how to create a beautiful table setting

Talking points

“Pick a theme and let it guide your decor choices,” says Vidović. Easier said than done? Go with what you’ve seen and loved. “Take inspiration from a beautiful alfresco meal from that trip to Italy or a formal celebration you had at a fine dining restaurant.” Think of your cupboards as a dress-up box for your table, and start collecting interesting pieces that anchor a great theme. A Moorish head vase could inspire a Sicilian seafood feast, some retro ceramic egg cups a fun brunch. It doesn’t have to be fancy either, that high-low approach to dressing that fashion editors oft advise applies to home entertaining too. Cloth napkins on a bare table says casual but chic and a full Sunday roast laid out on butcher’s paper with the dish names written beside each plate in chunky marker says fancy but fun. These also create great conversation starters particularly useful to a table full of acquaintances rather than friends.

Dinner en blanc is out

A table dressed all in white does only one thing: make everyone nervous about spills. Just think about any traditionally fancy restaurant you’ve ever been to: sweaty palms, right? So unless your theme is anxiety, throw in some colour. “It’s underrated in my opinion,” says Vidović. “Most people have a classic white dinner set, and that’s fine, just add colour with patterned platters, coloured glassware, interesting coasters or, my favourite, embroidered placemats and napkins.”

Looking for an organic source of colour? “A sprig of whatever wildflower is growing in your yard left purposely on each dinner plate, a pomegranate that doubles as a place card holder or a beautiful bowl of lemons as your centrepiece. Be led by your surroundings.”

Cheat sheet

“My favourite table styling piece has to be the tablecloth,” says Nguyen. “It’s the fastest and easiest way to transform any table or surface in your home into a beautiful tablescape. Whether it is a beautiful print, statement colour or texture, a tablecloth instantly injects interest into a setting and anchors the whole look.” From worldwide homewares juggernaut IKEA, to Sydney-based, handmade table linens operation Thekla, great tablecloths, once impossible to find, are popping up everywhere. But if you still can’t find what you’re after, head to the furnishing fabrics section of Spotlight and unleash your inner designer.

Investment pieces

You can pick up a trendy vase or coaster set for cheap, but there are some aspects of your table where quality is key. “Good cutlery. There’s nothing more important in my opinion,” says Vidović. “When it comes to dinnerware, mismatched dinner plates and even glassware can be quaint and a little endearing, but there’s nothing cute about recycled cutlery.” Also, napkins. “You can’t get away with paper napkins past a certain age so invest in a decent set of linen or cotton napkins.” If it’s the potential stains on cloth napkins stopping you from investing, take a tip from stylists worldwide: soak them in Napisan.

Leave room

“I’m not really into centrepieces, because I treat the food as the hero of my table,” says Nguyen. Which leads to a tablescaping faux pas: styling so much that it becomes difficult to actually dine at the table. You want guests to be able to see and speak to each other, and everyone to be able to access the food if you’re sharing family style. To make your dishes centrepieces in their own right use servingware in different sizes and shapes, and complimentary serving utensils. No plastic-coated tongs at the table please.

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Accoutrements

A great dinner party is all in the atmosphere. “Don’t just think about what’s on the table to bring your party or meal to life. Think about all the senses,” says Nguyen. “A beautiful room spray to transport you to a destination, a fun playlist to create the ambience and a well stocked bar with some cocktails at the ready will make a party feel exciting and inviting just as much as the table itself and how it looks.”

Practical magic

When it comes down to the nitty gritty of table styling, care and personality go a long way to making it right, but if you want more school-style rules, here goes: Keep your larger styling elements to the middle of the table so guests aren’t bumping elbows with an ornamental papaya. If floristry isn’t your thing, stick to one kind of bloom. Use napkins for texture: loose or knotted rather than stiffly folded under cutlery. Less is more, so no table should have all of the following: placemats, napkins, tablecloth, coasters, napkin rings. Choose style pieces with different heights, shapes and sizes. Candlesticks add height, are unobtrusive and always add to the mood, even in broad daylight. Personalisation is always a hit, says Vidović. “If I’m up for a splurge, and the occasion calls for something a little fancy, I’ll embroider my guests’ initials onto their napkins to serve as a name card and also a take home gift.“