The Genius Wrapping Paper Hack That Makes Any Tablescape Look Professionally Designed

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Wrapping paper hacks are everywhere come the holiday season. Usually, they offer you Instagram-worthy tips on making your wrapped gifts look like they came straight from Santa's workshop. Or they attempt to teach you all the ways you can shred your old wrapping paper to turn it into packing grass for fragile gifts next season. But come the 12 days of Christmas dinner, it's likely that the wrapping paper trick you'd most appreciate is one that makes your holiday tablescape sparkle like theater show lights on Broadway and bring just as much drama to the scene.

Fortunately, the raw materials for this holiday tablescape hack are probably already in your closet: holiday-themed wrapping paper and a table runner to go on top of it. You need enough wrapping paper to fit from one end of your dining table to the other with some room to spare. Ideally, it'll be as long as the table runner. And speaking of decorating with table runners, if yours is plain and not holiday-ish at all, that's okay. The wrapping paper picks up the decorative slack here. So break out that rustic-looking Kennuocat Burlap Table Runner. It won't be out of place. You'll also need some scissors and a yardstick if you have one.

Finally, if your supply of paper is out, consider getting a bundle of paper with different designs, like Hallmark Christmas Wrapping Paper Rolls. Bundles usually have a common color scheme. If you wish to pattern-drench your tablescape in the dining room, having a common color connecting all of the patterns is a way to tie the look together. 

For this hack courtesy of @thechicishchick on TikTok, you're going to lay the wrapping paper down directly on the table and then place the table runner on the top of the decorative paper. Be sure to wipe the table down first so you have a clean surface, and if you're using a damp cloth for this task, make sure the table is completely dry before you lay down the paper. Otherwise, you'll ruin the paper. If you're concerned that the ink on the wrapping paper pattern might bleed through onto your table, put down a layer of brown craft paper first. Lay down the commercial wrapping paper on top of this. Measure the length of the wrapping paper to match the length of the table runner. If you want to ensure a straight edge on the end of the wrapping paper, fold it over the edge of the yardstick until the wrapping paper sports a crisp crease. Cut the paper along the crease. 

If you decide to use craft paper as your bottom layer for this project, you can kill two decorative birds with one stone, so to speak, by laying down the eco-friendly wrapping paper you made out of your kid's artwork or your stencil patterns. Leave the personalized paper as is. Or make it a border by laying commercial wrapping paper on top of it and allowing the personalized paper to peek out from underneath. This adds an individual touch to the table's design and prevents the commercial wrapping paper from sticking to the table if it gets hot and wet and then dries over the course of your meal. Finally, you can add fun thematically related details to the whole tablescape by laying down Blulu Large Wooden Gift Tags as guest name plates at each spot.