Happy Tuesday, friends. Today we are sharing five steps to creating a perfect place setting. White dishes are an elegant backdrop for food, and a blank canvas for the perfect place setting. We love white dishes – and we’re not alone! Check out this article about why everyone loves white dishes.
Our passion for beautiful tablescapes runs deep and today we are sharing our tips and tricks to create a memorable table, whether it’s Sunday supper or Thanksgiving dinner with all your cousins. Follow these five steps to elevate your place settings to the pro level.
5 STEPS FOR A PERFECT PLACE SETTING
Of course there could be 20 steps to the perfect place setting, but in the interest of sanity we have narrowed it down to five. Here are the key ingredients:
- the base – The base could be a jazzy tablecloth, a metallic charger or just a regular place mat.
- white dishes – White dishes are a blank canvas that allows your food to be the star.
- accent appetizer/salad plate – These little plates are a great way to add color to your place setting and to showcase whatever holiday you’re celebrating.
- napkin/ring – Cloth napkins are an addiction. Seriously – we could have a million of them and still need more. Below are some cute ideas on different ways to fold your napkins, who’s fancy now??
- an extra/unexpected accent – Place cards are the fist thing that comes to mind here, but take it up a notch, how about writing peoples names on mini pumpkins? Or getting ornaments that are personalized for each person (an ornament from where they went to college?) Michaels and Hobby Lobby are great resources for the extra accent piece. Sometimes I just use a sprig of an herb from my garden. It can be simple and easy. Megan’s fun fact: I saved the place cards my kids made when they were little and still use them at Thanksgiving.
GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR NAPKINS
WHY WE LOVE WHITE DISHES FOR A PERFECT PLACE SETTING
CHRISTA : I’ve always loved white dishes! They’re perfect for every occasion. You can have so much fun mixing and matching your white pieces with fun colorful accents, like napkins, placemats, and salad/dessert plates to create a table for any occasion. And your food really stands out on a white plate and takes center stage at your meal. My everyday white dishes are a mix from various retailers — Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Wegmans, Pier 1, and World Market. That’s the beauty of white dishes – they all go, so mix and match your favs. (You won’t be surprised to know that all my serving bowls, platters and trays are also white!)
MEGAN : White dishes are like a monochromatic outfit, the perfect back drop for accessories. You know I LOVE accessories. Cloth napkins are like my scarves, they instantly add color to my place setting. Silverware and silver serving pieces are the jewelry, adding sparkle and a bit of “old” to the table. My mom has lots of luck finding cool sterling silver serving pieces at online auctions. Flowers are the make up, they add a bit of whimsy and make the table feel elevated. Even if it’s just a bouquet from the grocery store, flowers make the table feel formal. My white dishes are from Target, but Pottery Barn has a great “caterer’s box” that gives you all the basics. It’s a perfect gift for a new home owner or a young adult setting up their first apartment.
THE PERFECT PLACE SETTING
1 The “Base”
Placemats are the perfect base for any place setting. If you don’t have a tablecloth on your table they also save you from staining/marking up a wooden table. We love to use our placemats to add a pop of color under our white plates.
Image: Crate & Barrel placemats
2 White Dishes
Our love of white dishes runs deep. You can find the perfect set at any price point from The Dollar Store to fine bone china – there is a set for you. One of the great perks of white dishes is that they all kind of look the same. It’s hard to tell which are the fancy ones and which aren’t. It’s the perfect everyday base that can be elevated for an elegant holiday dinner.
3 Fun Seasonal Accent Pieces
Have some fun with this – seasonal accent pieces can be found inexpensively at places like Home Goods, Home Sense and Target. Look for a seasonal dessert or salad plates, soup bowls, wine glasses…anything to bring more color to your table.
4 Napkins
Cloth napkins are the perfect accessory to any place setting. You can find fun seasonal napkins at Home Goods or Target or you can get fancy linen napkins monogrammed. Throw them in the wash when dinner is over and don’t forget to spot treat any wine stains!
5 An Extra Accent
Place cards, gourds, Christmas Crackers, mini-photo frames, ornaments, a little toy, a sprig of herbs – take a trip through Michaels, Home Goods or Hobby Lobby and that “extra” accent piece will jump right out at you. This is also a fun spot to put a little party favor if you are hosting a dinner party.
PERFECT PLACE SETTINGS TO INSPIRE YOUR HOLIDAYS
From now until the end of the year there is a lot to celebrate. We’ve got you covered with our own seasonal place settings to inspire you all the way through New Year’s Eve!
Many of the items we’ve used were things we already owned, so we’ve tried to link to something similar so you can recreate your favorite look.
FALL PLACE SETTING
Who doesn’t love an Autumnal Harvest? This place setting is screaming for some pumpkin soup and a braised short rib.
The Base // galvanized charger plate from Pottery Barn (on sale)
Something Seasonal // pumpkin bowl from Home Sense (almost identical from JCPenney)
Napkins // floral fall napkins (part of a set of six fall/halloween napkins) from Home Sense (another pattern, same pop of color from Amazon)
An Extra Accent // we kept it simple with the orange floral napkins taking center stage on a crisp white background. Nice pop of color!
A Recipe for You to Serve // Paleo Pumpkin Soup
HALLOWEEN PLACE SETTING
Spooky dinner party anyone? These ghost bowls need to be filled with yummy chili (after we finish the candy corn, of course).
The Base // woven placemat from Pottery Barn (on sale)
Something Seasonal // ghost bowls from Michaels (exact; similar ghost dishes and serving pieces from Pottery Barn)
Napkins // polka dot napkins (part of a set of six fall/halloween napkins) from Home Sense) (try these orange and black check napkins; these ghost napkins would also be cute!)
An Extra Accent // add a little candy corn for fun!
A Recipe for You to Serve // white chicken chili
THANKSGIVING PLACE SETTING
We are always thankful to sit down with our favorite peeps to celebrate the good fortune of being together. How cute are these little woodland turkeys that we found at Michaels? The perfect extra accent for our Thanksgiving place settings.
The Base // gold charger plate (old – maybe from Amazon) (similar; similar)
Something Seasonal // leaf plate from Pottery Barn (left) (similar); thankful wooden table decoration available on Etsy in several colors or unfinished topping yourself (right) (similar)
Napkins // fall leaves napkin from Pottery Barn (similar)
An Extra Accent // this adorable place card holder was actually a little ornament from Michaels – cut off the jute hanger and tuck in a place card
A Recipe for You to Serve // Jimmy Buffett’s favorite Oyster Stuffing
CHRISTMAS PLACE SETTING
No better stocking stuffer than silverware at a feast. These snowmen are giving us winter wonderland vibes, aren’t they the cutest?
The Base // galvanized charger plate from Pottery Barn (on sale)
Something Seasonal // snowman plates (old) from Crate & Barrel (another cute option) Pro tip: try a different snowman plate for each place setting! This site has lots of cute options!
Napkins // solid red napkin with wreath napkin rings from Amazon (love this embroidered option from Pottery Barn)
An Extra Accent // stocking flatware holder from Michaels (you can find these mini-stockings at Michael’s and Target around the holidays)
A Recipe for You to Serve // No Nightmare Beef Wellington
NEW YEAR’S EVE PLACE SETTING
New Year’s Eve is all about the celebration. Don’t forget the champagne for the toasts!
The Base // galvanized charger plate from Pottery Barn (on sale)
Something Seasonal // stuck with the basic white dishes and accented our champagne flutes with metallic beads
Napkins // simple white napkin – sticking with white so the golds and silvers shine
An Extra Accent // party favors (Party City) and treat cups filled with dark chocolate almonds
A Recipe for You to Serve // Black Eyed Peas for good luck!
EVERYDAY PLACE SETTING
OK, folks, Megan won’t brag, so I will! How creative is she?! Her kitchen is under construction and she still manages to put together a beautiful table for Sunday family dinner.
The Base // a beautiful tablecloth (similar options here)
Something Seasonal // flower arrangement – from Megan’s yard!
Napkins // paper napkins this time – it’s a construction zone after all!
An Extra Accent // a beautiful accent flower on each plate
A Recipe for You to Serve // Dump Cake – it’s a crowd pleaser!
Pin this post to save it for reference later.
As an Amazon Associate and member of ShopStyle Collective, we earn from Amazon purchases and qualifying clicks made through ShopStyle links in this post, at no additional cost to you.
Friends share the good stuff! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram where we share our favorite fashion, decor and beauty finds. You can also subscribe to the blog and get all the good stuff delivered right to your inbox…plus a subscriber-only monthly email just for you! Join us today!
We earn from qualifying purchases or from clicks made through links in this post, at no additional cost to you.
Comments
Comments are closed.