An Introduction To Tablescaping
I spend a lot of time setting tables. Whether it's my own at home, or checking over hundreds of place settings in my job as an event planner, I never really tire of it. And when I am not lining up cutlery and layering linen for other people, I am usually dreaming up menus or thinking which flowers are ready to pull from my tiny garden to jhoosh up my own kitchen table. I had to google how to spell jhoosh just then.
Tablescaping, as it is known to those in the trade, is a well recognised job, with skilled 'scapers transforming sit down dinners into artful feasts for the eyes, before the bread basket has even hit the table. Take renowned event designer Fiona Leahy, responsible for the most divine tables at fashion week parties and rock star wedding breakfasts, and whose inimitable masterpieces are a constant source of inspiration. Prepare to fall down a sumptuous Instagram hole should you choose to follow her @fionaleahydesign.
FIONA LEAHY'S WONDERFUL MEXICAN INSPIRED DINNER SETTING IN COLLABORATION WITH WILD AT HEART , IN CELEBRATION OF L'OBJET'S NEW TULUM COLLECTION.
I layer on similar effort with my own kitchen table as I do for my loveliest clients, because I hugely enjoy the ritual of dining as a whole. Reaching for my mother's willow patterned plates atop the dresser and lighting countless candles in amongst freshly bunched flowers, is my way of expressing care and devotion for whoever is coming for dinner.
A beautifully laid table is as much a part of the guest experience as the food you are serving, so to me it is natural that one should complement the other. If you're serving a crispy-skinned roast chicken with heaped up salad on a balmy night, then a white table cloth, low tumblers and a scattering of freshly picked leaves in old jars set the scene. But if dishing up a spicy tagine on a chilly night, an umber cloth scattered with deeply coloured petals and gold votive candles casting shadows, is more likely set the scene.
To ensure a welcoming experience for guests, it is paramount the host enjoy the evening too, not be sweating in the kitchen missing her {usually, not always} guests' gossip. A few things to bear in mind when preparing a table to host at home...
Lighting. Admittedly not strictly table-related, but there is little point in carefully arranging soft English flowers if there are bright halogens glaring down upon them. Allow your guests to really relax by turning off overhead lights and dragging a lamp or three into the kitchen to light dark corners. Then scatter an odd number of votive candles down the table to throw some elegant shadows.
Table linen Next fling on a tablecloth, or even a clean white sheet will do. If you don't have one, why not have a look on eBay for old French linen sheets? If yours desperately needs an iron give it a quick once-over, once it's on the table, to save time, smoothing only the obvious areas. If yours is a wide table, a runner is a nice touch to emphasise a colour scheme or theme. Again, any length of fabric you like the print of works beautifully.
Crockery. I really don't think it matters what you're serving on and an assortment of various coloured dishes with their own stories adds to the overall homely feel. I am patiently waiting {by the door, each morning} on the delivery of a complete Wedgewood dinner service {hopefully you'll share my thrill}, kindly given to my husband and I as wedding present, but in the meantime the trusty IKEA wine glasses and mismatched plates serve just as well.
Whether you are going for a bejewelled, Ottolenghi-style, anthropology lookbook, or a traditional table with bone china and fluted glassware, be sure that everything you set is sparkling. Plates should always be clean and if you're plating up in the kitchen be sure to run a tea towel {or your finger if no one is looking} around the edges to remove any spills before carrying to the table.
Glassware For a real difference, if you do nothing else, be sure that all your glassware is really gleaming. Give it a rinse if it's been hiding in the cupboard for a while and either drip-dry upside down on a tea towel or dry carefully by hand to avoid watermarks.
Napkins For even the most informal dinner I almost always set out napkins. Partly because I find they add a little something to the table, but most importantly because I like to wear white and am notoriously clumsy. Honestly, ask anyone...
In my teens I had a boyfriend whose {professional cook of a} mother would never set the table - be it kitchen or dining room - without laying out each member of the family's own silver napkin ring, every night of the week. Whilst not terribly welcoming for those without one, I nevertheless always admired her effort, and I champion the idea of putting 'things for best' to daily use.
An extra touch I like to add a small something for each of my guests when they sit down at the table. This can be a simple, thoughtful preparation, rather than anything expensive, such as a shell with their name brush-stroked, or individual handwritten menus on each plate.
And if all else fails, my go-to for all dinners, whether they're for friends, family you haven't seen enough of, or a black tie gig for 1,200 people - just give them your most welcoming smile, take their coat {and probably umbrella...it is England after all} and pop a cold glass of something into their hand. It never fails.
Bon appetit. xx
P.S. Next week, Part Two...
