How To Set A Table

Knowing how to set a table for dinner is a difficult skill to master. You might take it for granted as you scroll through your phone, bleary-eyed, at 9am in the morning, but you know all of those beautiful layouts you see on Instagram? Those aren’t to easy to do. Whipping up a Lamb Shank Nihari or a Creamy Halloumi Curry is one thing, but being able to present it beautifully to your guests is another kettle of fish. Bre Graham is a food writer who makes table decoration look easy. Her Instagram practically doubles as a mood board for good taste, gorgeous food styling, and subtle lighting.

Bre’s new cookbook, Table For Two, is full of heaps of beautifully illustrated recipes for you to cook for the people you love. It’s the kind of cookbook that you’ll want to consult before you have a romantic interest over for supper and, before you get to cooking them anything, you’re probably going to want to know how to set a table beforehand.

Whether you’re worried about the overall dinner place setting or want to know if you need more of a formal dinner setting for your guests, there are plenty of factors to consider when you’re hosting and setting a table. To help you figure out the best way to transform your dining area into a den of sophistication and allure, we asked Bre Graham to share her very best tips on how to set a table and set the mood for dinner. We’ve got you.

Putting your phone away and lighting a candle will instantly signal a shift to a different mood.

A simple one that you found somewhere special or lovingly borrowed from your parent’s or grandparent’s collection. All being well it will look like a disaster when the dinner is done, but that’s the sign of a good meal.

I’m not fussy about flowers – I like supermarket roses, carnations, tulips and big bunches of green eucalyptus, a reminder of Australia. I think so much of their beauty can be enhanced by how you display them, so I keep my old tiny Campari soda bottles for stunning single roses and group bunches of flowers together by shade to create big bursts of colour.

There’s something instantly calming about candlelight. I like tall candles in candlesticks, so the light is at face height on the table, bathing you both in that quintessentially romantic glow: tall, plain white candles are effortlessly elegant and cost the least.

A fork, spoon and knife per person are all you need. I pick up old cutlery sets on eBay, at markets and in charity shops. Of course, there are fun pieces of cutlery, like cake and oyster forks, steak knives and soup spoons, but they’re not essential.

I have risked excess baggage charges on so many trips because I simply can’t walk past a plate or platter that I love and not bring it home. From the antique metal salad dish I found at a flea market in Athens to the plate purchased in the hotel in Paris where we spent a weekend eating strawberries. Nothing matches in my kitchen or at my table, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Find pieces that you love, and you won’t ever wish for a matching set of anything.

Find an album, a playlist, or even a really good radio station to soundtrack your meal.

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