Picture this: You’ve invited a few of your closest friends over for dinner. Perhaps it’s to celebrate a special occasion or maybe it’s just to highlight the end of the work week. You’ve planned the meal and orchestrated the timing to perfection. Everyone will start with a beautiful cheese plate while you put the finishing touches on the main course.
Then, everyone enters the dining room for dinner and they’re shocked and surprised to see a beautiful, elegant tablescape awaiting them.
Does this all sound a bit too good to be true and too movie-esque? Maybe your meal won’t be perfectly timed and maybe the cheese plate will more be pretzels and hummus out of the container, but one thing is certain: We can teach you how to create a stunning tablescape.
Always Look for Texture
When crafting the perfect tablescape, always look for variety. For example, even if all of your plates are matching sets, look for ways to introduce wood, metal or fabric around them to add visual interest.
You can do this by:
- Adding in a textile runner to your table
- Incorporating woven placemats
- Opting for linen napkins
- Serving certain dishes on wooden or marble cutting boards
- Including greenery in vases or as a special garnish to an empty plate
Add Height When Possible
A tablescape that is all at one level can look flat to the eye and not allow certain dishes or decor pieces to pop. One way to combat this is by adding height to the table. This doesn’t mean raising the eye level of the table. It simply means adding elements that are of varying heights.
You can do this by:
- Placing fresh flowers or greenery in a vase at the center of the table
- Incorporating taller elements such as candles or candle holders
- Layering dishes on top of cutting boards or trivets to elevate them slightly
Don’t Forget the Essentials
At this point, it’s important to consider where the essential elements of the meal will be placed. Before your party arrives, place the empty servingware on the table to generally map out where everything will go. It’s also important to consider where other essentials will be placed, like salt, butter, salad dressings and silverware.
The reason placing the essentials is important during this step, is you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of room for the stars of the meal, before you fill up too much space with decor items.
Add an Inviting Element
Whether you add a sprig of fresh rosemary to everyone’s place setting, or neatly write their names on a placecard, consider adding an inviting element to every person’s seat. This won’t only tie the entire tablescape together, but it will let your guest know that you went the extra mile to show that you’re excited for them to be there.
You can do this by:
- Adding a freshly cut flower on top of everyone’s napkin
- Placing a sprig of fresh herbs inside everyone’s bowl
- Hand lettering name cards for everyone’s seat
- Baking individual bread loaves for each person
- Adding a tiny gift or trinket to each place setting
Keep it Comfortable
Finally, the most important tip of all: Keep it comfortable. Your guests will notice how much work and love you’ve put into your tablescape, but they will also notice if there are so many pieces on the table that they’re afraid to move.
However you choose to decorate your table, do so in a way that matches your specific style and your intended atmosphere for the evening. If your friends are coming over for a casual shrimp boil, for example, add texture that’s also functional with newspaper and plentiful napkins. On the flip side, if your friends are coming over for an elegant New Years celebration, glitz it up with gold and silver elements and plenty of dramatic height.
For help finding just the right pieces for your table, or to find the items seen in the video above, stop by and shop!
