Nothing irritates me more than laziness. Everything – big or small – could be improved with a little extra attention. As a mother I could go on here, as I like to do, about the state of the nation and my children’s future but instead I’ll stick to the business I know best and suggest your world would be a far better place if you set your table with flair.
Why plan for weeks, creating a beautiful invitation and fretting over the food, only to neglect the ambience? What guest doesn’t sing better for their supper when they notice the trouble you’ve put into making the occasion a celebration of friendship? And believe me, people – especially men – notice effort.
Dress the table with the intention of delighting the eye (and a useful diversion if you’re no Masterchef). Decide on a theme that flows from the invitation to the food to the table. Do I need to nag about linen, glassware and cutlery being spotless? (White cotton gloves from a pharmacy are the trick here.) Try popping the place cards in a fork’s tines to give that detail a bit of a modern kick. If the guests aren’t all known to each other, put the name on both sides as a helpful hint.
Plot the seating so the conversation hums – separate couples so they sparkle rather than play out their dreary routine. Do you light tapers or tea lights or bask in the glow from a muddle of candlesticks? Flowers, while I love, often interfere with the palate’s appreciation, so consider setting about ‘objects’ that relate to your theme instead (I have a shop full of things that would be perfect). Don’t, whatever you do, neglect the space above the table, which bring us to my passion of the moment: delicate, floating tissue paper pompoms.
it’s a crime to neglect the ambience!
Why plan for weeks, creating a beautiful invitation and fretting over the food, only to neglect the ambience? What guest doesn’t sing better for their supper when they notice the trouble you’ve put into making the occasion a celebration of friendship? And believe me, people – especially men – notice effort.
Dress the table with the intention of delighting the eye (and a useful diversion if you’re no Masterchef). Decide on a theme that flows from the invitation to the food to the table. Do I need to nag about linen, glassware and cutlery being spotless? (White cotton gloves from a pharmacy are the trick here.) Try popping the place cards in a fork’s tines to give that detail a bit of a modern kick. If the guests aren’t all known to each other, put the name on both sides as a helpful hint.
Plot the seating so the conversation hums – separate couples so they sparkle rather than play out their dreary routine. Do you light tapers or tea lights or bask in the glow from a muddle of candlesticks? Flowers, while I love, often interfere with the palate’s appreciation, so consider setting about ‘objects’ that relate to your theme instead (I have a shop full of things that would be perfect). Don’t, whatever you do, neglect the space above the table, which bring us to my passion of the moment: delicate, floating tissue paper pompoms.
Learn all this and more from me at 12.30 on April 29 at 30 Days Live House at the Hordern Pavillion EQ, Driver Ave, Moore Park.
PHOEBE’S POINT – Dress your table for a party as well as you’d dress yourself.