Contributed by Harry Heissmann |  http://www.harryheissmanninc.com/ 

Sharing meals with family and friends is a holiday tradition, a time to celebrate important events and a way to spend time with people we care about.  The best start to a fine dining experience is to sit down to a beautifully set table!

In the mid 20th century, Van Day Truex, design director at Tiffany’s, inaugurated the “program to present table settings of taste and imagination.”  (Tiffany Table Settings, 1960) Holding table setting events at their store in New York City, Truex invited his many well known friends to design the tables, including socialite Mrs. Vincent Astor and artist, Andy Warhol (see photo at right). Photographs of these tables remind us of times gone by and of the long lasting influence of great quality, design and creativity. Tiffany & Co. has had more influence on the way Americans “dress” their tables than any other company.

I first got involved with table settings 10 years ago for a charitable cause. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, where I served as co-design chair with Mr. Hadley for three years, opened the Spring International Show with tables designed by designers and inspired by objects of art exhibited at the show. The sheer variety of table tops was mind-boggling and a feast for the eyes! The event has since moved to Sotheby’s where it continues to be one of the high points in the NewYork social calendar – and a very important fundraiser for the organization.

Recently, “Holiday House 2009” held a table setting event for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Designers selected holidays as the inspiration for their tables and went all out. For my “Groundhog Day” centerpiece, my friend Amy at Seaport Flowers in Brooklyn Heights, created a mound of different mosses and branches to feature the two resin groundhog figures I found online (see photo at left). The plates were custom made by another friend, Christopher Spitzmiller. The event was a huge success.

Here are some of the things I like to keep in mind when designing my tables:

• Start with a freshly pressed table cloth or plate chargers.

• Seating cards in pretty card holders are a nice touch and let you decide where your guests should sit.

• Folded napkins should be placed on each plate. I learned a simple way of folding napkins online and I use the same folding technique for every setting just changing the napkins.

• For your centerpiece, use flowers, fruit, decorative items, candles. As the focal point of your table, the centerpiece is a good place to emphasize your theme.
*remember to keep your centerpiece low so your guests can see each other above it – and never use strong scented flowers or candles.

Most importantly, have fun with your table. Mix family heirlooms and inexpensive items on the same table. Make the table setting yours! You want your guests to talk about it long after the meal!

E-mail me with questions at harry@harryheissmaninc.com 

Harry Heissmann, 12/2009

Source: Tiffany Table Settings, 1960