Setting the perfect table can be more complex than it sounds. In the startup phase of brainstorming, developing and purchasing products for your future table setting. There are a lot of parameters to consider to ensure your choices create a satisfying result. To help you in your journey towards a beautiful table, here are a few parameters, which, in our opinion, are important to consider before making the purchasing decision for your table setup: atmosphere, materials, and types of products.
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Setting for the right atmosphere – a question with many parameters
One of the primary parameters to consider when it comes to setting the table at your restaurant, café or inn is the atmosphere you wish to obtain. There is no correct or incorrect answer, it is all about your creativity and wishes. There are however, some factors that can be valuable to consider.
First, determine if you seek a formal or informal look and atmosphere. Normally, a formal look is achieved by choosing a traditional setup with many different elements of tableware, while an informal table setting consists of just a few selected pieces of plates, cutlery, and napkins, often set in untraditional ways. The formal way of setting a table is often chosen for big occasions such as weddings and baptisms, where a classic atmosphere is the goal. The more informal look is often chosen by restaurants and cafes that want to create a casual atmosphere.
Determining the purpose of your overall atmosphere creates a good baseline to help you make the right table setting choices, so you end up with the end result you were hoping for.
No matter your overall choice of atmosphere, here are some other valuable factors for you to consider as well:
Shapes and tableware setup
Round plates are a common piece of tableware, found in almost every country and culture around the world. Round plates create a harmonious expression that is easy to style with the rest of your table. Furthermore, a round plate makes it easy to arrange the food and the table in an elegant and apatising way.
Even though the round plate is still a popular choice of tableware, it has become common to challenge the classic look by using tableware in untraditional shapes, i.e. squares, ovals, and rectangles.
Challenge the tradition in your arrangement of napkins. Napkins can be styled according to a lot of different looks. They can be folded in many different ways and arranged in just as many; in a beautiful formation on the plate, plain and classic on the side of your setup or with a napkin ring, which can be chosen in many different materials such as metal, leather, paper or rope.
Colours
Colours are a powerful factor in getting the right atmosphere at the table. When exposed to different colours, our senses and perceptions are affected subconsciously. Studies show that colours can affect our sense of smell and taste because our brain associates colours and odours. Among a wide range of test subjects, a fruity scent was associated with reddish colours, while a scent of vinegar was associated with green and yellow. Furthermore, colours can affect the state of mind.
The selection and combination of colours can be an interesting and powerful aspect to consider when assessing the overall impression of your restaurant, café or inn.
Did you know
- Being exposed to excessive amounts of vivid red can cause stress symptoms and, exposure to darker colours such as, dark blue, makes for a more relaxing atmosphere
- Exposure to darker colours like dark blue makes for a more relaxing atmosphere
How to choose and combine colours can be another challenging task. If you find it difficult to get started, the colour wheel can be an effective and helpful tool:
- Complementary colours support the characteristics of both colours, which makes them a good and harmonic match.
- Different tones/shades of the same colour can create a relaxed and stylish look with a cosy atmosphere.
Did you know…
That a good way to create harmony and balance when mixing different colours on your table is to use the colour wheel?
The understanding of colour is an art, which can make it difficult to choose the right composition of colours. The colour wheel can be used as a helpful tool to see how colours are catagorised and what colours are similar or opposites.
Lighting
You cannot set the atmosphere around your table settings without considering lighting. A very illuminated room will make your restaurant, café, inn or similar seem big and bright, while a dimmed light will make your place seem smaller and more intimate.
Create a cosy atmosphere by toning down the main light in the room and replacing some of the light with smaller sources of light by each table. This can also be a great thing to implement if you offer an outdoor service. By doing so, you can divide your big restaurant or café room or your outdoor area into smaller rooms by making every table its own little space, which gives your guests a cosy feeling.
A cosy atmosphere can be achieved with many different types of lighting. For a traditional feeling, traditional candles or oil candles may be a good solution. It is now also possible to get LED lights, which gives much of the sense atmosphere as traditional lighting. An extra bonus about LED lights is that the reduced fire risk compared to traditional and oil
Tip: The opportunities are endless when choosing light source – who says, you cannot combine LED lights with traditional candles?
Selection of materials and products - disposable vs. reusable tableware
In addition to the atmosphere, we always recommend having your daily workflow in mind when choosing materials and products.
Setting a beautiful table and keeping it neat and clean can take a lot of time and resources, especially if it has to be done many times a day. Therefore, it can be wise to consider if you want to use reusable or disposable products for some of your table setting needs.
Tablecloths and napkins
Reusable and washable tablecloths and napkins are the preferred choices for some restaurants because it fits into their desired atmosphere. However, wash and preparation of products can be a costly and time consuming task.
If you wish to avoid the costs linked to the washing of multi-use napkins and tablecloths, single-use products are a good alternative. Both napkins and tablecloths come in many different qualities.
When choosing tablecloths for disposable tableware from an economic perspective, it could be smart to consider the possibility of using smaller table covers. Small table covers can be used directly on the tabletop or as an extra layer on top of the traditional tablecloth.
When your guests spill and the table needs a refresh, it is generally just the small cover that would have to be removed. Hereby, the use of smaller pieces of tablecloth can be a timesaving and economic advantage in your daily workflow.
Single-use tableware
Single-use tableware is another area we see restaurants challenging the norms while still preserving their unique identity and atmosphere. Historically, restaurants and inns have preferred traditional china, but who says, you can’t mix your traditional setup with selected pieces of single-use plates, bowls or serving dishes?
A single-use bowl designed as a wooden boat would be a beautiful way to serve an appetizer of olives for your guests, or plates of palm leaves could bring your tapas to a new stylistic level.
Tip: If you have your table settings in outdoor areas, it may be a good idea to choose waster-resistant tablecloths that easy to wipe off.