Lay The Table, Please: 20 Tips For Creating The Perfect Setting
How to create the perfect tablescape for any good dining occasion, whether it be small or large. Plus an impressive journalistic leap from pretty tables to dogging in just one sentence.
I LOVE setting a table. I have said before that I often find more joy in preparing for people coming for dinner than the actual event itself. I don’t know what that says about me. I do really love to socialise, but for me, the preparation is the main event. From planning out the menu to shopping for ingredients, right through to cooking the meal and setting the timings for serving, I find it (curiously) therapeutic. I know, I know. But my absolute favourite part of any meal is the setting of the table. It doesn’t matter whether it’s just Joe and I at the kitchen workbench with a plate of hummus and a stack of carrots (actually, more likely a sharing bag of Walkers Chicken & Thyme Sensations, let’s be realistic), or a party for ten in the courtyard with a full table lay. I love it all. In fact, even a takeaway has me laying out plates and shaking out the napkins.
My family are always irritated that I make them decant their takeaways, most specifically Five Guys which is our family favourite of choice. It may require more washing up, but I truly believe that the joy of good food presentation is worth the extra effort, especially after you have driven specifically to collect it. We live in the countryside and as a result, we do not have access to any mainstream food delivery services whatsoever, a constant bug bear with my children. There is an urban myth that if you park your car in the lay-by near the corner of the next village - a mere three minute drive from our house - and wait, then you fall into the right postcode for Uber Eats and Deliveroo and the takeaway world will be your oyster. The downside to this plan is that you risk arrest for loitering with potential intent to frottage and I am not sure that a Pepperoni Passion with stuffed crust and a side of dough balls are worth the risk, tbh (I have no idea how I have got from menu planning to dogging in just one paragraph, but bear with).
Anyway, tables; I’ve laid a few and quite a few worthy of mention so I thought it would be worthwhile to offer my top tips for laying one that will cause your guests to gasp with delight upon entrance whilst also making YOU happy via creative pursuits.
First of all, your key word throughout this process is going to be LAYERS. Layer your table the same way that you layer up a room; keep going until you feel comfortable with the way that it looks and stop when you think you’ve added enough.
There are plenty of tablecloths out there on the market from pop in the budget basket right through to blow all your cash and don’t go out for a month type of prices. Look to what you already own - you might have a couple of contrasting patterned smaller ones that you could combine. Flat sheets are absolute winners - the perfect size, both linen and cotton work wonders when it comes to creating a pretty table. Again, you can layer them up, or use a flat sheet as a base to your table and add smaller tablecloths on top.
I’m a big fan of a runner - use a pattern on top of a plain cloth to anchor it and add a good splash of colour and texture. Jute works well for a neutral palette and also if you want to keep the base of your table simple.
Placemats come in all shapes and sizes - I tend to stick to fairly simple examples as quite frankly, once the plate is down you can’t see much of them anyway. My go to is woven in a natural material such as jute which protects your table whilst also adding texture. There are endless examples in the shops - I noticed that George At Asda had some super circular looped ones at two for £7 when in store the other day - and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get the look.
If you’re heading for fabric placemats then make sure they are fully washable - there is nothing worse than a yellow splodge of chicken korma from a passing spoon to ruin the look. Darker or patterned ones will be more giving and last the course longer.
Use tiles as trivets. I have a few pretty ones that I drag out for the table when putting down hot food. Everyone has some left over tiles hanging around in the shed. I’ve also gone to the tile shop and bought rectangular slate before that I’ve used as placemats - wipeable, solid and can hold the heat.
I have a couple of plate designs that I regular use on the table but if I am in the mood for a switch, I do not HESITATE to mix up my plates. The charity shops are hot beds for such items - you’ll pick up dinner plates in varying patterns there for as little as a pound a go and they look fabulous. Vintage in general is super effective - I once bought an entire set of Willow crockery from the car boot sale for a tenner.
Again, don’t get over stressed about your cutlery selection. It doesn’t matter if they don’t match and nowadays, I refrain from laying out two sets per person. No one that I invite over for dinner will care that they have to reuse their starter selection. Plus who has time to wash up two sets? Not me, no siree.
I always have the most fun with the glassware. I never use the same style of glassware (mostly because I don’t have a single full set due to my passion for the dishwasher and subsequent breakages) and often use a different style of each place setting. Again, head to your local charity shop if you are looking for new - there is no better place to undertake this task. I mix texture and colour but tend to keep them all the same size (big, obvs).
Water glasses are also a must in these days of mindful drinking. I didn’t even know such a thing existed until I went to a press show the other day where there was a talk about it. My general dinner party rule is to be mindful that my guests wine glasses are full. But I digress. Water is an essential for the table, even if no one drinks it - I use little French water glasses which are super cheap and look the part. Add a couple of attractive big jugs of l’eau with ice and some lemon slices and your work there is done.
Side note: If it’s a dinner party event, then I always like to add my mini liquor glasses which I’ve collected for years from the charity shops to the side of the place setting (no, three glasses per person is not excessive), simply because I love them and like to get them out. But excellent for an after dinner tequila or a quick shot of Baileys.
When my sister got married, she bought five bolts of dead stock material in different patterns and had my mum and her mother in law Mavis make napkins for the day from the fabric. She had little tabs printed with their names and the date on and these were sewn to the finished product, a keepsake of the day. If you’ve got a sewing machine, you can do this with any leftover fabric you’ve got in the cupboard and it’s free.
Napkins can get pricey but there are also plenty of examples of well priced prettiness to be found. I like to fold them lengthways and put them down the centre of the plate but I’ve also been known to add to the side under the cutlery. Tie jute string and a ribbon around the centre, then head to your garden and cut some greenery to push under. I use either rosemary or eucalyptus, just a small snippet, but the smell is always so good.
Candle holders are an essential. I usually group either three or five down the table; remember the odd number rule when it comes to styling (an odd number is non symmetrical which means it causes your eyes to focus on more than one place and therefore appreciate all the other things that are there to be seen). I am a fan of a double candelabra too (my favourite is a Portugese ceramic one picked up on a thrifting trawl). As per, no reason to match - pull your selection together and pick out your faves.
Candles are an excellent way to add colour and I have a box full that I continuously add to whenever I spot a good one. Top tip: Flying Tiger are my home boy for this - they have a great selection for a bargain price point. Don’t hesitate to be bold with the colours you pick; match them to the colours in the other pieces you’ve chosen for the table or just go to town and don’t match a thing. It’s your table and it should make you happy.
Tea lights are great for evening events - due to my childrens mass consumption of GU puddings, I have a drawer full of fine examples which I simply chuck tea lights into. I dot these around the table and also add them to the surrounding surfaces. You can never have too many candles, for info.
I like to do place cards and also sometimes menu cards if the occasion is right. You can get both via Amazon or your nearest stationer; get out your felt tip pens and be creative. I love writing up what we’re eating for each person to see and add it under the napkin. Ditto with place cards - add names in your best handwriting and place above the spoons.
Another way to personalise the settings is to head to your friends Facebook pages, find a nice photograph of them, add it to the Polaroid template on Canva and print off on to card in black and white. Then add these to the table - everyone always LOVES this and it’s a great talking point. I did this once for Joe’s birthday and got everyone to send me baby photographs and we had to guess who was who. Excellent fun.
Use what you’ve got in your garden for greenery. It’s the best time of year for making the most of what you’ve grown - hydrangeas, peonies, eucalyptus, even big bunches of rosemary - go pick them and add to a vase. Or create three smaller pots to dot down the table instead; Kilner or jam jars work nicely for this. One bunch of supermarket flowers can be transformed when cut right down and arranged in a jar.
And finally? Light the candles, pour your favourite wine and enjoy your creation. That bit before people arrive when it’s all ready to go; when the nibbles are out, the glasses are ready and the music is chosen and playing is my favourite time of the evening (although I am also always teetering on the edge of stress as Joe refuses to have a shower until the football has finished on the TV which is often three minutes prior to scheduled arrival). Take a moment to revel in the satisfaction of creating a beautiful setting whilst you await your guests gasps of awe. Job done.
So there are my very best tips for creating a table to wow. Have you got any good ones? Do tell me in the comments below!
Quick Note: This is a free post for subscribers but you can also become a PAID SUBSCRIBER to receive four free posts a month but also a minimum of four EXTRA posts a month (including a weekly Design Dilemmas) plus Chat threads so you can join our blossoming community and exclusive discount codes which are just for you. Plus, until 31 May 2024, paid subscribers will receive a HUGE 20% off their subcription for a whole year. I would thoroughly recommend it.
As always, HUGELY appreciative that you are here and reading - if you have enjoyed, then please do like, comment and share!
Very helpful! Do you think there’s any difference in decorating a round table? I struggle with placemats and tablecloths. Even with the off number of decorations it can also start to feel crowded since its all centered.
A brilliant source for table setting ideas there Lisa. One of the most fun things in the world in my opinion. Howled at the dogging mention. A friend of mine once lost her dog on a walk just before dark on Newlands Corner. She sought help from a group of parked cars with their lights on. She got more than she bargained for. There’s a whole language with the lights apparently!