Clever’s Guide to Table Setting Trends Through the Decades – Architectural Digest

The ritual of table setting is something of a long lost art. So many of us, myself included, are ignorant to the nuances of cooking and plating, forgoing it for the convenience of food delivery. Even so, I’ve found myself noting that nothing satisfies like a well-plated, well-cooked meal—ideally, one I’ve made myself. To offset my food ordering ways, I’ve decided to research all that goes into the ideal tablescape. You read that right, tablescape.

In researching all the elements associated with table setting trends, I’ve uncovered different iterations of the perfect tablescape to figure out my own preferences. Though cheap cutlery certainly has its charm (especially when you’re on a budget), few things compare to a gracefully designed set, each piece of which sits ergonomically between your thumb and forefinger. And when you’ve finally cleared whatever home-cooked delicacies have awaited you, you’re greeted with another pleasant surprise: some beautifully crafted dishes, bone white or awash in playful motifs. Though the food has been great, the old adage “you eat with your eyes” seems to have proven itself, as the table settings have tied together another meal.

With a season full of dining, entertaining, and spending time with loved ones approaching quickly, I thought it was the perfect time to write a guide on table setting trends through the years.

1920s: Formal and Floral

In the 1920s, as you might imagine, “setting table” was quite the to-do. Dinner parties, or soirees, were held in magnificent mansions that were, in retrospect, harbingers for the coming economic downturn. No worries, though. Properly placed dishware would ensure the night went off without a hitch. And to be properly placed, in the 1920s, the dinner table had to be laid out in a very specific manner. Each guest’s eighteen-inch designated area was referred to as a cover. According to a 1929 article on table etiquette from the San Pedro News Pilot, each cover had a service plate in the middle, flanked by forks to the left and a knife and soup spoon to the right. In its proper placement, each piece of silverware would be exactly one inch from the edge of the table.

Transferware dishes brought provincial French toilé-style imagery to the American masses with ease. Though often seen in the classic blue-and-white colorway, many popular dishes at the time also had pastoral scenes in maroon red or dark golden brown. Coordinating silverware sets would be complete with beautiful floral scrollwork, another callback to the simpler times before America began its process of industrialization. Or maybe I’m looking too far into it.