Festive table setting: how to properly cover and decorate?

The setting of the festive table should be special. It is necessary to take into account all the rules for the arrangement of cutlery so that guests are convinced of your tact and knowledge of the rules of etiquette. Festive table setting is not only beautiful, but also the most functional.

The first point in organizing any celebration is the choice of dishes for the guests. I would like to celebrate the festive event in a beautiful design. That is why the main object of attention of a good hostess will be not so much a careful approach to the choice of dishes, but the form in which these dishes will be presented to the gaze of the audience. You can add aesthetics and specificity to the festive process by setting the table.

Even a person who has no experience in organizing feasts will surely come up with the idea that it is still more pleasant to celebrate a significant event in a cozy atmosphere.

The tablecloth is the basis for any festive table setting. To celebrate an important event, in no case should you use oilcloth, against the background of which even the most luxurious dishes will not look sophisticated, but quite the opposite. When choosing the tone of the tablecloth, it is necessary to build on the interior and the reason for the celebration itself. The fabric must necessarily fit harmoniously into the design of the room.

A safe color option would be traditional white, suitable for almost any setting and highlighting the importance of the reason everyone is gathered around the table today. But pastel colors, which are not striking and give a light atmosphere to the feast, can also serve as a great alternative. The use of bright and picturesque colors on the fabric is also acceptable.

Plain fabric will become universal, however, there are festive occasions, for which a patterned tablecloth is also suitable. The drawing on it can be made unobtrusively, it can also be, on the contrary, bright and contrasting.

Tableware is the second important element of table setting. It can be made of any material, but porcelain is a classic. From more budgetary materials, but with similar qualities, faience is suitable. Each person at the table should have dishes from one set or from several, but necessarily matching in style... Its color can be either contrasting or matching the color of the tablecloth, but a contrasting combination will look more advantageous.

If the tablecloth and dishes are the main colors, then the role of accents falls on napkins. Their use is essential for basic hygiene. Cutlery is also wrapped in them. White will be classic for them, but depending on the nature of the celebration, the color of the dishes and tablecloths, you can choose others. Do not exclude patterned napkins.

It is important that the color scheme of the picture resonates with them.... Having shown imagination, napkins can be placed on the table in an original way, giving them a certain image that fits into the style of the feast.

For a themed celebration, you can use various decorative elements. Usually these are bouquets of plants or candles in beautiful candlesticks. Again, do not forget about the combination of color with a tablecloth, dishes, napkins. The main rule of decor is its moderation., because it is very easy to overdo it on a table with decoration.

When arranging appliances, dishes and glasses, it is worth taking into account the place for jewelry. The decoration will take place after their placement, and this should not be forgotten.

The very first place a serving plate, which will play the role of a substitute. It should not be on the edge of the table. When installing it, it is necessary to give way from it by 2-5 cm. There are smaller plates on it, for example, for salad, soup or snacks. You can put one napkin between the plates to prevent the plates from slipping.

On the left in relation to them, at a distance of 5-12 cm, put a pie plate - on it, mainly bread is put, but sometimes croutons and butter. Both plates, serving and patty, should be in such places to form one line together.

Then cutlery is placed on the plates. Better to use made of stainless steel. When choosing them, you should pay attention to the list of dishes expected at the table, and use only those that the guests really need.

In relation to the plate, the cutlery is placed in the order in which certain dishes will be served. On the right, the arrangement takes place in this order: a bread knife, followed by a fish or a knife for the first course, followed by a meat knife. On the left, they follow in this order: a fork for fish or the first course, behind it put a fork for the main course.

For all categories of devices, certain simple rules apply. First, the forks must be laid with the prongs up, the knives must be turned with the blade towards the plate, and the spoons must be laid with the concave side up. Secondly, if there is a dessert, the soup spoon is placed above the serving plate, otherwise, if a dessert is planned, then it takes position near the first knife.

Dessert utensils themselves should be laid out behind the plate and parallel to the edge of the table, the spoon should look with the handle to the right, the fork - to the left, the dessert knife should be on the pie plate.

After placing the devices, there is a turn of arranging glassware. For table setting, it should be in the same style. Each type of drink implies its own corresponding glass, and this is no coincidence. Glasses, wine glasses, glasses, glasses are placed on the right, above the serving plate. Their order is determined by the order in which a particular drink is served.

Drinking containers are located in the free space between the rows of plates. Juices and waters are served in large decanters, spirits in smaller decanters, and wine directly in bottles. If there is wine on the table, place a corkscrew.

The napkins can be arranged in different ways. You can add originality by folding the napkins figuratively. They can be placed directly next to each guest or on a serving plate. But it is most convenient to place additional napkins on the table in special holders, positioned in such a way that they are accessible to everyone sitting at the table.

For each guest during a meal, it should be possible to salt or add peppers and spices to the dish, so serving utensils should be correctly placed on the table for them. As a rule, toothpicks are placed in them. It is important that their number is sufficient. Serving utensils for salt, pepper and spices are placed between the rows of plates, their number should be such that, when placed, they are enough for the number of people at the table and provide everyone with easy access to salt, pepper and spices.

After making sure that everything you need for eating is already on the table, you can move on to the decorative elements. Decorations are distributed evenly between the rows of plates, so as not to interfere with the setting of dishes on the table.

Of the dishes, cold appetizers are served first, followed by salads. This is followed by hot dishes - the first, followed by the second. Empty dirty plates and glasses must be removed from the table in time.

Shortly before the proposed celebration, the hostess should check the availability of the required number of cutlery, plates and glasses. The time spent on serving will depend on the number of guests. This usually takes an hour, sometimes more, so hosts need to schedule the time before guests arrive. The tablecloth must be ironed before laying the table with it.

It is necessary to arrange the dishes carefully, slowly, because they are made of fragile material. Places for serving plates should be chosen very carefully and placed on the same line, but so that guests do not interfere with each other during the celebration.

Before serving, the cutlery must be grated, this will give them a shine and get rid of unwanted darkening that appears from time to time. Rubbing material can be a simple cotton towel or paper napkins. When serving, you should touch them very carefully, since they are very easy to get smeared with fingerprints. The presence of such spots will create a wrong opinion about the neatness of the mistress of the house.

For more sophistication of the holiday, the devices can be wrapped in a napkin and so served on the table, but this option is suitable for a small number of devices.

Glass containers for drinks should also be grated in advance, as their surface may turn out to be cloudy or dusty from time to time. For this procedure, use a special roll-on microfiber towel or a glass cloth.

If you are not sure that appliances for salt, pepper, spices and napkins will be easily accessible to guests, you just need to imagine yourself in their place in the literal sense of the word.

The setting of the festive table depends on its theme and the reason for the celebration. However, different types of feasts can be combined into groups and certain rules for their design can be derived.

New Year or Christmas is mainly celebrated with the family. In this case, you can discard the strict brevity and restraint of the decor. The tablecloth can be of a bright color, with Christmas motives.

One large bouquet can be placed both in the middle of the table and placed evenly over the entire area or in front of each of the guests. Directly the surface of the table can be decorated with cones, which can be sprinkled with an artificial silvery sheen that imitates snow. A rich color of napkins, for example, red or green, will add even more positive notes to the New Year's interior, especially if you wrap cutlery in them before serving and decorate with a small sprig of spruce.

The atmosphere of a romantic dinner can be created with a special table setting. The ideal color scheme can be pastel, delicate shades of reds and pinks. The bouquet can be placed both in the center of the table and near the girl, because the flowers are meant for her. The vase can have a symbolic heart shape. On the surface of the tablecloth, you can scatter rose petals, confetti in the form of hearts. Elements of romance can be conveyed even through dishes and cutlery - all this can be decorated with hearts.

The decoration of the children's festive table includes bright colors that can be used in absolutely any decorative element.

A celebration of this type is the most democratic in terms of the colors of the serving details. NSEven the sets of plates and glasses may differ by a little, there is no need for the same pattern at all. To decorate the table, you can use multi-colored balloons, a bright tablecloth with images of the heroes of your favorite children's cartoons.

To hold a celebration in a formal setting, strict consistency of colors is required. The tablecloth is used in a solid color, white or some cold pastel color. All sets of dishes should be the same for each guest, napkins should be traditionally white and without a pattern. Decor elements are absent or minimal.

When setting the table, do not forget about the decor. Even if you do not have a very large number of dishes on the table, beautiful flowers and candles can add solemnity to it. Sometimes you don't need to lay the tablecloth if you are setting the table for a rustic holiday.

Decor elements of various heights look beautiful. Just make sure that it is convenient for the guests to communicate and the bouquets do not obstruct the faces of the interlocutors.

You can use bright elements as decor. They will be able to add more festive mood and will certainly whet your appetite.

If you have difficulties with the design, draw up a preliminary sketch diagram, which will display the arrangement of devices and decor elements.Also decide on a list of products that will be used for cooking. Having carefully prepared, you can not only deliciously feed your guests for an anniversary or other holiday, but also surprise you with a beautiful decor, created by your own hands.

You can find out even more features of setting the festive table by watching the following video.