Table trimmings

For holiday dinner parties, success is all about presentation

By Valerie Phillips
Deseret Morning News food editor

Earth-tone patterns from Z Gallerie's hand-painted Lucca collection give a "harvest" feeling. [Paul Barker, Deseret Morning News]

Maybe your dining style is casual the rest of the year — a few plates and cups scattered on the table, servings doled out around the kitchen bar or maybe even chowing in the La-Z-Boy in front of the TV.

But Thanksgiving calls for class.

After all, someone is roasting a turkey, mashing potatoes and making pumpkin pies. This is no McMeal here. It's time to show this feast the respect it deserves.

"Having a beautiful table just accents your food and makes it seem a lot better," said Laura Winkler, store manager of Z Gallerie at the Gateway. "If the presentation isn't there, it doesn't seem to taste as good. Really, presentation is about 80 percent of your dinner party."

Folks with extended families the size of a small European nation probably can't pull off a formal china/crystal/silverware event — they are lucky just to get everyone seated around borrowed card tables and rickety TV trays.

But for those who want to wow their guests by setting a festive table, don't just rush out and buy sets of dishes and mountains of linens without thought to the finished result. Your table could end up looking like an expensive china closet fell on it.

To help, we asked several local housewares stores to create some place settings and give us some tips. We've also included a photo of a basic place setting so you'll know where those forks and spoons should go. (Still, it's doubtful that properly placing the water glasses will ever keep Uncle Fred from sipping from the wrong one.)

Z Gallerie's black-and-white toile pattern is set off with red, silver. [Paul Barker, Deseret Morning News]

What's hot: The hand-painted look is in, says Winkler. Both Z Gallerie and Meier & Frank are featuring earth-toned dinnerware abundant with vineyard grapes for a "harvest" feeling. A cake stand with hand-painted flowers has been hugely popular, said David Haight, Meier & Frank's store manager. Also, he said, Noritake's Colorwave is the No. 1 seller — "It's what we call urban-casual. We have a hard time keeping it in stock. "

"Right now, the colors that are big are citrus and lime green," said Natalie Sherline of Sur La Table. "But for a Thanksgiving theme, the autumn and taupes are really popular."

How to put it together: "Most people start with one piece that they already have, like place mats or glassware, and then build around it," said Sherline.

So take a fresh look at what you've already got and consider the possibilities. "Taking different styles and marrying them together adds depth and texture," said Winkler.

Sherline combined orange and moss-green dinnerware together in one place setting. "We were trying to get different things with a harvest theme," she said. "I don't know how many people would pick orange plates, but when you put them with the moss green, it looks totally different. One man came in who had dinner napkins that he loved, but they didn't look great with anything he had. They were green and gray, but when we put them with silver and black, it was beautiful."

Here are some of the elements that can be used to dress up your table:

Plate from Sur La Table's Honey series is accented with a ringed napkin. [Paul Barker, Deseret News]

Tablecloths: Besides looking nice, tablecloths protect the table and the dishes and reduce noise. Unless you're extremely fond of ironing, choose fabric that's wrinkle-resistant. The tablecloth should extend 8 to 12 inches past the edge of the table, according to "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House," by Cheryl Mendelson.

Place mats: The idea of place mats is to "show the glory of your table while providing protection where it is needed," according to "Home Comforts." They're not needed if you're using a tablecloth.

Runner: This narrow length of cloth "runs" down the center of the table. It can be used over a tablecloth or it can lie on a bare table. "Table runners add color and accent to your table," said Winkler. "Generally they should color-coordinate with everything else."

Napkins: Cloth napkins are much more elegant than paper, and they can be folded or placed in a number of ways to set off the table. "A few people are interested in napkin-folding, but most people do well to put a napkin ring around it," said Sherline.
Again, a wrinkle-resistant fabric is the practical choice, since you'll be laundering these after every use.

A mix-and-match combination of moss green and orange plates, bowls and cups from Sur La Table. [Paul Barker, Deseret Morning News]

Centerpieces: Although flowers are traditional for formal occasions, a centerpiece can be interesting squashes or artfully arranged fall leaves. It should be easy to see over and around — your guests should not have to bend and dip to converse across the table. It shouldn't be so big that there's no room for the food. (You'll often see people start out with a centerpiece, then remove it when the food is served.)

According to Mendelson's rules of etiquette, candles are only for dinner and only for after dark.

Charger plates: These are large service plates that go under your dinner plates. (Soup bowls, etc., also go on the charger when you're serving them.) To casual folks, that extra plate may seem like overkill, but it gives you one more element to mix or match. "A charger can make the plate look more grand and add an accent or additional color," said Winkler, who set off the black-and-white toile china with silver charger plates.

The various etiquette books and experts show several different acceptable ways to set a table. So what happens if you break a rule?

Relax. Considering today's informal world of paper and plastic, it's not like the Etiquette Police will come by and arrest you. Just keep your diners' comfort in mind.

It's also highly unlikely that any of your guests will chide you over a misplaced salad fork. After all, that's not polite.

E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.com