apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My favorite DIY party tips:

Vase substitute: a colorful pitcher. I have a classic Le Creuset stoneware pitcher that (to be honest) I use more often as a vase than as a pitcher. I picked mine up at TJ Maxx for something around $12.

Serving ware: I'll be honest, I bought my plain white stoneware dishes because they had interesting-shaped bowls that I could use for dips and such. I also use mixing bowls (I have a vintage Pyrex set and a newer green Mario Batali set I also picked up at TJ Maxx) to hold tortilla and pita chips. I also use the pyrex bowls to hold ice at my makeshift "bar" (a vintage dressing table that I've placed a tray and bar necessities on).

I always have a buffet-style casual dinner around the holidays. One of my favorite things to do for this is use gift-wrapped empty boxes to set my serving dishes out on. This creates different levels on the table and, since I don't have holiday linens or holiday dishes, it adds a touch of the holiday colors (whatever they might be!) to the table. Last year, I used a metallic, velvety paper that reflected candlelight beautifully. This way, I can use my plain old white serving plates and bowls all the time and still have a festive table.

any ideas on naming the maker of the cutlery?

@Robyn, fantastic idea! I love it!

Just a few ideas on the way. :-)
I already posted this a while ago, but some vegetables, like artichokes for example, make gorgeous center pieces. A few branches from a walk in the country can also make a free bouquet.
Tea lights look nice in almost anything : a friend of mine just puts them in empty glass jars and glass yoghurt pots a bit everywhere in the room.
A nice king size sheet can make a tablecloth, especially if your not serving anything too messy to avoid hard stains. A nice linen old fashined sheet could look nice.
In the 17th century, carpets were used as tablecloths, and a smaller piece of white linen was placed on top to protect the rare imported object. I don't know maybe there's some way of adapting this to today on a simpler mode.

Robyn, I love your idea and am stealing it for Christmas dinner! Thank you!

I also love those fat little white bud vases in the photo.

I too use my vintage pyrex mixing bowls (primary colours) as serving bowls.

I borrowed serving dishes from my mom. She has a collection of lovely white victorian-style dishes and a couple of vintage platters. They're sitting on a white tablecloth that'll be dressed up wth trimmings from the Christmas tree on the day of the party. The rest of the food is going to use my normal, everyday white dishes. The table in the living room is getting a curtain for a tablecloth and the desk is covered with white dish clothes and a couple of napkins both to protect it and to provide a "snowscape" for my little houses.

Beg, borrow (but don't) steal! Between all of your friends and family, someone's bound to have what you need.

Personally, if the food is delicious looking and plentiful, I rarely notice the table setting -- bring it on!

I think part of keeping the clutter down is buying smart in the first place. Whenever I see someone with holiday specific dinnerware and serving dishes all I can think about is how much space they must have! By choosing white, glass, silver, or other neutral colors and patterns I can use the dishes I have for pretty much any event. (Since I do most of my entertaining at Christmas I do have a few red items, but they are just red. No holly or Santas.) If I want a specific holdiay feel I do that with centerpieces and linens.