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Posts Tagged ‘table settings’

Table Setting 101 for Summer

Thursday, September 7th, 2017

Make the Fine Furniture Design Summer Home China Hutch the home for your dinnerware. 

The summer season is one of the most popular times when families spend time outdoors and hold barbecues and get-togethers. Since this is so, if you want to dine al fresco, then you’d want to remember a few concepts –

Remember the Silverware

There is one basic rule in every place setting. Whether you are going to use placemats, you must always have each table setting centered to every seat. There must be about 24-30 inches between each place setting. This is about 18 inches of space between the guests to avoid elbow rubbing.

As for the silverware, the forks must always be set on the left side of the seat. The knife must have its blade pointing inward with the spoon on its right side. Here’s a little something that would end the confusion on table setting, left and fork both have four letters while five, knife, and spoon all have five letters. So there, you should be able to remember it more easily now.

It also pays to remember this other simple rule – work from the outside in. This is another way of saying that you go inward as the meal progresses.

Also the Glassware

Regardless of the beverage that you’re serving, whether you’re serving juice, wine, or water, the glassware must always be placed above the knife at the top right portion of the place setting.

Be sure to have an extra set of glassware right where the drink station is situated to make room for guests asking for an extra glass or breakage.

Always make it a point to have the glasses set before the guests arrive. This will tell the guests that the bar’s opened and that beverage will be free-flowing.

Plate and Bowl Arrangement

Now that you’ve got your silverware and glassware set up, it’s time to consider what to do with your stacks of bowls and plates. This gets a tad trickier since the arrangement will depend hugely on what you will be serving.

This time, remember that you will be working from the top down. Since summer isn’t exactly a soup weather, then you could begin with an appetizer. Either way, you’d need a bowl so place it at the top and center of your plate and bowl setting.

You can also go ahead and unleash your creative side as you use flowers or some seasonal fruits to decorate the table. Summer is the perfect season for bright yellow lemons or to display the aromatic beauty of lavender.

Right under the bowl, should be the salad plate. If there’s no salad on your menu, then this layer can be eliminated. If the meals are served buffet style, then it’s an informal setting so just place a bottom plate as the main course plate.

Top with a Lovely Napkin

What makes fine dining fine? It’s not just the silverware or glassware. It’s not even the flower vases and stacks of fruits. At times, the proper placement of a well-folded napkin is all it takes to finish the table setting with a bang.

The table napkin can be something as simple as a folded cloth underneath the bottom plate, left side. If you want to include a napkin ring, then you can place it on the left side of the fork or just place it on top of the topmost plate. Don’t put it in a bowl, though.

One Cardinal Rule

No plastic, please! Whether you’re inviting guests to a formal or informal dinner, you must never serve plastic spoons, forks, knives, or plates. Say no to paper cups if you want to make the dining experience an elevated one.

At the end of your party, make sure that you store the glassware, silverware, and ceramics into an enclosed china cabinet so that you can use them again to entertain more guests.

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Learning the Formal Dining Setup – So You Won’t be Nervous About Formal Dining

Wednesday, December 21st, 2016

Hooker Furniture Dining Room Sanctuary Rectangle Trestle Table

As cliché as it may seem, Christmas is definitely just around the corner. It is a season that could require a more formal table than the usual five-seater in your dining room. The good news is the art of modern table setting just has a few basics that you need to learn. Commit them to memory and you’ll be confidently welcoming your fine dining guests to your home soon.

Table Setting Prior to the First Course

Table setting makes use of logic. You don’t need to be intimidated by it. For instance, you must begin a meal by getting the flatware at the outermost sides (left and right). You can then work your way in as Cathy Bates’ character in Titanic advised the young Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio).

The flatware must align with the bottom parts of a large plate so that it can be easily removed once the napkins are spread on everyone’s laps. You can use napkin rings as a festive décor for your napkins this Christmas. If you can have golden rings or anything Christmassy to hold the napkins, then do so.

The stemware is set at the right above the dinner plate. On the upper left are the bread and butter plates. Water glass should be above the dinner knife with the white wine on the right and the red wine placed, top center.

Table Setting for Soup

The soup dish holds the heated soup which will sit atop the dinner plate. Use the soup spoon which can be found at the outer right. The spoon, bowl and plate will only be removed once everyone’s laid his soup spoon.

Let the bread and butter plate as well as the butter knife remain.

Table Setting for the Main Course

Now the table’s set for the main course. A large dinner plate could be brought in empty or with a portion of food. This plate can be preheated unless the main course is supposed to be served cold.

Use the dinner knife and fork.

FFDM Highlands Collection

Table Setting for Salad

A midsize plate is used in serving salad. Use the remaining fork with the broader end. Beyond this course, the bread and butter plate, the wineglasses and butter knife will all be cleared together with the salad fork and plate.

Table Setting for Dessert

A dessert plate will arrive together with a teacup or coffee cup and a teaspoon. Use the dessert spoon and the cake fork which have been laid atop the setting before the meal begins.

The only stemware left at this point is the water glass.

Fundamental Table Etiquette

Formal dining is all about knowing your dinner’s context. Will the dinner be held in Boston? Paris? Shanghai maybe?

There are differences in these key cities but there are also fundamental protocols that need to be met –

  • Formal dinner requires men to wear tuxedo or any evening attire.
  • Food is never handled nor passed by guests.
  • Service staff and butlers are the only ones who will serve the meals and clear the table.
  • Multiple courses will definitely be served as well as demitasse, liqueurs and brandy.
  • Seating protocol will also be observed.
  • Men should stand when the hostess rises from her seat.
  • You might receive a menu right after you are seated. Expect also to have a name card especially on larger gatherings. Keep in mind that the bigger the event, the stricter the protocols.
  • The even may begin with cocktails which could last one hour or so.
  • The hostess could greet the guests on smaller events. For larger events like state dinners, you might be greeted by the staff.

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