As an interior stylist, these are the 6 things I always do when styling a dining room for a New Year's Eve party

Wave goodbye to 2025 with a New Year’s Eve dinner party to help you celebrate in style. String up lights and party décor, set a table to be proud of, and spend time thinking about the food you’ll serve for a special evening with good friends or family.

Not sure where to start? I've styled countless dining tables for photo shoots and parties, so I've rounded up the 6 ingredients you need for the perfect NYE party decorating ideas. It all starts with picking a theme, whether it’s a colour or a pattern and seeing whether you have items you could already use that fit the brief. You could opt for sparkling metallics, a smart black and white affair, or go all out with a colourful table, for instance, to transition your Christmas decor to New Year's.

Take into account whether you’ll be serving a sit-down meal or more of a buffet-style spread, and enjoy turning your dining room into a space that’s full of party spirit. Finally, remember to stock up on ice and your guests’ favourite drinks, and plan your party playlist!

1. Add festive details

Christmas may have gone, but there’s still a call for some of the table décor, like crackers, mini trees and even a bauble or two when it comes to New Year. Decide on your theme and colour scheme and choose some pieces that complement it, along with some beautiful crockery and table linen.

2. Hang decorations

Nothing says new year quite like some glittery garlands, which will help to put everyone in the party spirit and make great photo backgrounds. Hang them on a wall so you can see them from your table and opt for more than one design to make your display more of a statement.

3. Create a drinks station

Whether it’s some celebratory champagne, fun cocktails or some good wine, keep drinks accessible for guests by creating a drinks station from which they can help themselves. A bar trolley is ideal, especially one on castors that you can wheel to where you need it. Just add some twinkly lights and stock up on glasses, straws and any cocktail tools you might need.

4. Display a menu

Elevate your meal with a written New Year’s menu for guests to see what you’re going to be serving. If you don’t want to print individual menus, then try one large one, like this chalkboard, which you can prop up on a sideboard or console.

Give it a festive touch with a faux foliage garland and some fairy lights, and use the same surface for a little after-dinner tea and coffee station.

5. Set the mood

Lighting is key to creating a good New Year’s Eve party atmosphere, so dial back any bright overhead lights and look for other ways to give a glow to your room. Floor and table lamps are ideal for lighting dark corners, while fun strings of lights along the table help add some sparkle.

6. Give it a party feel

Confetti-filled balloons, oversized decorations, glitter balls, neon lighting… they’re all ideal for creating a party vibe. Put them at different heights for interest, whether you have some sparkly baubles on shelves, balloons floating on the ceiling or a group of glitter balls at floor level.

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