How to set a table

Step 1: Begin with a tablecloth

Start by laying the foundation for a successful dinner party with a tablecloth. Not only do these look great, but they also protect your dining table from accidental spills and drips – it’s bound to happen eventually!

If you’re going for a traditional formal vibe, it’s hard to go wrong with a crisp, white tablecloth. They look fantastic and go with absolutely everything! However, there are plenty of other colours and designs to choose from if you’re after something a little different. Depending on the time of year, you could use a seasonal design to really amp up the festivities!

When choosing the size of your tablecloth, try and find one which is larger than your dining table by about 20-30cm. This ensures an appropriate overhang without the risk of someone (or something – we’re looking at you, cats) accidentally pulling the tablecloth off.

Step 2: Placemats & coasters

You could pop your plates and cutlery straight onto the tablecloth, but coasters and placemats will really elevate the look of your table. They also give further protection against ring marks and drinks stains, as well as scratches or heat damage from hot plates.

Fabric placemats, as well as those made from natural fibres like woven rope and jute, have a more relaxed and casual feel, great for light lunches or eating outside on your garden dining set.

For fancy dinners, you could go for heavier placemats: slate is a great choice, along with wood, leather effect, or those classic placemats with a cork backing.

If you’d like your guests to help themselves from serving bowls or boards, set a few placemats in the middle of the table too.

Your placemats and coasters are another way to show off a bit of personality, with loads of designs available. It’s good practice to try and match your placemats and coasters when setting the table for a cohesive look, but you could get away with different designs if they look good together.

Step 3: Cutlery

Now for the part which everyone gets confused by: cutlery. What should I put out? What order? Where do dessert spoons go?

There’s a lot of information out there on how to lay a table, and all of it seems to be different. To settle this debate once and for all, we asked a butler who used to work for the royal family what he thinks!

Make things easy and start by setting just one place at the table, then repeat with the rest when you’re happy. Only pull out the cutlery that you need, depending on what you’re serving. If you’re serving soup as a starter or main, grab a soup spoon. If your starter is a small plate of food, grab a small knife and fork. Do the same for your main course, dessert, and cheese, if you’re serving it.

Once you have your cutlery, lay them either side of the placemat working from the outside in. Your guests will then know which cutlery to use for each course – easy. You may find it useful to work backwards here, starting with the cheese and dessert cutlery and working your way outwards.

Forks always go on the left, knives and spoons on the right. There isn’t really any dish where you’ll need to use a spoon and knife at the same time.

As an example, let’s say you’re serving a soup to start, a simple main course, cake for dessert, and cheese for afters (if anyone has room!): on the left of the placemat would start with your main course fork (because no one eats soup with a fork), followed by the dessert fork. On the right-hand side, your soup spoon would be on the outside, followed by your main course knife, dessert spoon (or knife, depending on what you’re serving), and finally a cheese knife.

Alternatively, you can pop your dessert cutlery above your placemat, but we prefer the simple approach of having all the cutlery together.

It goes without saying that if you’re not serving a starter or dessert, you don’t need to put cutlery out for them. Simple!

For a pro finish that would even impress a butler, line up the bottom edges of your cutlery into a straight line about an inch from the edge of the table, in line with your placemat.

Step 4: Side plates & napkins

Side plates can be used for bread or salad, and are always placed on the left of the place setting. Traditionally, this was so they wouldn’t be in the way of people’s predominant hands – but this is a little unfair to lefties, so feel free to switch it to the other side if you want to be ultra-hospitable!

Napkins or serviettes can be placed on the side plate, or on the placemat. You can simply fold them in half and place them down, or get creative by rolling them up and using a napkin ring to hold them in place, learn how to fold them into napkin origami, or make your own napkin rings with twine for a rustic appeal.

Step 5: How to arrange glasses

It’s always a good idea to have water tumblers for each dinner guest on the right-hand side, and a water jug on the table for refills. If you’re serving wine, place a wine glass on the right of the water glass, so it’s sitting above your main course knife.

If you’re feeling fancy, you can put out different glasses for red and white wine, so your guests can choose the wine they’d like. If that’s the case, pop a red wine glass on the right of your water glass, and a white wine glass in front of the 2 in a triangle. For after dinner drinks, you can pop a spirit glass at the back to make a pleasing diamond shape of glistening glassware to really impress your guests.

Here’s a simple diagram that you can follow when setting your table:

Step 6: Decorate the dining table

Now that you’ve laid the dining table, it’s time to add those finishing touches to take it to the next level of lavishness.

First up: candles. Nothing is quite as good at creating ambience and setting the mood than a few well-placed candles on the dinner table, so pop some candle holders on the table for a real fancy feel. If your candle holder holds multiple candles, pop that in the middle of the table. For single candle holders, try placing 2 on the table either side of a decorative centrepiece like flowers or your favourite ornament.

If you’re celebrating a special occasion, deck out the dining table with party decorations! Banners can be laid over the table, and confetti can be sprinkled on the table for a sparkling finish. For even more of a dazzle, some battery powered string lights are sure to impress. You could even give your guests fun party bags to take home with them!

Decorating the dining table is also brilliant for celebrating all sorts of holidays and events. You’ll find plenty of decorations on wilko.com to help you give your table a seasonal lift, from baubles and holly at Christmas to pumpkins and bones at Halloween.