22 Place Setting Inspirations

Place Setting Inspiration

Setting the table for a dinner party can be an intimidating undertaking, especially when there are hundreds of gorgeous tables on Pinterest and in magazines which may make your simple white dishes feel ‘blah’. Browse our collection of more than 22 place settings and find an idea or two for your next get-together. Find all the items used in the place settings after the jump.

Place setting with blue table linens

All Wrapped Up

Inspired by the gorgeous indigo of our Linen Hemstitch Tablecloth, we used our Bistro Dinnerware with a blue band, French Market Placemats in Navy, and our Vivian Flatware.

Place a folded napkin horizontally across the dinnerplate

Go Horizontal

This place setting is grounded by our Edie Tablecloth in Oyster and topped with our Piper Woven Placemats, Vivian Flatware, and our Edie Block Print Napkins in Oyster, placed horizontally across our Provence dinnerware in cream for an unexpected look.

This classic place setting features all white linens

Classic White

You can’t go wrong with an all-white table, no matter the occasion. We used our Brigitte Dinnerware in Ivory, our Marseille Quilted Placemats,  Marseille Linen Napkins, and Maison Flatware.

Ballard Designs Edie Block Print tablecloth with Brigitte dinnerware

Smitten with Sage

Smitten with our Edie Block Print in Sage, we chose striped napkins in sandalwood for a complementary twist, as well as our Brigitte Dinnerware and Fairhope Flatware.

Different colored dinner and salad plates lend interest to a place setting

Complementary Colors

For a slightly different look, we swapped our our Brigitte Salad Plate in Sage for Oyster and brought in a happy bouquet of pink peonies.

Velvet ribbon gives this place setting a little luxury

Chocolate Brown Accents

To give our Edie Block Print Tablecloth a slightly luxe look, we wrapped Marseille Linen Napkins in Natural in a rich, brown velvet ribbon, and chose our Fairhope Flatware in Antique Brass for a little more glamour.

Dinnerware with a blue band has a sophisticated look

Bistro in Blue

To complement our Bistro Dinnerware with a blue band, we chose our Vivian Flatware and classic linen hemstitch placemats and napkins.

Melamine dishes are durable enough for outdoor use and pretty enough for indoor use

Fun & Festive

Our Rosa Melamine Dinnerware is durable enough to use for outdoor entertaining, but it’s pretty floral pattern won’t feel out of place in the indoors. We used the Rosa dinner ware with our Piper Woven Placemats, Outdoor Cafe Glasses, Edie Block Print Tablecloth in Oyster, and Fairhope flatware.

A ribbon gives a simple folded napkin a little personality

Tie a Bow

We tied a simple satin ribbon around our French Market Napkins in Sandalwood to give this place setting a little softness, then mixed it with our Brigitte Dinnerware in Oyster, Piper Woven Placemats, and Vivian Flatware.

Fold a napkin like this for a polished but casual look

Folded & Unfussy

We blended taupes and greens by using our Edie Block Print Tablecloth, Linen Hemstitch Napkins and Placemats,  and our Maison Flatware.

Driftwood makes a pretty decoration in the center of a table

Ocean Inspired

To bring out the ocean feel of our Provence Dinnerware in Blue, our Edie Block Print Napkins, and French Market Placemats, we added driftwood branches down the center of the table.

Bright red placemats feel festive when paired with gold flatware

Holiday Hosting

Our Marseille placemats feel instantly festive when paired with gold flatware and simple white dinnerware and then topped with rich, brown velvet ribbon.

Navy striped napkins look fabulous with purple and blue hydrangeas

Navy & Hydrangeas

Navy striped napkins pair perfectly with white dinnerware and a short arrangement of purple and blue hydrangeas.

Jute twine is wrapped around a dinner napkin

Wrapped with Jute

Give our Piper Woven Placemats, Edie Block Print Napkins, and Maison Flatware, a natural touch by wrapping a rolled napkin in a bit of jute twine and knotted.

Aqua linens spice up simple white dinnerware

Bring in Brights

To spice up our crisp, white Bistro Dinnerware, we used our linen hemstitch placemats in blue and Edie Block Print Napkins.

Linens in dinnerware in a monotone shade feels warm and unexpected

Go Monotone

For modern touch, we went with a monotone color scheme, mixing our Brigitte Dinnerware and Chloe Napkins and Placemats, all in Oyster.

For a nautical look, we paired blue dinnerware with driftwood centerpiece

A Nautical Look

To play of the blue and white color palette of our Bistro Dinnerware, we incorporated natural elements like woven placemats and driftwood branches, which balanced our classic white linen napkins.

Accents of pink give this place setting a ladylike feel

Ladylike Lunch

With accents of pink, this white table setting feels elegant and feminine. We used our Brigitte Dinnerware, Maison Flatware, Marseille Placemats, and Marseille Linen Napkins.

Drape napkins across place setting for a relaxed feel

No Frills

To give our table a relaxed feel, lovingly drape napkins across the dinnerware. We chose our Edie Block Print Tablecloth and Napkins, Brigitte Dinnerware, Fairhope Flatware, and Marseille Quilted Placemats.

Pink and aqua create a spring-appropriate place setting

Aqua with Accents

To give our favorite shade of aqua a fresh look for spring, we chose bright pink flowers! Here we used our French Market Placemats, Rosa Melamine Dinnerware, and our Everyday Flatware.

Natural elements are a great addition to a place setting

Natural Elements

To give a formal wood dining table a more casual vibe, use natural elements like woven placemats, printed napkins, and a bit of jute twine wrapped around the napkin.

Yellow and blue are vibrant and polished

East Coast Preppy

Yellow and blue is a preppy mainstay, so we love mixing it with a polished preserved boxwood. Here we used our Rosa Melamine Dinnerware, Outdoor Cafe Glasses, Marseille Placemats, and classic linen hemstitch napkins.

Need a refresher course in setting the table? Our 101 guide will walk you through everything from silverware to basics and even etiquette.

For recipes, entertaining tips, and dining room inspiration, browse our pins on Pinterest!

How to Decorate Team

We enjoy spending days interacting with How to Decorate readers. From answering Design Dilemmas to writing How To articles and working with guest designers, our passion is to provide informative and accurate resources to help people solve their design problems.

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  1. Reply

    Teresa

    March 11, 2014

    They are all so lovely — however when placing a knife — always place the sharp edge towards the plate to keep anyone from slicing their fingers picking up a spoon.

    • Reply

      How to Decorate Team

      March 11, 2014

      Thanks, Teresa. I guess we need to reference our Place Settings 101 post for a refresher course 🙂

      Best,
      The How to Decorate Team

  2. Reply

    Lorraine

    March 11, 2014

    The word is ‘complementary’, not ‘complimentary’.

    P.S. I am available for proofreading.

    • Reply

      How to Decorate Team

      March 11, 2014

      Thanks, Lorraine. We’ve made the correction!

      Th How to Decorate Team

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