Creating a beautiful table

Creating a Beautiful Table

Setting a table is really good fun. It is a great excuse for layering different things and creating a beautiful arrangement. A thoughtfully laid table can create a sense of occasion, even for a casual meal with friends.

White plates are a beautiful foundation for table settings. You can use the layering of plates to create something more interesting, and they're a great backdrop to other things you may already have that aren't in full sets.

Gabby's Collection of Things

Pulling things out of cupboards and drawers and playing with them helps you to see the relationship between the things you have. Trying new combinations of colours and textures can sometimes result in magical arrangements.

Creating a Satisfying Arrangement

Once you have a lovely foundation, play with the other stuff. You can bring in textiles in the form of napkins and table mats. Companies like Maison Bengal do really great woven table mats. Buying affordable fabric by the metre is a great way of saving money. The blue plates are from KC Hossack, and you can buy them here.

The Importance of Different Heights

Having things at different heights when styling a table creates visual interest. Table settings are a lovely way to elevate an evening. It creates a completely different atmosphere. It affects the way people feel when they are sitting and creates a lovely sense of environment.

All Things Tableware

A Note on Tableware

There are three popular options for plates: bone china, stoneware and porcelain. The thinnest, most delicate and most expensive type of china is bone china. The cheapest option is stoneware, but it should be handled carefully as it marks quite easily. Porcelain is somewhere between these two options. The most common of the three is porcelain – a reliable all-rounder because it is affordable, durable, and dishwasher and microwave safe.

Great Places to Buy Tableware

• Carolina Irving & Daughters
• Cutter Brooks
• Designers Guild
• Malaika Linens
• Matilda Goad
• Nina Campbell
• Pentreath & Hall
• Summerill & Bishop
• Tavola by Skye McAlpine
• The Conran Shop
• Zara Home