Welcome guests around a small dining table
Create comfortable places first, then decide how much decoration the table can carry.
A small dining table becomes crowded surprisingly early. The plates may fit, but glasses, elbows and the bowl of potatoes still need somewhere to go. Adding another place setting is not quite the same as adding another usable seat. Start by putting the chairs in position and checking how people will get in and out.
Pull each chair away from the table as if someone were standing up. Every guest needs a workable way to reach and leave the seat; do not squeeze a chair against a wall if doing so traps its occupant or blocks the route to the kitchen. If the room cannot accommodate the group comfortably, a smaller gathering or a different serving arrangement is more welcoming than an impressive headcount.
Move the serving space, not the problem
Use a nearby counter or sideboard for serving dishes when the table itself is narrow. Leave the route between the two clear. Guests should not have to carry a plate around an open cabinet door or across a cluster of bags on the floor. A clear surface is helpful only if it is easy to reach.
Choose the glasses and plates needed for the meal rather than every item that belongs to a formal setting. Extra cutlery and unused side plates take away space that could make the evening easier. Bring dessert dishes out later. A small water pitcher can live on the serving surface instead of occupying the center of the table throughout dinner.
Decorate at the edges of the room. A vase on a shelf, a softly lit lamp or a cloth on the sideboard can give the gathering a sense of occasion without reducing the eating area. If you want something on the table, a single low vessel is enough. It should be easy to lift away when food arrives.
Take a final seated look from the most awkward place. Can that person put down a glass, reach a napkin and stand without asking three people to move? Solve that seat first. The table may end up looking simpler than the picture you had in mind, but the evening will feel more generous because everyone has enough room to use it.