Tablescaping, the art of setting a table properly, has gone from something your grandmother did at Christmas to a full-blown enthusiasm, across every age group. And I'm delighted about it, because I have always loved parties, knick-knacks, small beautiful objects and gorgeous tableware, in roughly that order.
It isn't a new idea. People have been making a performance of the dinner table for centuries, Georgian and Victorian hosts went to lengths that would exhaust anyone today, with elaborate centrepieces and a different piece of silver for every conceivable purpose. What's changed is that it's no longer about formality. It's about doing something enjoyable with an ordinary Tuesday, or making a birthday feel like an occasion.
Here's how to actually do it.
Build it in layers
A good table is assembled from the table up. Work in this order and it comes together almost by itself.
1. The base. A tablecloth, a runner, or bare wood, all three are valid. Bare wood with good placemats is often the most contemporary look and much the easiest to clear up.
2. Placemats. These do more work than anything else on the table. They define each place setting, protect the surface, and they're your single biggest opportunity to introduce colour and pattern. Ours are heatproof to 160°C, so hot dishes are no problem.
3. Crockery. Plain plates are your friend if the mat is doing the talking. Patterned plates want a quieter mat underneath.
4. Glassware and cutlery. Cutlery works outside-in, in the order you'll use it. Glasses sit above the knives to the right.
5. Napkins. On the plate or to the left. Fabric if you have it, it's the detail people notice most for the least effort.
6. The middle. Candles, flowers, greenery, and something interesting. This is where the fun is.
Three rules worth knowing
Keep the centre low. The most common mistake is a centrepiece people have to peer around. Anything in the middle of the table should sit below about 30cm, roughly under the eye level of a seated guest or be tall and slender enough to see past. If your guests are leaning sideways to make conversation, it's too big.
Odd numbers, varied heights. Group candles and objects in threes and fives, at different heights. Three candlesticks of the same height read as a row; three different heights read as a composition.
Limit yourself to three colours. Two dominant, one accent. Pull them from your placemats or your flowers and repeat each one at least twice down the length of the table. Repetition is what makes a table look designed rather than accumulated.
Doing it beautifully on very little
Tablescaping has an unfortunate reputation for being expensive. It really needn't be.
Go outside. Foraged greenery, ivy, eucalyptus, bare twigs, conkers, holly, a length of something green down the centre of a table costs nothing and looks better than most bought arrangements.
Charity shops. Mismatched glassware, odd candlesticks, small vintage jugs. A deliberately mismatched table looks collected rather than cheap, and it's far more interesting than a matching set.
Candles do the heavy lifting. Cheap, transformative, and they make everyone look better. Use more than feels sensible.
Fruit counts. A bowl of lemons or a scattering of clementines down a runner is a centrepiece.
Buy the mats, improvise the rest. If you're going to spend on one thing, spend on the layer that repeats at every setting and comes out several times a week.
Through the year
Spring: pale greens, blossom, yellow. Branches in a jug. Our Cherry Blossom designs were made for this table.
Summer: take it outside. Bright, saturated colour, a jug of something cold, Summer Poppies or Vivid Garden Blooms. Outdoor dining is where colourful melamine genuinely outperforms china.
Autumn: russets, ochres, deep greens, candles lit early. Foraged leaves and seed heads.
Christmas: the one everyone attempts. Keep the palette tight, resist adding one more thing, and let the candles work. Our Christmas collection runs across cards, wrap and tableware.
What we make for the table
Colour and natural imagery run through everything I design, and the table is where it all comes together.
- Placemats — round and rectangular, heatproof to 160°C, cork-backed
- Coasters — round or square. Buy any four and we'll box them
- Serving boards and large platters — cheese, charcuterie, grazing
- Trivets — for hot pans, and pretty enough to leave out
- Bone china mugs, teapots and tea cosies — for the long, slow end of a good lunch
All of it is designed in Yorkshire and made in Britain. Browse the full tableware collection.
For more inspiration
Our tablescapes board on Pinterest is where I collect everything that catches my eye and it's the best place to start if you're not sure what you like yet.
And if you've set a table with our things on it, do send me a photo. There are some beauties in our customer gallery, and they're consistently braver than anything I'd have suggested.
Michelle x
You might also enjoy how to add colour to a kitchen without replacing the units.
Frequently asked questions
What is tablescaping? The art of styling a dining table, layering placemats, crockery, glassware, napkins, candles and decoration into a considered whole, rather than simply putting plates down.
How do I start tablescaping? Work in layers from the table up: base, placemats, crockery, glass and cutlery, napkins, then the centrepiece. Pick three colours, keep the middle low, and group things in odd numbers.
How tall should a table centrepiece be? Below roughly 30cm, so seated guests can see across the table. Anything taller should be slender enough to see past, a single stem or a tall thin candlestick.
How do I set a table on a budget? Foraged greenery, charity shop glassware, plenty of cheap candles and a bowl of fruit will get you a long way. Spend your money on placemats, since they repeat at every setting and get used constantly.
Where do the cutlery and glasses go? Cutlery outside-in, in the order it will be used. Glasses above the knives on the right. Napkin on the plate or to the left.
Are melamine placemats suitable for a dinner party? Very much so, heatproof to 160°C, cork-backed so they don't slip or scratch, and they wipe clean afterwards, which is not nothing at the end of an evening.