Forget food, the surest way to turn a meal into a lavish feast is with a breath-taking tablescape. Of course, curating a theatrical display takes time. And not everyone has The Eye or patience for such endeavours. But to those people we say: bring in the experts at Harrods Interior Design. 

With the Home & Furniture department at their fingertips, our stylists will create a bespoke table setting to suit every taste and occasion. See below how they set the scene for a formal Sunday lunch inspired by the arrival of spring. 

Top tips on creating the perfect tablescape by Harrods Interior Design 

1. Firstly, lay the base. Linens are a great starting point to create your scheme. Have your theme in mind when choosing your base, if you have a busy tablecloth you can always tone down the scheme later on with plain napkins & bread plates. 

2. Set the mood with beautiful charger plates. Charger plates can be a luxurious alternative to placemats creating a more elegant setting. In this setting, we have used Bernardaud chargers with a timeless gold trim that highlights any plate that is placed on top. 

3. Personalise your setting with unique dinner plates. Unique plates can serve as inspiration for the entire tablescape or even the theme of the cuisine, so it’s always crucial to choose wisely! 

contemporary plate with beautiful decorations of parrots hand painted on

4. Layer the setting with complementing soup/salad/dessert plates. Choose pieces from different collections & brands, mixing different accents like polka dots, stripes & motifs that all tie  

together with one common theme, in this tablescape we have chosen gold as the common theme. Have one ceramic as your main showstopper – make sure your dinnerware is not fighting with each other. 

5. Select your trio of glassware. We suggest taking into consideration which wines will be served at the event and dressing the setting appropriately. We decided to use a Carrs silver champagne flutes to really add to the maximalist theme of the table and add some texture.  

glass with sealed top and a spoon inside the glass

6. Add an accent using statement cutlery. Our favourite element of the Spring tablescape is Christofle’s stunning Jardin d’Eden cutlery collection. Ornate and glimmering, it brings fairy tale elegance to the table and contrasts beautifully with the gold Bernardaud charger and  Hermès dinner plate.  

7. Choose a beautiful napkin ring as a final touch to the setting. A napkin ring can be the jewel in the crown of any tablescape. Accessorising your napkin can add some much needed sparkle. 8. Tie the scheme together with fresh flowers and decorative ornamental pieces. Adorning differing height objects and floral arrangements down the table can be a conversation starter at dinner parties. Here Harrods Interior Design used small objects from Carrs, Buccellati, Villari,  Baccarat & L’Objet to create intrigue throughout the scape. And of course, a stunning floral arrangement is always a must for a show-stopping tablescape. Remember not to arrange your flowers too high as to block conversations and spread the length of flowers down the table for each guest to enjoy. 

9. ..And don’t forget to light some candles. Candles set the mood, whether it be romantic or relaxing. If you would like it to be less formal opt for votives for a lunch event or embrace maximalist with candelabras at dinner. 

Contemporary dinner with flowers in a glass jar and napkins near the flowers

How It Works 

Our bespoke tablescaping service is available throughout the year for every type of occasion, whether you’re planning a formal dinner party, an alfresco lunch, or an intimate dinner à deux. 

Drawing on the wealth of luxury homeware brands at Harrods, our stylists will work with you to set the design direction, colour palette, and finishing touches for your tablescape, involving you as little or as much as you’d like.