Decorating the table is a last priority for many hosts. Perhaps it’s because, with our energy and attention devoted to prepping food and drink, the table itself feels like a distant, peripheral threat. Only when everything is finished and there’s 20 minutes left to get ready and set the table does it dawn on us that we should have thought about it sooner. By then, what can you do? It’s already D-Day.
Over the years, I’ve gone from forgetting to set up furniture to foraging flowers and handwriting menus. I’ve realised a thoughtfully set table can check multiple boxes: it can enhance the dining experience, complement a meal and serve as a conversation starter. It might sound intimidating, but there are many things a host can do to set up a dining atmosphere that don’t require dreaded last-minute shopping or careful craft skills.
Use what you have
As much as I love a bit of retail therapy, impulse buying a full set of table linen or vegetable-shaped candles often leads to buyer’s remorse. Instead, look around. Check out your home, garden and your neighbourhood. Fresh fruit and vegetables make for an eye-catching centrepiece or a whimsical accent when placed organically across the table. Plants from the garden – either flowers or interesting leaves and vines – are good in old glass bottles or thrifted vases. Ribbon rescued from birthday presents acts a delicate detail when looped around candlesticks, wine glass stems or used to tie napkins. The table is your canvas and you are the artist.
Handwrite your menus
Menus handwritten on nice paper are a surefire way to impress guests with a personal touch. They’re also supremely easy and affordable. Perhaps you think your handwriting is not up to scratch – in this case, ask someone else to write it for you (my partner’s handwriting is much chicer than mine, so he always gets this honour). Or practise perfecting one menu and then photocopy the rest to avoid hand cramps. You can personalise your menu further by writing people’s names, dietary information or even a small thank you blurb. If I have time, I like to do fine-liner or oil pastel illustrations of the dishes.
Tablescaping faux pas
I tend to avoid strong scented flowers such as lilies, roses and peonies, since their aroma affects the eating experience. The same goes for candles – no one wants to feel like they’re eating roast chicken inside an Aesop. If you’re tablescaping outside, don’t let a soft breeze ruin your hard work: avoid overly light decorations like flower petals or paper napkins out in the open. Exercise restraint; more isn’t always more. Don’t overcrowd a table and make sure your guests can always see each other over the decor (this isn’t the LA County Fair tablescaping competition). Also, get the table set-up out of the way before you start cooking – there’s no guarantee you’ll have time to do it later.
Table items worth investing in
Now I advocate saving where you can but, if you ask me, these things are always worth the splurge:
• I go back to my good-quality, white linen tablecloth time and time again. Just make sure to always have Sard on-hand for soaking afterward.
• Dark-coloured napkins – think navy, forest green or burnt sienna – they last longer, stand up to stains and look good with most colours.
• Long-burning candles. My quest for a good taper took a lot of sampling and melted wax stuck to tables, but I’ve found these ones which burn for four to six hours.
• Nice glassware. For wine or cocktails especially, attractive drinking vessels do double duty with their functionality and sculptural beauty. Nude glasses, Maison Balzac and Luigi Bormioli all make well-crafted, eye-catching pieces.
Keep up with Becca over on @supper.partying.
