subject: The Key To Successful Entertaining [print this page] If you like entertaining you'll know that it is really important to create a convivial atmosphere in the dining room. The interior decoration and lighting of the room are key as are the table settings. The dining room is after all the backdrop to family occasions and business dinners and as such is an important room.
The Queen uses the royal banquet to entertain foreign heads of state and to foster diplomatic relations. The table setting is an opportunity to demonstrate status and values.
I was amazed to read in Kathryn Jones's 'Dining at the Palace' that George IV, always extravagant, spent 60,000GBP on an initial order of gilded silverware and continued to add to it throughout his life. It seems that originally some of the service was silver but eventually it was all gilded 'because the silver looked poor against the gilded items'. There was no single style to the service as is usual in a modern dinner service. Some pieces were originally from his grandfather's service.
Interior designers today combine different items of china and glass to unusual effect - diversity being the spice of life. They seek out the remains of old services where the full set may no longer be available because of breakages. If you are interested you can read more about it in Caroline Clifton-Moggs' book 'China and Glass' which gives useful tips on collecting china and glass.
I worked on a project recently where we needed blue glass to sit on a kitchen shelf and tie in with the blue Aga in the kitchen. Department stores had nothing to offer - deep blue was not a fashionable colour at the time. I trailed round a lot of charity shops and car boots sales to find a suitable collection. I combined modern and old but all had to be of a certain height to sit on the shelf.
Another project involved designing place mats in a shagreen (a reptile skin like finish available in various colours) to match the other furniture in the room. My client and I laid the table with his china and cutlery and then I cut a pattern to size in newspaper. We also had table napkins and small mats for the glasses made up in fine linen with a gold leaf thread decoration. To top it all we selected some napkin rings. For the gentlemen a simple chrome napkin ring covered in brown shagreen and for the ladies chrome napkin rings decorated with 'a jewel' encrusted flower (see the photograph) on my website . Well not real jewels of course but they would glitter nevertheless under the light of the chandelier above and provide a good talking point to break the ice at the beginning of any dinner party.
George IV also went in for elaborate table decorations at his home Carlton House. On one occasion along the centre of the table was a running stream of water cascading from a waterfall and decorated with moss, flowers. It had real fish swimming in it.
You see there is plenty you can do to create an ambience for your entertaining. Whether you want formal or informal, modern or traditional, glitzy or sophisticated there is enormous scope for the small dinner party or large party. Let your imagination loose.
