Tablescape

Blog #1 Tablescape Overview

Tablescaping is defined as ” The act of creatively and intentionally arranging a tabletop so that it conveys a specific theme, mood, or experience.” I created a step-by-step guide full of tips and tricks to ease you into the world of tablescaping or at least provide helpful information for your next hosting.

The first thing I do when planning a tablescape is choosing the mood and theme. I have two categories for mood casual and formal. I categorize an event as formal when I’m hosting for a specific reason, such as birthdays and holidays. Casual mood usually means hosting a monthly friend dinner or a Sunday family gathering. Finding a theme for the event usually comes naturally after defining the mood. Some examples of themes would be Italian, Picnic, or botanical. Don’t stress about it. Your theme can be as simple as a color palette. Below are some examples of tables I have made in the past.

Step two is to choose a Menu. Start by making a list of everything you will serve so you can arrange the table accordingly. For example, What silver where do we need at the table? How many plates? Do you need serving platers? Depending on the food, we can also choose if we want paper or cloth napkins. Suppose the food you serve is very messy; I would skip on a tablecloth. If you selected a county as a theme, try to serve food from that country so everything is harmonized. I will be making another blog with more details about creating a menu. 

Now we are ready for step three and the most creative step setting the table. When selecting the table, I like to think of three layers. The layers will change depending on the event, but the order is this:

1. Table cloth
   1. Table Liner
   2. Table Cloth
2. China
   1. Charger
   2. Dinner Plate
   3. Appetizer/Salad plate
   4. Bowl (if needed)
   5. Desert Plate (I like to set them on the table if there is no bowl)
   6. Cutlery (Refer to your menu to set appropriately) *Make sure you place them correctly.
   7. Glassware ( I usually do Wine glasses and water/drink glasses)
   8. Napkin
3. Center decor
   1. Flowers (Trader joes has the best quality and price)
   2. Candles
   3. Serving plates (I like to label them with a post-it beforehand to make the serving process smother)
   4. Runner (I like getting the paper ones because they are pretty cheap and let me switch it up every time) These are my favorite ones (https://hesterandcook.com/collections/table-runners-tabletop)

It looks like a long, intimidating list, but I promise it’s easy and gets better with time. Remember, you should enjoy the process and not stress about it. I will continue to post more blogs to explain everything in more detail, but this was a simple overview to get you started.

Defenition of tablescape :https://fearlessfresh.com/what-is-tablescaping/