Your meal begins with how the table is set. From the glasses to the table runner, every piece deserves a bit of thought and vision. It could be a dinner party or your little girl’s 5th birthday celebration, whatever the occasion, it’s imperative that you know how to design your own place setting!

1. Know where things go.

It’s imperative that you know the correct placement of all the pieces. The water glass, the salad fork, you should know the proper locations of all your dinner tools. This is a great foundation to start with.

2. Create a vision.

Before you even star tot pick out your place setting decor and essential pieces, like napkins and dinner plates, think about what you want the meal to feel like. Do you want it romantic, light and airy or youthful and fun?

3. Go with the flow.

Pay attention to what your serving. If you need a bread bowl, make sure you’ve picked one out that fits on the table. If you’re having a salad, make sure you have room for the plate. Go with the flow in terms of how the meal will flow.

4. Think about colors.

Casual tacos or a full Italian meal, make sure you’re thinking about colors when your creating your place setting design. Make sure the colors of the food your serving mesh well and compliment that tablescape.

5. Try out textures.

And just like with the colors, think about your textures. A great way to add interest to any creative corner is to mesh textures so make sure your mixing things up a bit.

6. Watch for crowding.

Try not to overload the dinner table. Even if you need a lot of different plates and utensils, don’t crowd the centerpiece or spaces in between in dinner guest. It’ll be easier to clean up and more enjoyable to experience.

7. Mix and Match.

If you’re into eclecticism, try not making yourself crazy with traditional and “rules.” Although we urge you to set the table in a formal way, we also urge your to mix and match patterns and colors just like throughout the rest of your home.

8. Go with a theme.

Is it an Halloween dinner party or a vintage-inspired brunch with the ladies? It’s a lot easier to create a place setting from the ground up if you have a theme in mind, and it’s a lot more fun designing it as well!

9. Layer it up.

Instead of covering the table in pieces, we advise you to go upward. Stack the plates and layer the linens. It’s a funky look but it also makes the table much more functional.

10. Be creative and unique.

Add a fun favor to each person’s seat or place something funky and unexpected into the centerpiece. Use fabric bits as napkins instead of what’s expected and use different glasses for each person at the table. Be creative and be unique!

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5and6.