As a much as I love hitting the flea market for good china, silverware and glass, I love to use it even more! These days, most of us tend to be pretty casual at mealtimes, but every now and then, when I’m having friends or clients over to the apartment for dinner, I’ll pull out all the stops and do a really formal setting. Having been a caterer back in the day, I’m pretty well-versed in how it goes. I know it can seem a little daunting at first—um, Eddie, which way did you say the blades should face?—but a good rule of thumb is to think about the order of courses and work from the outside in. To get things started, here are five table settings that, for the most part, follow the rules. Take it from me: learn the basics first and then get creative by mixing it up.
British Formal — If you have the luxury of a big table, use it! Here, the dessert fork and spoon are laid inside the dinner knife and fork. Soup course first, so its spoon goes all the way to the right. For the glasses, from right to left, the order goes white wine, red wine, water. The butter plate’s on the left with a napkin simply folded.
English Afternoon Tea — Whenever I have friends in town and want to do something that’s so New York City chic, I’ll take them to afternoon tea at Bergdorf’s. Here, the butter plate sits in the center with the bread knife, dessert spoon and pastry fork to the right. The teacup and saucer are above the flatware, teaspoon behind, handle to the right. Pass the scones, please!
American Formal — This one’s for a three-course meal that starts with a fish appetizer, so its fork and knife are on the outside. Dinner utensils go in the middle; dessert on the inside. You don’t have to use both for dessert, but sometimes, when that caramel sauce is extra good, you just want to scoop it up!
French Formal — The French do it a different way. First, turn ’em over! Utensils face down. No butter plates or knives here, as bread is laid right on the table. What, no butter? I know…I’d be sad too. I went to culinary school in the French tradition—think Julia Child—so when it comes down to it, butter is my friend.
International Informal — This setting probably looks the most familiar. Soup spoon to the right, knife next to that, dinner fork on the left. Dessert fork and spoon are above the plate. To get the direction right, imagine the dinner fork moving up and to the right.
So with all of these rules, you might ask, where does the fun come in? Aren’t rules made to be broken? Or at least a little bent? And my answer is Yes! There are so many ways to get creative with table settings—how you fold the napkin, where you place it, oval plates instead of round, mason jars as glasses at a barbecue. The list is as long as your own imagination. Just make sure you know the basics—where the glasses go, forks are on the left, spoons and knives on the right, blades facing in. And if you’d like, feel free to leave me a comment with how you bend the rules at your table settings. I’d love to hear about it.
Hi Eddie,
Just finished Ep.5 of Top Design, glad to see you’re still with me. Loved this post. My partner and I just threw our “end of summer” outdoor party a couple of weekends ago, and I set the table in an international informal style, using burlap across the table on the horizontal plane. I used out of season hydrangeas in the arrangement around red gladiolas and bells of Ireland. The party was in a 12X15 tent, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t decorate as though I was inside, right? I pulled out two urn lamps with leopard shades, an old buffet (whihc I spray painted red) and used a canopy I made for a bedroom in our old house as the showcase piece behind the buffet, well – and above. But you have to see the pictures to understand. I hope you like it. I left the URL in this format, but in case: http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/2008/09/affair-to-remember.html
Here in Italy at some more formal dinners they tend to put napkin on the plate, but when they do place it on table it’s often on the right. The only downside for me was that none of my embroidered napkins worked well, as script is on the wrong side. Upside, was a great excuse to have a new set of table linens made!
Eddie-thought your readers might like a bit of history re knives. We turn our blade in toward the plate. In days of old; you turned your blade toward your dinner partner to your right IF he/she was your enemy. It was a sign they were not liked! How rude!
21 years ago, married in the south where the bride’s family displays the wedding “gifts” on the table set, my husband arrives and is horrified at our silver, the luncheon fork and the dinner fork were virtually the same size, hence, forcing us to change from a the most minimal pattern to one of my favorites, tiffany – “audobon” which has a flora & fauna motif. (I want to use it daily!)
one way to bend the rules is with take formal outdoors, using good silver with bamboo, and linen – turning a bbq into an at home safari.
the british really do know how to set the table, however I prefer the international style.
Our octagonal dining table seats eight, rather tightly, but given the shape of the table, one can only have four or eight to dine. (I’m ordering a table round to obviate this.) This being the case, and wishing to allow each diner a bit more room, I typically set the glasses in a straight line directly at the top of the plate rather than more to the right, as is proper. Not correct but it looks crisp and only slightly unusual. And we always set the table in French Formal style, my spouse having been schooled there. He has explained to me that that the French upside-down placement explains why monograms on French silver are engraved on the back of the flatware, not the front, as is England and America.
Eddie- Your tablescape was incredible- I think all of the judges need to have an eye exam to increase their ability to see truly inspiring design work- Keep up the good work-
Loved your tablescape last night- Keep up the good work- by far the best one – you not winning was a BIG BOWLFUL OF WRONG!!! Reading your blog every day- LOVE IT!
Eddie, Thanks for this lovely post! Just in time for holiday entertaining! What about last night’s Top Design?? I thought your tablescape was NUMERO UNO!!! it was amazing.. I think the judges were all out wrong…you are a winner in my book!
Eddie,
Watched TD last night. You were robbed!! Loved your tablescape and garden. Tuned in too late to see your chair. For our beach condo’s end of season party we set the table with the silver and a ton of votives, the party was on the patio next to the ocean. It was wonderful. Everyone loved the elegance of the silver next to the ocean at twilight.
I have a round table so none of the ‘correct’ table settings work for me without falling off the edge of the table!! I always place the napkin on the plate, group the glasses in a triangle to fit above the knife and place dessert flatware at the top of the plate ala the international style. Special circumstances call for creative mixed solutions!
A lot of restaurants and banquet halls here in Toronto put the linens right onto the plate.
My mother used to make fans or folded shapes out of the napkins and put them on our dinner plates for special occasions… anyone know where that started and why??
Great post Eddie, very useful! And I totally agree with the others about you being robbed last night on TD, your tablescape was perfection. And I just love to see your facial expressions, they crack me up! Keep it up, hugs from a fan xoxo
My father is British and always wanted us to set the table Brit-style. My mother is from the American South, so wanted us to do it the American way. We learned to do everything both ways.
What’s the silver pattern you’re using?
Here is another valuable trick with place settings. I learned this from my mom when just a lad of five years. As a diner when seated think BMW for bread-meal-wine. Bread is on the left, meal in the center, and wine on the right. That way you’ll never squat on your neighbors butter plate.
I also had a catering company (45 years!) and stuck at it way longer then it’s shelf life. Constantly looking for set up crews that would stay with me, constantly training them, I was amazed at how many WRONG ways there are to set a table… or when a wedding for 300 was set up perfectly, an arriving staff person would go out and change the flatware to the way her Mother did it! Auuuggghhh. Pre digital days, I didn’t think of having a photo for them to follow.
Another brillant and informative posting — very thankful to see the setting with the dessert fork and spoon at the top of the plate — since I do use both to eat dessert! When we moved to Dallas — we were seated at a table in close quarters and the lady dining at the next table asked me about this practice so I explained that after schooling in England — and my parents would use them too — we found out that the fork and spoon handily prevented fruit from escaping the tiny plate or bowl! LOL! No chasing down the last blueberry from the bowl! There has been an interesting question that has arisen here in the comments section — just HOW do you handle setting a round table? Or how about a buffet table(just where do put the plates or the flatware that makes an easy and logical flow!)? Please consider showing photos of these tables too! Thanks for the GREAT lesson!
Jan at Rosemary Cottage
Maybe someone’s brains were picked too hard by a teasing comb ’cause at our house you won the whole triathalon !!!
LOVED it ALL!
Hi Eddie,
Love your post on table settings but a little confused when it comes to glasses. Can you clarify for me the proportions of a red and white wine glass? (Example bowl size and stem height) I’m use to seeing the red wine glass with a larger bowl than the white wine glass, but in the images it appears to be the opposite of this convention.
Thanks!
RE: table settings — I knew enough to get by in my pretty casual life, but have been thinking about having a more formal dinner party for an upcoming birthday. Thanks for the primer on table settings. What is your feeling about napkin rings? I see them in a lot of nicer shops but read recently they were frowned upon by tastemakers.
I loved your tabletop last night. I can’t believe you didn’t win. Your other designs were well-executed as well.
Is Kelly Wearstler the biggest poseur of all time? Does she try to be a laughingstock or is she just trying to live down her Playboy centerfold by seeming to be ‘eccentric’? You probably won’t be able to indulge us, but I’d love to hear your true feelings about the whole experience.
Most frustrating experience of last night: too fleeting a glimpse of your shirtless torso — and only from the back.
I found your blog via Simply Seleta 🙂 So glad I stopped in!
I have to admit, I’m at that point in my life where I’m happy if both my husband and I sit down at a table for dinner 🙂
Thank you so much for doing this post! I will print it and use it as a guide in the future. Your posts are always beautiful, yet practical, Eddie. You totally should have won last night! I loved your tobacco comment…lol! Hope all is well!
I’m used to American Formal at my house, but have seen the others as well. Usually mixing it up is just folding the napkin differently, even though its not really wild and crazy.
However, I’d LOVE to see how to spice up your table….could you post pictures of that next??
Simple. Practical. Perfect Post! Thanks Eddie! Oh and you rocked it last night on Top Design too.
Eddie: Enjoy your Top Design appearances and your blog. My favorite scene on TD so far was your animated articulation of the true value of the broken vase. We’ll keep watching to see if you won. Probably did as you are clearly in a different league than most of the others on the show.
I used to watch Martha Stewart because she had so much good information and she expressed it so well. She made me want to do things well…she made me “think” about my home…care about my home. You are the new Martha, in my opinion. I stumbled across this blog and have loved reading every word. You have an approchable style. When I am reading your articles, I want to just jump up and repeat your ideas in my home…now that’s a motivator!
Eddie, your table on last night’s episode was my favorite!
This is lovely. Thank you for this post!
Eddie, thank you for the table setting tutorial: this will definitely come in handy! I’m dying to know a couple of things from last night’s episode (if you can/want to share): 1. If you were going to design around the chair you made in part 1 of the triathalon, what else would you bring in? 2. When you were looking at Nathan after he won the table setting challenge as well, I couldn’t decide if you looked like you wanted to cry or if you wanted to put visine in his coffee? Either way, I thought your table setting was spectacular and should have edged out Nathan’s!
Hope you win for Top Design, you are by far the best.
What an informative post!
Thanks for sharing…I have ALWAYS wondered about the proper placement of flatware.
Now I know!
Layla
The Lettered Cottage
Hi Eddie,
Would you decorate my house?
I must say that I get so inspired by this blog. I live in Sweden and I found this site/blog from my sisters blog. I must say that I miss this kind of interior in Sweden and Scandinaiva and I love to buy interior magazines from the U.S. But now I don’t have to! For me, you represent the most beautiful pieces when it comes to american creativity.
Everytime i check this site I get so inspired! You’re sure is one of a kind!
Keep on with the good work!
Best wishes
//Johanna
Hi Eddie!
I live in Austria and really enjoy your blog. I was just wondering.On your picture you have your 3 glasses and said they are white wine, red and then water.Here the red wine glass is the big wide one-so the bouquet can expand.The smaller/slimmer glasses are for white wines and the really slim tall ones for champagne. My question: do you really drink white wine from the wide glasses?
Hi Eddie,
This was a facinating post! Never realized there were sooo many ways to design a table setting. BTW, I have been hosting Tablescape Tuesdays at my blog for past 12 weeks…here’s a link it you’d like to see some that I’ve posted: http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/search/label/Tablescape%20Tuesday
Enjoying your blog! Susan
As a dish collector and avid “table setter”, I enjoyed this post very much. I’m bookmarking it for future reference.
Can someone tell me where to get the glassware you are using? Beautiful.
Love your tablescapes!
You should check out Susan’s tablescapes, she is the host and there are some wonderful tablescapes there, this week is the #21 tablescape. Her home is lovely, and her porch is so wonderful!
Eddie,
Where can I purchase turned wooden candlesticks like the ones on your table?
I live in Scottsdale, Arizona.