When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Mary Hollis Huddleston Setting a perfectly laid table is an essential part of hosting.

Garten shared how exactly she goes about setting a table in an early 2000s issue of House Beautiful. At the time the now 73-year-old had a column in the publication called Ask the Barefoot Contessa.

The intricacies of table settings have gone the way of butlers and parasol flirtations, calling cards and dressing for dinner. But that may be changing. After all, Downton Abbey was wildly popular for ...

Q: I need help. We are hosting our first dinner for my in-laws, but I’ve never really set a table properly. How do you do it? A: Don’t feel alone. Even though there’s much research out there that ...

There’s nothing quite like gathering your favourite people around the dinner table and sitting down to share a home-cooked meal. Make it even more special by dressing up the table with these autumnal ...

Table settings will vary depending on the type of event and the food being served. Set up silverware and glassware so guests can work from the outside in and top to bottom. A floral centerpiece is a ...

Though British and American table settings play by their own set of rules, many of them overlap; forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right; glassware above the knives. Make sure the knife ...

When you set a table, you don't want the visuals to steal the entire spotlight from the conversation. The point of a dinner party is to have good food with people you want to be with and talk to, and ...