes, and I make them myself. I’m a professional hoarder and I love ephemera. Throughout the year, I collect paper, wrapping paper, and copies of the Financial Times, and I keep them in a box. Then I collect wallpaper samples—like these moiré-style samples—and sometimes marble my own paper. I have big drawers full of wax seals, menus, place cards, and ribbons and a whole drawer of cardboard toilet rolls I save! I fill my crackers with crystals, and instead of a joke, you get the property or the meaning of the crystal. It’s kind of like your talisman for the year ahead. I’ve done chocolate truffles before as well, and if you’re short on crystals, you can put in a piece of jewelry. They’re so easy to make (paper, snaps, double-sided sticky tape, and ribbon) and they’re a nice thing to do as a family, too. You can make them over canapés and hors d’oeuvres to get people involved.”

“I love the era of Marie Antoinette’s reign in 18th-century France because when she had people to dinner, she had sugar sculptures with her coat of arms and their initials. Not everybody can do a sugar sculpture sadly—I certainly can’t—but I do polystyrene towers of flowers and berries. I’ve also used Ferrero Rochers and licorice on cocktail sticks before and you can do them with grapes, figs—any fruit, really. I like a certain element of humor, because I don’t think you need to take tables so seriously, especially during the holidays, and they just add a nice height impact. The beauty of flower arrangements like these is that they’re like mini-installations that you can keep for ages and move around. They’re a movable feast.”

“You don’t always have to stick to what things are for. I think ornaments and ice buckets—like this amazing Viya one—are great for flowers, and a Champagne coupe is perfect for a placement holder. A tureen, for example, can hold loads of beautiful grapes or sweets. I love to choose an abundance of one thing. I also love putting items on the table that are not normally associated with dining, because it’s like raiding the family silver in a way, like this huge candelabra. Some of these objects are so beautiful, I feel like, why not? Not everything on a table needs to serve a practical purpose—it can have an aesthetic purpose. And it brings a sense of wonder and fun.”