How To Set A Beautiful Table

For holidays spent with family, for dinner parties with friends, and for romantic dinners a deux, making beautiful memories starts with a wonderful backdrop: a beautiful table. Learn to master the art of presentation with our tips for setting a beautiful table with grace, style, and ease.

Where to start? From the bottom up, of course.

Linens
Select linens that reflect your personal taste and that are appropriate for the occasion (i.e. red and green are classic choices for the holidays, while baby blue and pink are better suited for baby shower brunches). You can either choose to use a tablecloth or go bare, accenting with a table runner and placemats. Placemats are great for both form and function (better to spill on those washable linens than on your priceless antique table). Note: Napkins are never placed on the service plate, but traditionally to the left of the plate(s) instead.

Dinnerware
For more formal occasions, you'll probably want to use your gorgeous formal dinnerware (i.e., your china). Formal occasions traditionally have a symmetrical balance to the table. Appetizers, soups, and salads are set in place on top of the service (or show) plate. The show plate remains until it is replaced by the main entrée dinner plate. At the top of the show plate is where you'll place your name card - feel free to get creative with these! They can be as simple as white folder cards or as funky as hot pink with cheeky nicknames emblazoned in glitter. To each her own! The bread and butter plate should be placed above the forks, to the left of the dinner plate.

Silverware
Your mother probably showed you a thousand times, and while you always heard her, chances are you never quite listened. Not to fret. Your silverware should be placed in the following order: To the left of your plate (from left to right), napkin, salad fork (smaller fork), dinner fork (larger fork). To the right of your plate (from left to right), dinner knife (larger), salad knife (smaller), spoon.

How To Set A Beautiful Table

Glassware
Glassware seems like a whole problem unto itself, but it's really not as complicated as it seems. To the right of the show plate, above the knives and spoon, from left to right, place your water goblet, then your white wine goblet to its right, and finally to the right of it, your red wine goblet. Cheers to mastering that!

Accents
Just like in fashion, accessories are really what make the woman -- or the table as the case may be. Napkin rings can be classic and uniform, or quirky and mixed, depending on your personal style. Candlesticks and candles always add warmth and ambiance and should not be overlooked. Flowers always add color and va va va voom to a table, whether you decide to place an elaborate centerpiece in the center of the table or several small vases along the length of the table, just be sure to keep the stems short enough so you can easily converse with guests. After all, the true key to setting a beautiful table is having happy guests.

 

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