4 Tips to the Perfect Everyday Table Setting

The kitchen is the heart of the home and the dinner table is where we gather with friends and family. So often we save our best dishes for special occasions and our pretty linen for the perfect party. Now is the time to start using what you have tucked away in cabinets and drawers. Make every meal special with simple touches that will add life to the table and brighten the mood. Even if you serve a simple meal of scrambled eggs and toast, everything tastes better when the table is set with intention. Here are a few simple etiquette tips to make your meal more pleasurable.

 

The Knife Blade Should Face In

Knowing where the knife blade faces is a courtesy to your table mate. It’s bad manners to point the blade of the knife towards a fellow diner, regardless of whether it’s your spouse, kids or formal guest. The knife blade should point towards your plate, not facing outward. The gesture is similar to passing someone a pair of scissors with the blade facing in, rather than towards them. You never point any utensil towards another guest.

The Napkin is Not Optional

One of my personal pet peeves is using a paper towel instead of a napkin. While it’s perfectly acceptable to wipe your mouth with a Bounty half sheet, it’s more civil to use a napkin. It can be either paper or linen. At least for me, it’s the difference between eating standing up, at the kitchen counter, from a Styrofoam to-go box, or sitting down at the table, and using a dinner plate rather than plastic or paper. It’s one of those small details that says, “There is effort involved” in this decision.

Invest in Some Basic Plates

Regardless of how many sets of beautiful china you might (or might not) own, a collection of nice, durable plates to use on a daily basis can’t be beat. I like white because I can use them regularly, from morning breakfast through a simple dinner. Or I can add them to my blue and white dishes for a more formal meal. The salad plate is the perfect size for a sandwich and can be washed and put away after the meal. The kids will not necessarily notice what they are eating their PB&J on. Still, they will subconsciously take a mental note of how you serve your food and will “feel” the difference as opposed to being served on a flimsy paper plate or from the torn off Bounty half sheet, as aforementioned! It’s the little things we do in life that make a big difference.

Always Use a Place Mat or Table Cloth

A meal of any kind feels complete when a table cloth or placemat is set under the place setting. A table cloth can be left on the table and treated for spots with a wet cloth. When not in use, the placemats should be picked up and shaken for crumbs, put away in a drawer and brought out for the next meal. Rotate the table linen for the season and have some tried and true daily options that can be tossed into the washer and used over and over. I buy placemats and linen napkins when I see them on sale and have years of use out of them. They get better with age. (Incidentally, so do you and I!)

***Side note: The feature photo has a fork and napkin set on the right side of the plate. To set a proper table, the fork should be set on the left, along with the napkin. Thanks to a colleague who pointed this error out!

You might also like Socially Distant Entertaining Etiquette. For more of Diane’s etiquette tips read her posts on Inc., subscribe to her articles on The Huffington Post, “like” The Protocol School of Texas on Facebook, and follow her on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.