Category: Table Setting Designs

I wanted to display the tulips from my last post, Seafood Lunch With Friends, one more time before they wilt so I came up with this “pretend” country style breakfast.  The rabbit weather vane and the tulips could easily transform it into an Easter setting as well.

Theme:  Country

Occasion:  Breakfast

Style:  Informal, Elegant

Color Scheme:  White

Flowers:  Tulips

My kitchen tabletop is weathered wood which is a perfect canvas to my country style setting.  I placed wood chargers because their dark color would contrast beautifully with the paper dollies I placed underneath the white fruit salad plates.

Next the chicken wire bread basket and the crisp white linen napkins set inside the clear water goblets add to the clean freshness of this country look.

Being a “pretend” meal, I won’t be preparing any food but I can recommend a menu previously tested and prepared by me.

First I would serve a fresh berries salad with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries.  I usually add one tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and dissolve one tablespoon of sugar with it before mixing in the fruit to bring out the flavors and conserve its freshness.  A dollop of homemade whipped cream as a garnish doesn’t hurt either.

Then I would serve a delicious Potato Basil Frittata, recipe by Ina Garten, Family Style volume.  I tone down the amount of basil and add a little bit of parsley.

Corn muffins, recipe by Ina Garten, Raspberry Corn Muffins recipe, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook Volume, minus the raspberry preserves, would be a nice companion for this main course.

And finally, I would recommend a Fresh Raspberry Sour Cream Crumb Cake, recipe by Williams-Sonoma, Muffins Volume.  It is moist, creamy and sinful.

I can safely say this country breakfast would not only have been delicious, but it would have been country elegant as well!

 

Theme:  Nautical

Occasion:  Lunch

Style:  Informal

Color Scheme:  Blue and White

Flowers:  White Tulips

Today we are having dear friends over for lunch and they do not eat beef, pork, poultry or game.  They do enjoy, however, seafood and this is where I got the inspiration for my table setting.

My kitchen tabletop is reclaimed wood which I feel is the perfect canvas for my nautical theme.  I then placed white beaded plate mats because they remind me of the shimmer of shells, and also for contrast with the tabletop.

I then select denim blue chargers and white dishes, keeping with the theme colors and once again for contrast.

Placed on top are my two napkins choices, one denim blue and the other white, to add volume and interest, and bind them together with the shells napkins rings.  Perfect!

Lastly,  the pitcher holding the white tulips and the coffee mugs have a denim blue lobster print that further enhances the nautical feel.

We’ll enjoy a menu of stone crabs and sushi, none I which I had to cook.  This allowed me to prepare a labor intensive dessert which is absolutely delicious and well worth the effort, Ile Flottante, recipe of Ina Garten, Barefoot in Paris volume.

And now, I’ll enjoy our lunch and our friends!

I set this candy table years ago for a July 4th party and it actually stole the show. The stunning combination of our patriotic colors basically did the job for me.

I used a variety of different larger sized glass containers along the perimeter of the setting, (sorry I only found this one picture), and the large lollipop sticks formed the illusion of fireworks in the back and center.  To further anchor the interest of the eye towards the middle of the table, I placed the four lidded candy jars with different gummies.

I usually look for commonality so I used the silver tray to pick up on the silver of the candy jars’ lids and as the final touch, the USA and star cut outs sealed the deal.

If I had placed a print pattern tablecloth, I would have created confusion so I think the bright red one served as the perfect canvas.

A true tribute to our red, white and blue!

 

Theme:  Patriotic

Occasion:  Lunch

Style:  Country, Informal

Color Scheme:  Red, White and Blue

Flowers:  Country Field Bouquet

In honor of today’s inauguration of the 45th president of the United States, I’m going to post a luncheon setting I had actually prepared for July 4th of last year.

Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind for any patriotic celebration are the colors of our flag.  Then, to establish the relaxed, country feel, I placed the woven runner and place mats.

For contrast, a blue denim charger anchors the white main plate and then another contrasting denim blue salad plate.  This set of dishes I had purchased years ago at a Mikasa outlet in Sawgrass Mills, Sunrise, FL.

The cloth napkins I used actually belong to a holiday tablecloth/napkins set I also displayed in my “Valentine’s Day Informal Setting” blog.  I love to repurpose my items as much as possible.  I then used the woven napkin rings to match the runner and mats.

The glassware with the blue rim and the “stars” cocktail napkins add to the color coordinated finishing touches of this patriotic lunch.

The appetizer salad was a roasted pears with blue cheese recipe by Ina Garten.

And the main course was chicken cutlets with asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto.

Lastly, and the one to steal the show, was the berries trifle dessert, a delicious color coordinated finale to this joyous occasion!

I love having my Mom and Dad over for a meal because they always find everything delicious.  They’re so easy to please!

My inspiration for today’s table setting were the burnt orange tea roses left over from a previous post, “Girlfriend’s Birthday Lunch”.

I just so happen to own chinaware that has orange, plum and green as the main colors in a beautiful fruit and floral pattern.  Since it is colorful enough, I decided to use a cream color tablecloth with mating napkins as the base of my setting.

I felt I didn’t need chargers for contrast so I placed the main course plate directly on the table and the soup plate on top of that.  The matching bread plates and the coffee cup and saucers add more color and continuity to the setting.

To place the flowers, what better container than the matching tea pot?  Charming isn’t it?  Lastly, I used two bread plates as the base of the candle holders and lastly, to add to the coziness of the setting, I used two hurricane lamps to “protect” the green candles…perfection!

The napkin fold which serves as a silverware sleave can be found on, napkinfoldingguide.com

I first served Cream of Broccoli Soup;

Then a veal chop, accompanied by quinoa and “Spinach in Puff Pastry”, recipe by Ina Garten, Barefoot in Paris;

Lastly, I served my Dad’s very favorite dessert, rice pudding.  It is my very own recipe which I’ll pass down to my daughter’s (it’s that good).

Once again, it was a magical lunch with my loving parents, whom I treasure!

Theme:  Valentine’s Day

Occasion:  Brunch

Style:  Elegant, Formal

Color Scheme:  Red and white

Flowers:  Lilies

The star of this show is the china.  It has pattern and color to command attention and it does it beautifully.  It was a gift from my husband and I treasure it dearly but any white and red  pattern works just as well for this style table.

So as not to take away from it’s drama, I’ve decided to place a plain white linen tablecloth with matching napkins.  I purchase linen and cotton over acrylic fabrics although they are more expensive and more laborious to take care of, but the effect is so worth the effort!

Red glass chargers serve as that contrast I love for interest.  I’ve purchased these from Overstock.com but they also have a wide selection of acrylic choices which create the same effect and can be reused for holiday, engagement or anniversary settings.

The place card holders, napkin rings, butter spreaders, diamond confetti and votive candles are all from Oleg Cassini collections which I purchased from One Kings Lane but sometimes you come across some of his product in Homegoods!

I have an etiquette certification and had been advised during training not to use candles for daytime settings.  I say, if they add magic, why not?  I’ve also been instructed to use white or wax candles only.  Again, although I use white votive candles here, I love to use color ones when given the opportunity and break this rule time and again.  So much for the certification!

Lastly, the soup tureen serves as the floral container and the napkins are placed on a slant to mimic the petals of the white lilies.

There are countless brunch menu items we could choose but one I would include for sure is Ina Garten’s Blue Cheese Souffle:

A delicious dish made easy to prepare by Ina and as elegant as the setting iteself!

 

Today we celebrated my girlfriend’s birthday and her mom, her cousin and my mom joined us for a celebratory lunch.

My inspiration for the table decor and meal stemmed from a runner with matching napkins I had purchased in Juneau, Alaska with a Provencal style pattern.  I know it’s an unlikely souvenir choice if you’re visiting Alaska but when you’re passionate about something, as I am about table dressings, you never miss an opportunity!

Since the pattern is rather busy, I pulled the two main colors from it, electric blue and pumpkin to select my place mats, tableware and flowers.

I think the contrast of the pumpkin color woven mats with the blue denim tableware is stunning!  The burnt orange roses in the antique style urn add to the feel of Provence, as well as the fleur-de-lis flatware and blue rimmed tumblers.

In keeping with the theme, I served;

Warm Goat Cheese Phyllo Salad

Roasted Stripes Bass, and

Profiterols with Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream

All compliments of Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

It was a truly magical lunch with friends and family.  Happy birthday Martha!

Not only are floral arrangements and candles exclusive to dressing up a table setting.  There are other items that add interest and beauty.  It can be a grouping of watering cans, lanterns, teapots, figurines, etc.

For example, this Asian themed formal dinner setting was the perfect opportunity to display three ancient Chinese urns I purchased in Hong Kong.  Not only would they add glamour to the setting, but they would also become a conversation piece.

To compliment the earthy tones and rustic style of the urns, I added a greenish geometric table cloth which I had purchased from Crate & Barrel years ago.  The woven chargers add texture and the silverware, which I inherited from my Mom, matched the antiquity feel.

You don’t have to go to Hong Kong to look for wonderful collectibles.  It can be any grouping of interesting items that you are passionate about and low enough to not obstruct the view of the guests across from each other.  Larger items can be placed on the sideboard or buffet tables.

In my “Basics” blog, I pointed out how important versatility is when collecting table top material.  Whether it be table linens, tableware, glassware, etc. you’ll want to be able to use them over and over again to avoid unnecessary expense and storage.

In these pictures, I hosted a “Under the Tuscan Sun” themed luncheon for my daughter’s 40th birthday.

I had 24 guests but only 12 of the same for most items so I decided to mix things up and discovered that it was more interesting to the eye.

I placed every other table setting in the 2 different choices.  One had a glass charger, water goblet and flatware of a certain pattern.  The other had a wood charger, high ball glass (of the same design as the goblet) and flatware of a different pattern.

I did purchase 24 beautiful napkins in a buttery yellow color from Pottery Barn and 24 raffia sunflower napkin rings from Overstock to pull things together but 12 white napkins would have worked out just fine and so would have 12 different napkin rings of similar style.

Although the sunflowers in the Tuscan style urns stole the show, I also placed smaller bunches of yellow and white alstroemerias and succulents in different mercury glass containers and the overall result was stunning.

The point is, as long as there is something common to the theme, texture, color, etc. you can, and perhaps should, mix it up!

 

To know which utensils to use is determined by the course or courses that will be served.  As a general rule, butter spreaders and dessert utensils are displayed for more formal settings.

Knife:  is placed on the immediate right side of the plate with the blade facing the plate.

Teaspoon:  is placed on the right side of the knife.

Soup Spoon:  is placed on the right side of the teaspoon.

Fork:  Is placed on the immediate left side of the place.

Salad Fork:  is placed on the left side of the fork.

Butter Spreader:  is placed diagonally on the butter plate placed on the upper left corner of the setting.

Dessert Fork:  is centered directly above the dinner plate with the prongs facing right.

Dessert Spoon:  is placed above and parallel to the dessert fork with the bowl facing left.