Creating Artistic Table Settings

You want to show your guests how much you care about them. You make your house sparkle and cook a fabulous meal. But what about your table setting? Is it a work of art, or merely a practical arrangement of plates and flatware?

Here are some guidelines on how to turn setting the table into creating a tablescape.

Don't Overcrowd the Table

Imagine having a beautiful tablescape, only to find that when you bring out the food, your guests need to push things out of the way for you so you can put the serving dishes down. Plan spaces in your tablescape to allow for your serving ware.

Centerpieces are the ornamentation in a tablescape, but they can be overwhelming or disrupt your guests' sightlines. Keep your centerpieces low and narrow. There are alternatives to centerpieces, which will be discussed later.

Color Coordinating

Decide on a color pallet for your table setting. A good rule of thumb is to use seasonal colors. In the summer months, cool blues and greens with yellow and pink accents create welcoming tablescapes. In the winter, earth tones and jewel tones will warm your guests.

A simple but elegant formula for a tablescape is to layer three colors. Your first layer is the tablecloth. Use a solid, dark color such as blue or green. Place a runner along the center of the table in a contrasting color such as gold or red. Use white china for your dinnerware and serving ware. This trio of color is your structure. Embellish the setting by using all three colors for ornamentation. For example, a centerpiece with groupings of blue, gold and white flowers serves as the unifying element in the tablescape.

Patterns

For a more textural table setting, start with a patterned tablecloth. Being sure to coordinate the colors with the tablecloth, use two different sets of dinnerware, alternating them in the place settings. Skip the runner and instead, place several candlesticks or candleholders of different heights and styles along the center. The candles, though, should all reach the same height and be the same color. The pattern lies in the candleholders, not the candles.

Centerpieces, Ornamentation, and Mood

Centerpieces should be attention getting, but unobtrusive. They should relate to the occasion and coordinate with the colors and mood of the rest of the table setting. For example, silk red roses in a white porcelain vase placed on a vinyl red checked tablecloth looks terrible. Why? Because roses are formal and vinyl is not.

Your tablecloth and napkins should be of the same material or compatible materials. That material should "match" the dinnerware and serving ware in caliber. Fine linens, delicate bone china, and silver candlesticks all convey a formal mood. A plaid cotton cloth with patterned ceramic dinnerware and dried flowers in an oblong wood bowl says casual and comfy.

Centerpieces can be foregone in favor of ornamentation. Small figurines paired up and placed intermittently throughout the tablescape can be a conversation starter. If your table isn't very wide, and a centerpiece would take up space needed for serving ware, shift the ornamentation to the place settings.

Seating Arrangements

Are you arranging your guests seating, or letting them sit where they like? If you do use place cards at the settings, remember to allow space for them - for after your guests are seated. They should be able to place them just to the left and above their setting. Initially, they should be positioned on the top dish of the setting.

Place cards can be a memento of the evening. A typical place card is a small, tented slip of heavy stock paper. On the inside of the place card, include your name, as host, the date of the party, and, if applicable, the occasion such as "Mary's Birthday". Your guests will appreciate it.

Place Settings

The little space each guest enjoys during dinner is made up of dinnerware, flatware, stem or glassware, and a napkin. The place setting needs to be functional and attractive. Place cards, discussed earlier, are one way to personalize these spaces in your tablescape.

The napkin ring can also be part of the ornamentation while still being functional. Choose rings that are appropriate to the mood and occasion.

Trinkets can make a place setting more interesting. For example, for a Christmas party, a small ornament at each setting not only adds fun, but can also serve as gifts for the guests.

Proper placement of all the elements of a place setting is the subject of several good articles with illustrations. One such article can be found at http://www.didyouknow.cd/info/tablesettings.htm.

Your guests will begin with the outermost utensil and work their way inward. Keeping this rule in mind, think about how your courses will be served and set your place settings accordingly.

The same principle applies to the dinnerware. The soup bowl is set on the salad plate. These are set on the dinner plate that sits on a server. If you don't have servers, don't worry. They're not used as much as they used to be.

Putting It All Together

Lay your tablecloth out on the table. Be sure it's an appropriate size; too long and your guests' knees will pull on it when they sit, too short and it will look awkward. The cloth shouldn't hang more than ten or twelve inches from the table's edge. Next, place the runner. If you have a longer table, two shorter runners down the center can make for an interesting textural pattern.

Center each place setting to each chair. If using place cards, set them on the dinnerware or by the glassware. Just be sure your guests can see them. If using ornaments or trinkets, place them to the upper left of each setting.

Place your centerpiece or ornaments in the table's center or along the runner. If you need the space for serving ware, the center may look empty. Fill small bowls with colored stones, wrapped candies, or dried flowers and place them strategically along the runner and to either side. Let the place settings be the focal point.

One or Two More Things

Take into account the rest of the décor in the room. If you have a buffet or sideboard, take advantage of it. A large bouquet of flowers of the same colors as your tablescape on a buffet can be complimentary to the setting. Consider also the artwork in the room. Does it suit the mood? Your guests will see more than the table; they will see the whole room.

The room should have low lighting, but not so low your guests can't see the food or each other.

If the kitchen can be seen from the table, consider using a screen or room divider to close the view of the kitchen. No one wants to see dirty pots and pans while they eat.

And In Conclusion

As with any artistic endeavor, the best results are from experimentation. Gather things from around the house you think would be fun to see in your table setting. Try different patterns, heights, and materials until you find the combination that suits the occasion. Do a practice run with your serving ware to ensure everything will fit and you can check the final look.

It is the details that make the difference between a table set for dinner and an artistic venue for your fabulous meal. Think of your tablecloth as the background, your place settings as the foreground, and your ornamentation as the focal point. The table is your canvas. Create something beautiful.