There is a particular kind of quiet confidence that comes from a beautifully set table. Your guests may not be able to name what they are noticing, but they feel it the moment they sit down. Good hosting starts here, long before the first course arrives.
I have set thousands of tables, for intimate dinners and for five hundred guests at once, and the principles never change. Get the basics right, and everything else, the food, the conversation, the atmosphere, has somewhere beautiful to land.
Start With the Plate
The charger, if you are using one, goes down first, about two centimetres from the edge of the table. Your dinner plate sits directly on top. This is your anchor point. Everything else is measured from here.
If you are not using a charger, simply place the dinner plate itself two centimetres from the table’s edge, and build outward.
Cutlery, Left to Right, Outside In
This is the rule that trips people up, and it is simpler than it looks: forks go to the left, knives and spoons go to the right, and you always work from the outside in, following the order the courses will be served. On an Australian table, we keep this simple, there is no need for a separate salad fork here.
- Fork, left of the plate. If you are serving an entrée, place a smaller entrée fork to the outside of the main fork
- Knife, right of the plate, blade facing inward, with an entrée knife to the outside if needed
- A soup spoon sits to the right if soup is on the menu
- Dessert spoon and fork placed above the plate, or brought out fresh with dessert
- A small side plate for bread sits to the upper left, with a butter knife laid across it
You are, in effect, laying out a timeline for the meal. Your guests should never have to guess which piece to pick up next.
Glassware, Kept Simple
For a relaxed Australian table, one good all-purpose wine glass per guest is perfectly correct, no need for a full diagonal run of stemware unless you are hosting something quite formal. If you are pouring both red and white, two glasses sit above the knife, largest furthest from the plate, with a water glass closest to hand. No need to fill every glass at the start. Pour as each course arrives, and let the table breathe a little.
My Everyday Glass
I am often asked what I actually drink out of at home, and the answer is the same glass I would set for a client’s table: the MARKTHOMAS No2110 Double Bend Allround Glass, my glass of choice for both a Chardonnay and a Chablis. It is mouth-blown, lead-free crystal, and it genuinely changes how a wine opens up in the glass.
I keep a set for everyday use, not just for special occasions, because I believe every day deserves your best. A Tuesday night glass of wine poured into something beautiful is still a small celebration.
Napkins, With a Little Personality
A napkin can sit folded on the charger, tucked into the wine glass for a bit of height, or laid to the left of the forks. For a relaxed gathering, I like a simple fold with a sprig of rosemary or a small flower tucked under the band. It costs nothing and it tells your guests, quietly, that thought went into this.
The Joy & Joy Rule of Thumb
If you remember nothing else: symmetry calms a table, and one thoughtful detail, a place card, a small posy, a napkin fold, does more work than a table full of decoration. Restraint, done well, reads as generosity.