Setting an artful table

A beautifully set table can make an event all the more special, and a unique centrepiece is a great addition to any table. Below is a list of ideas for ways to make your special occasion table distinctive.

Tip: Before your guests arrive, make sure that your centrepiece isn't so tall that it will block their line of vision: place your centrepiece in the middle of the table, pull out a chair, and take a seat. If the tallest flowers or other decorative items are taller than face height, shorten them so that guests can make eye contact.

When your garden is in bloom, cut small bouquets and arrange them in empty jam jars, glass water bottles, or clean mustard pots. If you have a long table, line them up in the center for a centrepiece your guests will remember.

Add another dimension to the floral arrangements you use as a centrepiece. A few drops of food colouring in the water of a clear glass vase will make a pretty setting prettier.

Some products, including Italian plum tomatoes and espresso, come in especially artful cans. Once you've consumed the contents, use the cans to create a centrepiece. Set small leafy green plants of different heights in three cans and arrange the colourful planters in the centre of the table.

Use small picture frames, matched or unmatched, as place card holders. If you're a practised calligrapher, write each guest's name on a piece of good-quality paper cut to fit the frame, or simply choose a nice computer font and print out your guests' names. Slide each "card" into its frame.

When friends are coming over for a smaller dinner party, make things more interesting and unexpected by varying the place settings — a brightly coloured plate here, a rose-patterned fine china plate there. The result is not only eclectic, but also a great conversation starter.

Gone are the days when silver was hauled out only on special occasions; use it for everyday casual dinner parties. Don't worry if it's tarnished … it'll lend the table a bit of retro character!

Your guests will be so impressed with your chic table design and centrepiece the next time you entertain, they'll ask you for the name of your decorator. Only you have to know you did it all yourself!