Porcelain, crystal, silver, linen and light: how the great hosts set a table, which houses make the pieces worth collecting and how to build a table service in stages.
In short
- Start with white porcelain from a great house, one set of crystal, good linen and candlelight. Add colour and silver over years.
- Ginori 1735, Bernardaud, Hermès, Meissen and Herend for porcelain; Baccarat, Saint-Louis, Riedel and Zalto for glass; Christofle and Puiforcat for silver.
- Low arrangements, no scent, chairs that are comfortable for three hours and a seating plan you thought about.
Why the table matters
A dinner is remembered for the people, the food and the way the table made everyone feel. The table is the part you control completely. It does not need to be grand; it needs to be considered.
Porcelain
Begin with a white service you can build on: Ginori 1735's Antico Doccia, Bernardaud’s Ecume, Hermès Bleus d'Ailleurs or Mosaïque au 24 for colour, Meissen’s Swords or Herend for classic patterns, Raynaud and Haviland from Limoges, Nymphenburg and KPM for the German tradition. Twelve place settings of dinner, starter, bread and dessert plates, then bowls, then serving pieces. Mix a white base with one patterned service for courses.
Glass
Everyday luxury: Zalto or Riedel’s finest hand-blown ranges, which make wine taste better and break like glass. For the table: Baccarat’s Harcourt or Massena, Saint-Louis’s Tommy, Lalique, Moser and William Yeoward for cut crystal with presence. A water glass, a white and a red for each setting, champagne flutes or coupes, and a decanter you can pour from without a towel.
Silver and cutlery
Christofle (Malmaison, Perles), Puiforcat, Robbe & Berking, Georg Jensen and Ercuis for silver or silver plate; Sambonet and Mepra for excellent stainless. Silver plate is the practical choice for a family; sterling for a collection. Polish it by using it.
Linen and light
A heavy linen cloth or bare timber with linen runners; napkins large enough to matter (50 cm or more) from Frette, D. Porthault, Sferra or Libeco. Candles at eye height or below, in unscented beeswax, in candlesticks that do not block conversation. Low flowers or a row of small vases. Dim the overhead light and let the candles do the work.
The seating plan
Separate couples, alternate talkers and listeners, put the shy guest next to the kind one and the host near the kitchen door. Write place cards for more than six people. A good plan is the difference between a dinner and a great dinner.
Try it yourself
Gift FinderWho it is for, the occasion and the budget: five luxury gift ideas that land, from a candle to a watch.Questions people ask
What is the best porcelain brand?
Ginori 1735, Bernardaud, Hermès, Meissen, Herend, Raynaud and Nymphenburg are the houses collectors and hosts return to.
Which crystal glasses are best for wine?
Zalto and Riedel’s hand-blown ranges for taste; Baccarat, Saint-Louis and Lalique for cut-crystal presence on a formal table.
How do I set a formal table?
Cutlery from the outside in, glasses above the knives, bread plate to the left, napkin on the plate or to the left, candles unscented and below eye height.
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