Table setting for dinner at home: 30 best ideas with photos

On weekdays, we rarely gather with the whole family for lunch – it most often falls during work and study. That is why I want to make rare joint dinners memorable. A beautifully set table is your first aid in turning an ordinary meal into a real event.

Table setting rules for dinner according to etiquette

Tablecloth

We rarely use a tablecloth except for receiving guests, but in vain. The snow-white ironed tablecloth will create a solemn atmosphere. A tablecloth in pastel shades will look gentle and beautiful. Choose matching napkins.

Dishes

For a homemade dinner, a serving plate is not required, but it is better not to forget about it. This is not at all an excess, as it may seem – a substitute plate protects the tablecloth from unnecessary stains. Place a medium plate on it for the second course. If soup is served for lunch, then place a deep plate on top for the first. On the left, put a pie plate for bread.

Cutlery

For a simple family dinner, a minimum number of appliances is enough. The knife and soup spoon are placed on the right, the fork on the left. You can put a teaspoon on top, and a butter knife on a pie plate. Devices are placed with the concave side down.

Glasses

At a family dinner, you don’t need glasses. Place a suitable cup or glass for water or juice diagonally from the main plate.

Decor

Create a festive atmosphere with decor. A bouquet of flowers, a composition of branches, a vase of fruit – show your imagination.

Table setting for dinner

Table setting ideas for dinner

Supnica

We usually pour soup straight from the pot. Why, if your service has a tureen, not use it? This will definitely make the presentation solemn and unusual.

Decorate the dish

Serve not only the table, but the dish itself. In the classic version of serving a dish, each individual ingredient has its own specific place. So, the main ingredient – a piece of meat or fish – is placed towards the guest. In the upper left part of the plate is a side dish, and in the upper right – vegetables.

Experiment with design

Serving is a great way to create an atmosphere. Linen napkins and a tablecloth, combined with ceramic or wooden utensils, will take you to a village house, and the white and blue palette will take you to the sea coast.

Expert Tips

Etiquette expert Anna Dyyak:

– At home, overloaded serving is inappropriate. Most likely, there are no servants in the house. And the hostess, even if she is engaged in housekeeping and family nutrition, is her full-fledged member. She does not rush around the kitchen, serving the family. A sets the table and sits at it with everyone.

Therefore, the home table is served by excluding unnecessary appliances from the full couvert. For a homemade dinner, the so-called French serving is used:

• put all the necessary appliances on the table;
• snacks, bread, all dishes, sauces, spices are arranged in containers and stand on the table;
• guests serve themselves.

Several circumstances must be taken into account.

• The duration and solemnity of the meal (Sunday dinner with the whole family should be organized in more detail than the children’s lunch after school on a weekday).
• Dishes currently being served for lunch. Someone always eats the first, second and compote. Someone is limited to the second or first. Appliances are placed specifically for the dishes served.
• Status, wealth and traditions in the family. The table area, the availability of the necessary cutlery, and the splendor of the meal depend on this.
• A mandatory minimum for serving a homemade dinner: a main plate for a hot dish, a deep plate (if soup is served), a dinner fork and knife, napkins (paper napkins are appropriate at home), a glass for water or other drinks, a salt and pepper shaker.
• In a domestic environment, you can do without: a plate-plate, additional cutlery, cloth napkins, several glasses and glasses, a snack and salad plate, decor.
• For salads and second courses, a table knife and fork are required. Do not neglect these cutlery, and children should be accustomed to them as early as possible.
• Salads can be served in portions or in a common dish with a spoon or tongs. At home, salad is often eaten not before the first course, but at the same time as the second. And there is no harm in it, because it is practical.
• Bread is served on a platter or in a straw basket. A piece of bread is placed on a separate plate or on the edge of the plate for the main dish. In any case, it is eaten by breaking off a piece with the left hand.
• If the family does not eat bread, it is not necessary to serve bread and plates for it.

Common Serving Mistakes

Practical etiquette expert Tatyana Baranova, Moscow:

– Sometimes, when serving, the cutlery is laid out not according to the order in which dishes are served, but according to size. In fact, it does not make sense to achieve perfect symmetry – it is much more important to make sure that the guest at the table can easily and comfortably use the appropriate devices.

If a dish is served that can stain your hands (for example, shrimp or some fruits), then it is advisable to offer guests individual bowls of water – you can dip your fingers in them to rinse. Serving complex dishes to the table and leaving guests without the opportunity to comfortably consume them is bad manners.

There is no need to serve fish fillets with fish knives. The special fish utensils are only used when the whole fish is served.

It will not be very convenient for guests if the cutlery and plate are on the table too close to the edge or very far from it. When serving, it is desirable to step back from the edge of the table 2-3 centimeters.

Don’t forget a glass of water. Regardless of the menu and drinks offered, water and a glass should always be available to guests.

It is advisable not to put toothpicks directly on the dining table – it is incorrect to use them in the presence of other companions. It is better to put toothpicks in the toilet room.

Any dinner at home – both everyday and festive – can be more enjoyable if, in addition to perfectly prepared dishes and products, the table is served aesthetically, functionally, tastefully and with care for the guests.

Popular questions and answers

Answers practical etiquette expert Tatyana Baranova, Moscow.