Basic rules
Table setting at home can be modified depending on the occasion on which the feast is organized. Each holiday involves the presence of certain elements that emphasize the theme of the celebration. But nevertheless, there are basic rules adopted by society that must be observed in any case:
- First you need to choose the style that you want to endure while serving the table. Tablecloth, napkins, dishes and cutlery should be combined with each other and form a complete picture.
- All table elements should not be in harmony only with each other, they should be one composition with the surrounding space. When choosing tablecloths, napkins and dishes you need to take into account in what color the walls, the ceiling and other elements of the room are made so that the differences in colors do not catch the eye.
- Care should be taken to ensure that guests are comfortable sitting and using cutlery. The optimal distance that should be taken for each person should be at least 80 cm. Otherwise, guests will have inconvenience due to crowding, resulting in an unpleasant aftertaste.
- When all the theoretical foundations are thought out, it is worthwhile to proceed directly to setting the table. First, the tablecloth spreads, if you want it to firmly hold on the table and be protected from large stains that are hard to wash off, you can put a table film or an old tablecloth under the bottom.
- After the tablecloth comes the turn of the plates. You need to decide in advance what order your guests will sit in and arrange the dishes, taking into account the minimum distance.
- Then cutlery is laid out. You should not lay out the entire set, only necessary. For each food served - salads, meat or fish - you need to put a separate set of items.
- Next you need to place the glasses and wine glasses. At the same time, it is necessary to immediately consider which of the guests prefers this or that drink, so as not to clutter the table with unnecessary elements.
- Next there are two types of napkins - cloth and paper. Fabric should be put on top of each plate, if desired, they can be folded in a certain way, giving refinement to the serving. Paper napkins are placed either in the common napkin holder or separately under each plate so that only a corner is visible.
- This is followed by a turn of spices and sauces. They need to be arranged in such a way that each guest has the opportunity to easily reach them to salt or pepper the dish to your taste.
- Cold snacks are set at the end of the serving. The abundance of vases and plates on the holiday table is not recommended, it will create crampiness and inconvenience for guests. If you have prepared a lot, you can place only a part on the table, and later, if necessary, the empty plate is replaced with a similar full one.
- If space allows, you can decorate the table with one or several vases with flowers that match the basic style in shades or, on the contrary, create contrast with it. Flowers will be appropriate at any feast, they are put even at ceremonial receptions and business meetings.
Festive tablecloth
Tablecloth spreads on the table in the first place, it performs several functions at once. First, it sets the tone for the style and emphasizes it, defining the basic shade of color and decorative motifs. Secondly, it protects the table from stains that can be difficult to remove, for example, from spilled drinks. Thirdly, muffles the sound of dishes, allowing guests not to be distracted by such trifles and fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere.
You need to choose a tablecloth based on what kind of dishes you plan to put on the table or in what circle you plan to celebrate the holiday. For example, a starched tablecloth of white or pastel shade is suitable for crystal glasses and wine glasses. If the event is solemn, colored or shiny tablecloths are pleasing to the eye. If the feast will take place in a small circle of close people, linen linen of bright shades will do.
Tablecloth should be freshly washed and ironed, if necessary, a white tablecloth should be starched. The condition of the tablecloth will directly talk about the diligence of the hostess, so even small spots or folds should not be neglected. The canvas should cover the entire table and descend from the edges to 25-30 cm, but not touch the chairs.
Plates for serving
Plates are the main decoration of the table, because they often create a contrast with the tablecloth, making bright spots on a plain canvas. In addition, the design of plates can be varied, if desired, you can choose a separate set of dishes for each holiday.
Plates should be perfectly clean, without chipping and lint from the towel. Ideally, the dishes should be shiny and look like a completely new one. Starting to arrange it, check again that there are no folds and debris on the tablecloth that could accidentally get there. Between the plate and the edge of the table should be 2 cm, this is the optimal distance. Professional waiters have a small secret: placing the plates, they put two fingers on the edge of the table and immediately see at what level they put the dishes. This allows you to quickly and correctly place it at the required distance.
If there is a very solemn event ahead, a whole set of plates is put on each guest. A plate is put on the tablecloth, which will not be used, it will only emphasize the overall style of serving. It is already placed on a plate for hot, then for snacks and last of all for soup. If the plates slide, you can put a small paper napkin between them so that the guest is comfortable. There are also so-called pie plates, they are slightly larger than a tea saucer. If there are such plates, they should be placed approximately at a distance of 10 cm from the main ones, at the top left.
Plates should be placed on the same level, this will serve as an indicator of intelligence and accuracy.Cutlery
In everyday life, many are accustomed to not paying attention to using cutlery properly, most often the number of knives, forks and spoons used is minimized. However, the laying of the festive table should be made taking into account all the rules, especially if a festive event is planned at home, to which many guests are invited.
The forks are located to the left of the plates, the spoons and the knife are placed to the right. There is one simple rule according to which it is easy to arrange all the devices correctly: forks, spoons and knives are used in order, starting from the outside and ending with those that lie directly at the dish. A hot fork is placed to the left of the plate, another to the left is a fish fork, if it is served at the table and a fork for snacks. A meat knife is placed to the right of the plate, a spoon for snacks to the right, and a soup spoon to the right. A fork and a spoon for dessert are placed perpendicular to the rest of the devices, perpendicular to the other instruments, with the fork on the left and the spoon on the right. If there are pie plates on the table, butter knives are placed on top of them.
Drinkware
Glass or crystal glasses and wine glasses are an indispensable attribute of a festive table at home, in addition, they create a certain charm and attract deserved attention. A good housewife should not just clean such dishes, she should be immaculate, ideally she should shine and sparkle in different shades. In addition, you need to pick up comfortable glasses so that they fit well in your hand and you can easily drink from them.
Not far from the dessert spoon there is a glass for wine, a champagne glass is placed just below and to the right of it, followed by a main glass for juice or water. The correct distance between the glasses is on average 1 cm. If one of the guests drinks strong alcoholic beverages, for them instead of glasses for wine and wine glasses for champagne glasses are put. The ideal option is considered to be the compatibility of all glasses, wine glasses and glasses.
Serving wipes
At this stage, the hostess can give free rein to her imagination, because textile and even paper napkins can be folded in a fancy way so that they are combined with the other elements of the festive table. In color, napkins can be similar to tablecloths or, on the contrary, shade it. If the primary color is already too much in different details, it is better to shade it with one of the adjacent shades or a completely different matching color.
If you have free time, you can create a real masterpiece from each napkin. The main options are swan, tie or flower. If you choose, for example, a voluminous rose, you can put it not on a plate, but in one of the glasses, in order to keep the shape until the guests arrive. The most common variants of original napkins:
- Bow. To do this, fold the napkin in the form of a rectangle, the length is less than the diameter of the plate. Then in the center of it you need to tie a satin ribbon that will fit in shade. The bow can be placed parallel to the table in the middle of the plate, or diagonally closer to the edge.
- Flex. A square napkin should be folded diagonally to form a triangle, after which the side corners of the triangle should be joined with the top one to form a rhombus with a vertical slit. Then you need to fold it in half horizontally, pull the side corners behind the figure and insert one into the other so that a circle is formed at the base of the formed figure. Next, you need to turn the figure back to you and pull the corners looking up to the sides. The resulting cable is placed in a vertical position on the plate.
- Artichoke. Spread the square napkin on the table inside out, fold all the corners to the center to make a diamond. Then again bend the corners to the center and turn the figure upside down and again bend the corners to the center. Next, holding the figure in the middle, start pulling each inner corner from under the bottom of the napkin to make it look like petals. Ready artichoke lay in a horizontal position on a plate.
Placement of snacks
When setting the table, you need to make sure that meat, fish and vegetable snacks alternate. If there are many guests, you should put the same dishes at both ends of the table. Snacks should not be too much, it will only spoil the impression of the holiday table, everything should be in moderation.
Soup can be served in a tureen or at the beginning of the feast, pour a plate for each guest, everything will depend on the available space. Hot, as a rule, is not served immediately on the table, it is brought after appetizers and salads and laid out on special plates for meat to each guest.
Each salad should have a separate spoon, and each type of snack - special tweezers. Breadbaskets should be placed at each end of the table so that guests do not inconvenience. Drinks should be placed on the table already open, and the juice or water is opened only at the beginning of the feast.
Decorative Details
If the holiday table is missing something, you can supplement it with a variety of relevant details that emphasize the festive atmosphere. To celebrate a significant event, beautiful candlesticks will be suitable on the table. If you have a refined statuette that fits in size, you can place it in the middle of the table. During the celebration of the new year, instead of flowers, you can put on the table beautifully collected fir branches, install snowmen or Santa Claus figures. Napkins in this case can be formed in the form of gift boxes.
