Preparing your home for a dinner party
Thursday, 17 February 2011 4:18 PM
Blame the recession, blame Jamie Oliver, blame Come Dine With Me - who or whatever the scapegoat, staying in is the new going out and dinner parties are huge right now.
Unfortunately, most of us aren't blessed with show homes or regal palaces and yet, if the Channel 4 programme's anything to go by, guests will place just as much emphasis on your home as your culinary prowess when judging the evening's success.
But if your pad is a little lacking when it comes to elegance, fear not: a few small touches, from dressing your table to perfecting the mood lighting, will work wonders when it comes to throwing the perfect dinner party.
Even if you like to think your house is clean, item one on the agenda should always be a thorough tidy and deep clean. It's best to start this a day or two in advance to avoid greeting your guests in a pair of Marigolds.
Dressing the table
Next on the list is the table. If you're blessed with an attractive dining surface, then it wouldn't seem right to cover the whole thing up – simply dressing it up with other accessories will allow its splendour to shine through.
However, if your table is a bit on the tatty side, hide its sins beneath an immaculate table cloth. Go for one in a solid colour to provide a clean canvas for the rest of your dinner party decor. For seat covers or cushions, keep things simple by selecting shades to match.
The fabrics you choose should also reflect the style of your dining room. For a formal setting, seek luxurious textures like damask or toile, while cotton will suffice in a more casual or rustic eating area.
Adding a table runner or mat to the centre of the dining surface will establish a clear focal point and should ideally be used even if you decide against covering the table with a cloth.
Next, position placemats evenly around the table, matching their colour to your fabrics or other prominent tones in the dining room's design scheme. This is a good opportunity to add interest with a stylish pattern or texture.
Oh, and while we're not suggesting you blow a month's wages on designer linens, paper napkins are a no-no.
Call us stick-in-the-muds, but we simply can't abide mismatched crockery, cutlery or glassware. With so many super-cheap sets on the market, your budget shouldn’t restrict you - so make sure you're well-stocked and don’t have to use your old Winnie The Pooh bowl for guest number six's pudding.
Add personality to your dinner table
To complete your table setting, add personality and vibrancy with a floral centrepiece. Try to keep the colours coordinated and remember not to choose anything too tall – there's nothing worse than having to lean around a giant vase or candlestick to maintain eye contact with the person seated opposite.
If you've invited a group where not everyone knows everyone else, a centrepiece will provide a talking point - but even better is placing a small gift at each place setting (we love the tulip idea in the picture above).
It's also vital that you ensure you have sufficient chairs and space to seat everyone. This might sound obvious but you'd be amazed at how many dinner parties the AboutProperty team has attended where the host has had to nip next door to borrow extra chairs just before serving up!
Create atmosphere through lighting
Finally, you need to think about the lighting in your room. Too bright and the atmosphere will be non-existent, but too low and your impeccably turned-out soufflé will be wasted on the squinting peepers of your judging panel.
Mood lighting is the key, with free-standing floor lamps or wall sconces the ideal. If there's room on the table, a few candles can add an extra touch of class.
Last but not least, leave enough time to make yourself look nice – ditch the apron well in advance of the first footsteps advancing up the garden path.
The beauty of dinner party preparation is that, once you've got everything set up, it will be much easy to settle down and relax - and having a relaxed host results in a relaxed dinner party.
Bon appétit!
Want to be the first to know when we break a story? Follow @AboutProperty on Twitter.
