Daybreak

There is something really appealing about a formally set table, but most in-home dining experiences call for a more casual setting. But casual doesn’t mean boring. The art of table setting is exactly that: an art.

Treat your guests to a beautifully set table with a few basic starting points—and your own flare. Start with putting the smallest pieces that you'll use first on the outside, like salad forks or teaspoons. From left to right, follow the alphabet...forks, knife and then spoons.

However, feel free to play around if the mood strikes you and put the fork and spoon next to each other or only use a fork and knife if that's all you need. There is no ONE way to set the table.

Setting a formal dinner table may seem complicated. But it's actually based in simple, straightforward logic. Knowing this, it's can actually be very intuitive. Guests begin eating a meal using the flatware at the outside left and right, and then working their way in towards the plate as the meal proceeds. With this in mind, here's how to set each place: Forks are placed to the left of the plate, knives and spoons to the right. Stemware is set above and to the right of the dinner plate. Bread-and-butter plates sit above the forks, to the left of the place setting. Now you're set.