Basic Table Setting Tips
Whether you’re style is minimalist, casual, modern or formal, a beautifully laid table can add another level of enjoyment to your dining experience, especially for your guests. What better way to show you care than by going to extra effort to transform your home for them… they don’t need to know how easy it was to achieve!
The Basics
If you have the basic foundations – a matching dinnerset, good quality cutlery set and a selection of glassware, you can build many different table settings through the addition of accessories, decorations and of course your food.
White tableware is by far the most popular for many reasons. Firstly, white goes with everything. Having basic white as your table setting foundation allows more freedom to change your ‘design’ each time. Also white has a great visual impact in bringing out the colours of your dishes. If you prefer some colour to your tableware, try plain colours or simple patterns to give you greater flexibility with changing your table setting design. However, if you want a signature dinnerset with maximum impact, look for one that best suits your home décor, personality and cooking style.
A basic table setting requires little more than a dinner plate; knife and fork; and one or two glasses. A traditional formal setting also includes a bread plate, up to eight pieces of cutlery and up to four glasses. The proper etiquette is to start your table with just a charger plate, plus the bread plate, cutlery and glasses. A charger plate is decorative only – dinner is served on a warm dinner plate which is placed onto the charger plate. The bread knife is placed horizontally on the bread plate. Up to 3 forks can be placed to the left of your charger plate, the number of forks depends on the number of courses and type of food being served. Start with the first course fork to the left, working inwards to the dinner fork. Generally this equates to the smaller fork on the outside working inwards by size. Two knives and a soup spoon (if required) are placed to the right of the charger plate. The serrated edges of the knives should face toward the plate. Again, the first course cutlery starts on the outside, working in to the dinner knife. A dessert spoon and fork, if required, can be placed horizontally above the charger plate. The glasses should be positioned to the right above the knives.
Of course, these days rules are made to be broken! Setting your table according to etiquette doesn’t leave much room on the table and doesn’t encourage your personal expression. If you’re setting is not formal, you can put all the necessary tableware, glassware and cutlery on the table at once. This is particularly practical if you are placing food in the middle of the table for guests to serve themselves. If you’re short on space, only lay out what cutlery and glasses that you know will be used. It’s easier to add a glass, than it is to go around to each setting taking away the glasses they aren’t using.
