Table Setting Guide

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How to Set a Table: An Essential Guide to Silverware Placement

From designing the perfect table-scape to creating a beautiful plate, the art of entertaining relies on having an eye for every last detail — and those details can set the tone for your event. Whether you’re hosting a casual gathering or an elegant dinner party, knowing how to properly set a table is vital. Here, we explore everything a host needs to know about how to set a table, including understanding types of flatware to mapping out a basic table setting or a formal table setting. Credit: Invaluable.com Sources: Slate | FTD | Emily Post | The Knot Image credits: Yonder Design | Michael Radford | Kayla Barker

Silverware Placement 101

Place utensils in the order of their use. The first course should start with the outermost layer and work inward. This means that the salad fork should be placed to the left (or outside) of the dinner fork because salad is eaten before the main.
Forks should be placed to the left of the plate. There are only a few exceptions to this rule: the dessert fork, which is placed above the plate, and the snail and oyster forks, which are both placed on the right side.
Spoons are laid on the right side of the plate, aside from the dessert spoon which, similar to the dessert fork, is placed above the dinner plate.
Only the silverware that will be used to eat the meal should be placed on the table. If you are not serving dessert, do not lay out a dessert fork.
Knife blades should always face the plate, except for the butter knife which lays on top of the bread plate pointing down and left.
Napkins should be placed on the left of the fork, or, on the plate before service.
Lay silverware starting about one inch from the plate, leaving room for service. Also, make sure you line up the bottom edge of the silverware for a neat appearance.

Now that you know the basics of silverware placement, explore different types of table settings below. When deciding which to implement for your event, first consider how formal the meal will be.

Basic Table Setting

Opt for a basic table setting if you are hosting a meal at home or want a laid-back, informal environment. This look is perfect for impromptu gatherings, and likely won’t require hunting down additional utensils. Everyday cutlery and plates from your kitchen should be sufficient.

Formal Table Setting

A formal table setting is best suited for a more sophisticated, elegant affair where multiple courses will be served. Here, it’s where the details matter most: take note of the length of the overhang from your table runner or tablecloth and the number of candles placed on your tablescape to ensure you’re not to overcrowding the setting.

Credit: Invaluable.com Sources: Slate | FTD | Emily Post | The Knot

Image credits: Yonder Design | Michael Radford | Kayla Barker

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Deco Deva

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Downsizing was inevitable and I've done it several times already. This is the big one, and I am still unboxing treasures retrieved from storage after decades.

All pieces are one of a kind handpicked by yours truly over 40 years to add texture, style and story to your authentic style.

My collecting story starts after watching Astaire and Rogers float across a dance floor as a young girl, I have loved art deco design, art, fashion and jewelry. So bold and beautiful, and so different from anything that came before it. Art deco changed social and design sensibilities forever. A lifetime collector of high quality antiques and vintage, I started by making contacts, researching and learning. Picking the best of the best, I live with art deco and vintage decor and used to wear the fashions of the day. To say that I feel in love is an understatement. I reveled in the fact that I was able to reflect my unique style and sensibilities with a marriage of old and new.

Since I was in my teens I have bought what pleases me, what I find beautiful and unique, and the things that speak to me on a creative level. I hope that you can see and feel the passion and love that I feel for antiques and vintage pieces and share with you. You will find art deco, collectible and vintage fine art paintings, original illustrations and magazine covers, home decor, marble, alabaster and metal lamps, nude flapper table lamps, sterling silver decorative accents and tableware for the home and entertaining, designer and estate jewelry and fine vintage watches in my shop.

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