Serving a festive table at home: the arrangement of dishes and design ideas

Now in every city there is such a variety of restaurants, bars and cafes that inviting guests home has become a rarity. Despite this, not a single fashionable restaurant can replace the comfort of family dinners and home holidays with close friends. When the hostess is faced with the question of table setting at home, many begin to panic, because they don’t want to “fall face down in the dirt”.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with setting the table at home. You just need to know the basic rules of etiquette, serving and proper serving of dishes.

In table setting, special attention should be paid to some details. Let's get acquainted with them in detail.

Pay special attention to the tablecloth, even if you are serving a regular rather than a festive table. Eating at a “bare” tabletop is not as pleasant as sitting at a clean, bright tablecloth. Psychologists and nutritionists are sure that the right color of this element will improve mood, eat less, and also get aesthetic pleasure.

• You should not replace the tablecloth with a cheap oilcloth, despite its availability and unpretentiousness in care.
• The color of the tablecloth is chosen to match the interior, or a calm neutral color.
• The tablecloth should fit the table in size - no more, no less. Otherwise, the furniture will look ridiculous and careless.
• The shape of the fabric is selected based on the shape of the countertop.

Despite the high cost of good dishes, each housewife should have at least one high-quality service for 6 or 12 people, a set of identical cutlery, glasses, glasses, napkin holders. We must not forget that there are separate dishes for cold, hot, appetizers, soups and desserts. Match it to the tone of the overall service so that there are no ridiculous combinations.

For everyday purposes, it is enough to have plain dishes from one set. It is much more pleasant when all family members, even at home dinner, are in harmony.

When serving a family lunch or dinner, there is no need to take out all your “real hostess” arsenal. It is enough to look at the menu to determine the types of plates and appliances that are necessary for it. Decide whether there will be alcoholic drinks on the table and how many people will drink them. Children should not be given the same glasses as adults.

Let's get acquainted with the nuances of everyday serving.

• First, a decorative plate is placed, then dishes for the main course. A deep soup bowl is placed on it.
• Decorative plate primarily serves to protect the tablecloth from contamination, since its edges protrude beyond the main elements. If decorative dishes are not at hand, a large flat plate for hot dishes will do.
• be careful: even with everyday serving, it is better to pour soup from a tureen at the table (to each on a plate) than to carry dishes from the stove, spilling at every step.
• Hot can be the same. - if a hot dish is already on the table, you can serve it from a common plate. If this is not possible, ask the children or spouse to help you bring hot.

• Devices should be for everyone - the option "one knife for all" will not work. Even with a home-cooked meal, every member of the family should feel comfortable.
• Based on the rules of etiquette, the knife and tablespoon are to the right of the plate, the fork is to the left.
• Glasses and goblets are located on the right side of the serving plate diagonally.
• At a regular lunch or dinner, it is more profitable to use plain paper napkins. Pick their color according to the color scheme of the entire table - white will still look advantageous.

Festive serving is different from everyday. Setting the table on the occasion of a birthday, anniversary, New Year or for another reason, you want to be on top. Here, all the rules of standard serving continue to apply.

There are only small nuances.

• So, during a festive serving, in addition to a decorative plate, a plate for hot, a plate for soup, a snack plate is served.
• For festive serving, in addition to a knife, a tablespoon and a fork, a dessert fork and a small spoon for coffee or tea should be placed above the decorative plate.
• If a pie plate is placed during serving, you must put a knife on it.
• The highest glass is placed first, the last is a glass for strong alcohol.
• Cloth napkins will not only add sophistication to your table, but will also become the first necessity for a guest. There is a large selection of folded napkins for serving with various accessories. You can also fold it beautifully yourself.

• Sauces, salt and pepper are located in the center of the table so that any guest can reach them without problems.
• All drinks should be on the table already open and uncorked.
• With a large number of guests, one should not forget about the rule for serving dishes: the feast begins with the presentation of snacks, canapes, sandwiches.
• Each dish put on the table should have a spoon. Thus, you make it clear to the guest that he can put the food himself.
• The sequence of serving plates of food to a person should correspond to his status and position. To begin with, dishes are served to adult women, then to men, and then to children.

Knowing the basic rules of etiquette and the principles of basic serving, there is nothing easier than setting a festive table. Here your imagination, taste and little tricks that you need to know will help you.

Before preparing meals and setting the table, think over the concept of the holiday. It will be very ridiculous if the children's birthday is decorated in monotonous colors, and the business lunch is decorated with bright napkins with clowns or flowers.

Consider the comfort of all guests.

If the table does not allow you to place all the serving items in the required order and sequence, there is not enough space for arranging appetizers, salads and other dishes, then use the idea of ​​a serving table. It can be a coffee option or any other, decorated in the style of a common table. Pick up a tablecloth and decoration with napkins. It is important that the decor does not seem out of place.

Festive mood can create decor elements:

• candlesticks;
• Natural flowers;
• accessories (including ribbons and bows).

So, when decorating a wedding banquet, a lot of voluminous accessories are always used - it does not look vulgar.

Don't be afraid to use balloons or whole arches if it's someone's birthday or anniversary.

If the festive serving is being prepared for some thematic event, whether it's New Year or Christmas, complement the table with a suitable decor: gingerbread in Santa Claus hats, candy canes, gingerbread houses. Each thematic event has its own set of elements, which depends only on your imagination.

Many guests will come, but there are few identical dishes - and there is a way out. Plates and cutlery can be combined with each other, even if they are of different shapes and colors. Determine the overall color scheme, experiment with placing dishes on top of each other, complement them with napkins.

Do not use more than three colors in one serving. Bright colors will distract the eye, or even kill the appetite. Calm, pastel colors can merge into one inconspicuous spot.

Timing will be your main assistant.Properly planned time for serving dishes and dessert will help you not to put all the dishes on the table at the same time, as well as correctly distribute your forces.

Holidays attended only by adults or adults with children are much less hectic than children's birthdays.

Despite the fact that here it is necessary to think over the space as much as possible, to make it not only convenient, but also safe for children, freedom of imagination can only be envied.

• Style and unity are important elements at a children's birthday, so take care of the harmonious combination of the holiday, the number of boys and girls with everything around: from the choice of tablecloths to decor elements.
• Refer to the details of positive colors. There should be no gloomy fabrics or napkins on the table. Skip gothic or vintage decor. Use only cheerful details.
• It is useless to put porcelain dishes for children or a family heirloom (old service). It is pointless to scold kids for a broken cup if they accidentally pushed it with their elbow during the game.

• If both children and their parents are celebrating in the same room, set a separate table for the children - let them also feel independent.
• No need to set the table according to all the rules of etiquette - it is unlikely that a five-year-old child will appreciate a seafood fork, a butter knife and many glasses standing in a row. Decorate the table simply and tastefully, without using luxury elements.
• Do not put all the dishes on the table at the same timeeven if space allows it. Children will not be at the table all the time, the food will get cold, and snacks and canapes will be scattered throughout the house.

If you are ready, then all of the above secrets and tricks will help save time, nerves and money, and most importantly, give yourself and your guests a good mood.

When you start serving based on the availability of everything you need, you will have ideas how to hide certain flaws, how to combine dishes.

See the video below for more information on setting the festive table.