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With a few simple steps you can take your buffet table from plain to extraordinary. It doesn't require much creativity or craftiness; so anyone can do it. You can use any or all of the suggestions you find in this article without overpowering your table. Then step back and watch the pleased faces of your friends and family members.

First think about the theme for your buffet and the colors that you want to use. For Easter, you could use pastel colors such as pink, blue and yellow and decorate with lilies, other flowers or bunny confetti. A Thanksgiving motif might have reds, browns and yellows and be decorated with pine cones, a decorative cornucopia and small pumpkins or gourds. Only choose two to three main colors to avoid your table looking too busy.

Just like any work of art, you should start with a clean slate. Take your buffet table and cover it with a neutral solid color tablecloth. This may be white, beige, light pink, brown or some other color of your choosing. Your table with look more elegant if the tablecloth reaches all the way to the floor.

Height adds an interesting character to any buffet. Try experimenting with varying heights for your table. To achieve this, wrap boxes of different sizes in linen that matches the colors you want to use for your decorating. The linens call all be one color or alternating colors. Boxes four to ten inches in height are good choices. Make sure that your boxes are sturdy enough to hold whatever platter you want to put on them.

Place the wrapped boxes at intervals on the table so that you can place other platters in between them. Don't place boxes of the same height one right after the other and make sure they aren't in ascending or descending order.

Whether or not you have boxes on your table, you can place linen squares of alternating color along your table at each place where you are going to set a serving platter. If you used wrapped boxes, place linens of different colors on top of them.

If you have just one main decorative item to place on your table, place it in the middle of the line of platters to break up the row. Then place smaller themed items or flowers along the rest of the buffet. Experiment with randomly placing the items or arranging them in an order depending on what look you want to achieve. Just try not to place too many items and make it look busy.

Candlelight is an elegant look for any arrangement. Small tea lights or votive holders can go in between or around the dishes on the buffet table. Taller pillars and tapers should be moved towards the back to avoid being knocked over.

Even the way you arrange the various dishes makes a difference on the presentation. Alternate large and small bowls or plates. Smaller dishes filled with food that will be used at the same time (like butter, sour cream and chives for potatoes) can be clustered in a circle to act as one large dish. The individual dishes can be placed directly on the table or set on a larger serving dish if you have enough dishes to spare.

Now you are finished with your buffet table and ready for company. Be on the watch next year, your friends or family may try to steal some of your new-found techniques.

Learn more about this author, Tirzah Hawkins.
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