How to Set a Table: Everyday, Dinner Party and Formal

Forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right, and everything used from the outside in. Once that is clear, every setting from Tuesday supper to a seven course dinner follows.

By the Bonwits editorsUpdated September 30, 20265 steps

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What you need

6 things. Tap any to see it on Amazon.

01The plates
Mikasa
Mikasa Delray 16-Piece Bone China Dinnerware Set, Service for 4
Check price →
02The flatware
Villeroy & Boch
Villeroy & Boch La Coupole 40-Piece Flatware Set, 18/10 Stainless Steel, Service for 8
Check price →
03The wine glasses
Spiegelau
Spiegelau Style Red and White Wine Glasses, Set of 12
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04The napkins
Solino Home
Solino Home 100% Pure Linen Dinner Napkins White, Fete 20 x 20 in, Set of 4
Check price →
05The chargers
Saro Lifestyle
SARO LIFESTYLE Aluminum Organic Charger (Set of 4), 13"x13", Silver
Check price →
06The place cards
Caspari
Caspari Golden Rule Place Cards, 30 Included
Check price →

Table settings look like a code, but they are really a map of the meal. Each piece is placed where the hand will reach for it, in the order it will be needed. Read the setting from the outside toward the plate and you can tell what is coming: a soup spoon on the far right means soup first, a small fork on the far left means salad before the main course.

That logic produces one rule that matters more than any other: set only what the meal uses. An everyday dinner needs a fork, a knife, a glass and a napkin. A dinner party adds a course or two and a wine glass. A formal table adds more of each, never more than three of any one utensil at a time, according to the Emily Post Institute.

The method below starts with the everyday setting and builds on it, so each version is the one before with a few pieces added. The pieces at the bottom of the page are the ones the method uses, chosen to cover all three settings without a cupboard full of specialist china.

What matters

Outside in. Utensils are laid in the order they are used, starting from the outside and working toward the plate.
Left and right. Forks to the left of the plate; knives and spoons to the right. Bread and butter on the left; drinks on the right.
Only what the meal needs. No utensil on the table that the menu does not call for. Dessert pieces can arrive with dessert.
Even and symmetrical. The same spacing at every place, so the table reads as one design from the door.

We read makers’ specifications, warranties, care instructions and the sources listed at the end. We do not accept paid placements. How we choose

The method

5 steps, in order

The everyday setting
Put the dinner plate in the center of each place. Lay the fork to the left of the plate and the knife to the right, with the cutting edge facing the plate. If there is soup, the spoon goes to the right of the knife.
Set the water glass above the tip of the knife. Fold the napkin and put it to the left of the fork, or on the plate. Line up the bottoms of the fork and knife with each other so the place looks tidy.
That is the whole of it. Add a bread plate or a second glass only if the meal calls for one.
The dinner party setting
Start with the everyday setting and add pieces for each course, from the outside in. If salad comes before the main course, the salad fork goes to the left of the dinner fork. If salad comes after, it goes on the inside, next to the plate. A soup spoon goes to the far right of the knife.
Add a bread plate above the forks, with the butter knife laid across it, blade down and handle to the right. Put the wine glass to the right of the water glass.
Dessert utensils can go above the plate, laid horizontally: the fork nearest the plate with its handle to the left, and the spoon above it with its handle to the right. Or bring them out with dessert. A charger under the dinner plate is optional here; place cards stand above the plate or rest on the napkin.
The formal setting
A formal table begins with a charger at every place. The first course is served on a plate set on top of it, and the charger stays through the early courses, then is cleared with the plate before the main course arrives. The napkin sits on the charger until guests sit down.
Utensils follow the menu, outside in, with no more than three forks or three knives on the table at once. The one exception is an oyster fork, which is set on the far right, beyond the spoons. A fish fork sits to the left of the dinner fork, and a fish knife to the right of the dinner knife. If you need more pieces than the rule allows, bring them in with their course.
Dessert forks and spoons are brought in on the dessert plate just before dessert, rather than set in advance. Space every place evenly and symmetrically around the table, and center each place card above its setting.
Glasses
The water glass always sits above the tip of the dinner knife. Wine glasses go to its right in the order they will be used: white for the first course, then red for the main. A Champagne flute or sherry glass for a toast or the first course goes farthest to the right, or slightly behind.
On a formal table there may be up to five glasses. Each is cleared after its course. At an everyday dinner, a water glass and one wine glass are plenty.
Napkins
For everyday dinners, fold the napkin into a rectangle and set it to the left of the forks, or in the center of the plate. For a dinner party, the plate or the charger is neater. On a formal table, it goes on the charger.
Guests unfold the napkin onto their lap once seated. If they step away, it goes on the chair; at the end of the meal, it is laid loosely to the left of the plate.

The kit, in detail

No. 01The plates

Mikasa

Mikasa Delray 16-Piece Bone China Dinnerware Set, Service for 4

Plain white bone china with an 11 inch dinner plate and a 9 inch salad plate, the two plates every setting uses.

Keeps for: Many years; bone china is strong for its weight
Set: 4 each: 11 in dinner plate, 9 in salad plate, 5.75 in bowl, 13 oz mug
Material: Bone china
Care: Dishwasher, microwave, oven and freezer safe
Color: White

Every setting in this method starts with a dinner plate at the center of the place. Delray gives you that in crisp white bone china, 11 inches across, plus a 9 inch salad plate that sits on top of it for a first course, a bowl and a mug. White sets off whatever you put on it and works with any napkin or glass.

Mikasa says the set is oven, dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe, and chip resistant. Buy two sets for a table of eight, and a separate small plate if you want a proper bread plate for a dinner party.

The catch. No bread plates in the set, and the mugs are of no use at dinner.

Where to buy

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No. 02The flatware

Villeroy & Boch

Villeroy & Boch La Coupole 40-Piece Flatware Set, 18/10 Stainless Steel, Service for 8

The standard five piece place setting for eight, which is exactly what a dinner party table uses.

Keeps for: Decades; 18/10 steel does not tarnish
Place setting: Dinner fork, salad fork, dinner knife, soup spoon, teaspoon
Service: 8
Steel: 18/10 stainless, high gloss
Care: Dishwasher safe

Each place in this set has the five pieces the method calls for: a dinner fork, a salad fork, a dinner knife, a soup spoon and a teaspoon that doubles as a dessert spoon. That covers the everyday setting with pieces to spare, and a three course dinner party without borrowing.

It is high gloss 18/10 stainless, dishwasher safe, and Villeroy & Boch suggests opening the dishwasher promptly at the end of the cycle to avoid water spots. For a formal table you will need a few extras, such as fish forks and knives, which are sold separately.

The catch. Polished steel shows fingerprints and water spots unless dried promptly.

Where to buy

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No. 03The wine glasses

Spiegelau

Spiegelau Style Red and White Wine Glasses, Set of 12

Six red and six white glasses, enough for a dinner party that pours two wines.

Keeps for: Years, breakage aside
Set: 6 red (22.2 oz), 6 white (15.5 oz)
Material: Crystal glass
Style: Stemmed

A dinner party usually needs a wine glass beside the water glass, and a formal table often needs two: white for the first course, red for the main. This set covers both at once, with six 22.2 ounce red glasses and six 15.5 ounce white glasses in clear crystal glass.

Set the white glass to the right of the water glass if white is poured first, and the red beside it. Any plain tumbler or stemmed water goblet can do the water.

The catch. No water glasses in the set; you will need those separately.

Where to buy

AmazonCheck price →

No. 04The napkins

Solino Home

Solino Home 100% Pure Linen Dinner Napkins White, Fete 20 x 20 in, Set of 4

Generous 20 inch white linen dinner napkins that fold neatly for any of the three settings.

Keeps for: Many years; linen improves with washing
Fabric: 100% European flax linen
Size: 20 x 20 in
Set: 4
Care: Machine wash; low iron as needed

A dinner napkin of about 20 inches square covers a lap and folds into a neat rectangle beside the forks or on the plate. These are 100% European flax linen, OEKO-TEX certified, and machine washable.

White goes with every setting, from a plain Tuesday table to a formal one. Iron them damp for a crisp fold at a dinner party, or leave them softly creased for everyday.

The catch. Linen wrinkles; a formal table needs them pressed.

Where to buy

AmazonCheck price →

No. 05The chargers

Saro Lifestyle

SARO LIFESTYLE Aluminum Organic Charger (Set of 4), 13"x13", Silver

Handcrafted 13 inch aluminum chargers that frame each place at a dinner party or a formal table.

Keeps for: Many years; wipe clean
Size: 13 in round
Material: Aluminum, handcrafted
Finish: Silver
Care: Wipe with a damp cloth

A charger, or service plate, sits under the plates for the first courses and marks each place before anyone sits down. The Emily Post Institute notes that it stays through the early courses and is removed with the plate before the main course arrives. At an informal dinner party it can simply stay.

These are 13 inches across, in handcrafted aluminum with an irregular silver edge, large enough to show a rim around an 11 inch dinner plate. The maker says to clean them with a damp cloth.

The catch. Not for the dishwasher, and they take storage space for a few dinners a year.

Where to buy

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No. 06The place cards

Caspari

Caspari Golden Rule Place Cards, 30 Included

Classic folded cards with a gold rule, blank for writing each guest's name by hand.

Keeps for: One dinner each
Count: 30
Style: Folded, blank
Size: About 3.5 x 2.25 in
Design: Gold rule border

Place cards belong at any table of eight or more, and at any smaller dinner where you want to seat people thoughtfully. These are folded cards of about 3.5 by 2.25 inches, printed with a fine gold rule and left blank to fill in by hand.

Stand the card above the plate, centered, or lay it on the folded napkin. Write the name large enough to read from a step away.

The catch. Thin enough to tip over in a draft; a holder helps on a busy table.

Where to buy

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Compared.

Every comparison

The TablePorcelain, stoneware or bone china, for the plates used every day.

Frequently asked questions

Which side does the fork go on?

The left. Forks go to the left of the plate, and knives and spoons go to the right. The only exception is the oyster fork on a formal table, which goes on the right.

Which way does the knife blade face?

Toward the plate. The dinner knife sits immediately to the right of the plate with its cutting edge facing in.

Where does the bread plate go?

Above the forks, on the left. The butter knife rests across it with the blade facing down and the handle to the right.

Where do the glasses go?

Above the knife, on the right. The water glass sits closest to the tip of the knife, with wine glasses to its right in the order they will be used.

Where does the napkin go?

To the left of the forks or on the plate for everyday and dinner party settings, and on the charger for a formal table.

Where do dessert utensils go?

Horizontally above the plate, fork below with its handle to the left and spoon above with its handle to the right. On a formal table, they come out with the dessert plate.