How to set a royal table for four

4 min read

A table looks formal when everything on it is lined up, evenly spaced and chosen to go together. None of that takes long. Here is the order we set a table in, from the bare surface to the last glass.

Start with a clear, clean surface

Take everything off, wipe it down and let it dry. Metallic placemats show off the surface beneath them, especially the openwork designs, so a clean table matters more than it would under a cloth.

Lay the placemats first

Center each placemat on its chair, about an inch in from the table edge. Round placemats such as Zari Bloom simply sit centered. Rectangular ones like Sheesh Mahal go long side parallel to the edge, with room for fork and knife on the mat. Check them from the end of the table: if the four mats line up, everything you put on them will too.

Plates, then cutlery

Put the dinner plate in the center of each mat. A salad plate can sit on top of it or just to the upper left. Forks go on the left, knives on the right with the blade facing the plate, and a soup spoon to the right of the knife. A dessert spoon or fork lies across the top of the plate.

Glasses and napkins

The water glass stands just above the tip of the knife, with a wine glass to its right. Fold the napkin and lay it on the plate, or to the left of the forks if you are serving a first course.

Keep the center low

A runner down the middle, like the Sheesh Mahal runner with matching placemats, ties the settings together. Keep flowers and candles low enough for guests to see each other over them. Candles belong in holders or on a tray, never directly on a vinyl placemat or runner.

Step back

Look at the table from each chair. Straighten anything that catches the eye. Symmetry does most of the work of making a table feel royal; the gold does the rest.