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We, Indians, love opulence and drama in every possible theme. May it be our movies or our novels, we dig for everything grand and larger than life. But when it comes to enjoying a meal with folks, we prefer a soothing ambience with an easy-on-the-eyes setup. A meal is a time when we open our hearts to loved ones, no matter where we are. It serves as a bonding medium for generations to come together and exchange stories and experiences. Why settle for a drab table setting when the conversation is so interesting? So make every meal a wonderful experience by setting up a table. Regardless of what you are serving, let the table decorations add glory to every cuisine. Add drama to the table with little trinkets.
1. Chalk Out a Plan!
Before you take out all your cutlery and serveware, give your table 5 minutes. Observe your dining table and understand how it can act like the epicentre of the meal that you are hosting. Create a mental plan to ensure that every person feels comfortable with it. If you are hosting a soiree, then ensure that you have enough space on the table to place everything you want, without having to move things around at each course.
2. A Subtle Centrepiece
Every table deserves a story! Plan out your table setting around a brilliantly curated centrepiece. Give your table a conversation starter by placing a centrepiece in the middle. If you have a huge dining table, then you can always go for two pieces. For a small-size table, you can go for a longer-than-usual centrepiece to save on surface area. You can play around with flowers, candles, lanterns, mason jars, and much more. For authentic Indian style setup, use tea lights and brass accessories wrapped in colourful strips of cloth. You can also place a long strip of a mirror in place of a table runner and top it with tea lights and wooden animal figurines.
3. Story of Crockery and Cutlery
Placement of cutlery and crockery plays a very important role. This not only nurtures table etiquettes but also helps you in maintaining a clean setup. Cultivate a habit of using separate plates for mains and bread or chapatti to ensure that the bread does not get soggy. Introduce table napkins to the whole setup to eliminate the possibility of accidental spillage. Dress up these napkins with eye-catching holders. You can also tie these napkins with dry bamboo grass or ribbons. When it comes to spoons and forks, always ensure that every plate is partnered with an adequate number. If you are serving Indian cuisines, then you need to place a couple of spoons beside a plate. In case of continental, place a set of forks, spoons and a knife. The type of crockery and cutlery you pick will itself make a big difference to your table setting. You can use authentic copper and brass plates and utensils to give an authentic Indian feel, or you can choose very colourful ceramic plates to give a bohemian personality to your dinner party. When it comes to cutlery and utensils, the choices are endless.
4. Little Shiny Trinkets
To maintain a theme on a table, you can introduce little trinkets. These trinkets should blend in the whole set up but also maintain distinct identities. You can have metal birds holding salt and pepper shakers or a thin stone slab with napkins placed under a glass goldfish.
5. Mismatched Table Settings
Sometimes the beauty is in not trying too hard! You can create a very easy relaxed yet chic table setting by mixing and matching a plethora of colours and design styles. This dash of colour will show your individualism and will also create an easy going, fun mealtime.
6. For those Formal Dinners
Some dinners are very formal, for example, calling your or your spouse's boss for dinner or having your mother-in-law eat in your new home for the first time. We recommend that you keep the table settings at such times simple, timeless and elegant. For one, it will showcase you as a sophisticated host or hostess who has great taste and also if you keep it simple, you can achieve more without adding even more stress to yourself for this important occasion. We suggest you go with elegant white laze napkins, high-end dishware in classic pastel colours and some simple flowers for the centrepiece.
If you wish to bring together your family every night, even then try to dress up your dining table. As, humans, we crave for something new every day. Then why not give your eyes little treats every day in the form of creatively done dining tables. It can also act as a bonding exercise if you include your kids, siblings, mother, or any loved one in the decoration process.
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Source by Arpan Arora
