How Place Settings Can Make Your Table Tops

by Chef Danielle Turner

A clever place setting or centerpiece can transform an ordinary meal into a culinary experience. Much like an invitation sets the tone for an event, a well-laid tabletop will invite your guests not just to eat, but to dine.

Meals are about more than food and just as the presentation of each plate or platter should not be overlooked, neither should the presentation of your table. Consider your place setting the first course of your meal, a visual first impression that will make your guests feel cared for while giving them a glimpse of the meal that is to come. Whether you’re hosting a formal, multicourse sit-down dinner or a casual backyard barbecue, a thoughtful place setting is the finishing touch in creating a memorable meal for you and your guests.

Consider the Occasion

As you’re planning your tabletop, be sure to take the occasion and your guests into consideration. Think about who will be dining and what atmosphere or setting might suit them best. Your rowdy football friends may certainly appreciate a finely cooked meal, but your annual Super Bowl party may not be the best occasion to dress your table with your finest linen tablecloth and high-end china.

Theme or Scheme

Choose a theme or a color scheme to help guide your efforts and don’t be afraid to incorporate your personality into your table. For an anniversary party, consider dressing the table with colors from your wedding. A tablecloth in pale pink, blue or both might be perfect for a baby shower luncheon. Line the center of your table with alternating rattles and plastic baby bottles filled with multicolored jellybeans and you’ve created a simple and whimsical background for your guests to enjoy their meal.

Casual Is Cool

Once upon a time, a place setting revolved strictly around ornate china and sterling silver flatware. Not anymore. A more casual approach can be just as welcoming — even paper or plastic plates and flatware can work with a little creativity. Wrapping your disposable flatware with your paper napkin and tying it with a colorful piece of ribbon can dress up even a backyard barbecue.

Formal Know-How

If you are going to set a formal table, make sure you know how. You’ll likely have to go beyond the standard fork-knife-spoon combo so do some research to find out the proper way to set things up. Your local library or bookstore will have scores of books offering advice and the internet will also provide reliable instruction.

Think Outside the Box

A centerpiece can be more than candles and flowers. So long as you keep them low enough for guests to chat comfortably without straining to see over a massive candelabra or flower arrangement, your imagination is your only boundary. For a family reunion dinner, frame small photos of your family through the years and arrange them decoratively in the center of the table. They’ll do double duty as centerpiece and conversation piece.

Mise en Place Settings

Set your table the morning of your party or as early as the day before. Consider it part of your party mise en place (the fancy chef term for prepping all of your ingredients for a dish before you actually start to cook). It will clear up time for you to take care of any overlooked last minute details on party day and it can be one more thing to check off your to-do list. If you’re hosting a buffet, line up your plates, flatware, napkins and glasses so when guests arrive, you’ll only have to set out the food.

Don’t Be Afraid to Break the Rules

Like the song says, it’s your party so don’t be afraid to veer from tradition. Mix and match plates, flatware and glasses if you don’t have enough matching items for your party. Cloth napkins aren’t a necessity. Check out a book on napkin folding and find simple ways to dress up disposables.

Hosting a sit-down dinner, but want to skip the place cards? No problem. Allowing people to choose for themselves will make them more comfortable so they’re sure to have a good time.

Whatever the occasion, creating a table setting that reflects your personal style will make your guests feel important and well-fed, even before the food hits the table.