You’ve seen, and probably liked, the posts: sprawling, freshly dressed tables, adorned with elegantly folded napkins, flowers and small dishes bursting with colour. It’s not enough to lay the table any more, you need to curate it, and a growing wave of highly skilled events planners and interior designers are leading the tablescaping charge.

Since lockdown, the trend has gathered pace as a creative way to make mealtimes feel more indulgent, and there are currently over 1.1 million posts under #tablescape on Instagram. “There’s excitement in creating a table that looks extraordinary,” says interiors expert Zeena Shah. “And making mealtimes feel fun has never been more important than right now.”

As our lives have become smaller, and we’re spending more time than ever indoors, creating joyful corners of our home has become a comfort. Later this month, Shah will host her first School of Stylist workshop on mastering the art of tablescaping. Here, she shares a preview of the secrets she’ll let you in on. Psst - you can book tickets here.

FINESSE YOUR APPROACH

Before you begin, think about what exactly it is you would like to create. “There are two types of people in the workshops I teach,” says Shah, “the perfectionists and those who dive in, making it up as they go along.” If you’re deadset on it looking right, for example, Shah recommends working from a photograph (Pinterest is a great resource, as well as the #tablescape hashtag), stepping away every now and then to see it with fresh eyes or looking at it through a camera for perspective. “If in doubt, always take something away. Less is more,” she says. If you’re nervous about it going wrong, or unsure of what to incorporate on the table, Shah recommends setting a theme for the dinner. “It’s so much easier to figure out what you want to use when the items link to a theme. If you were having an Italian dinner, for example, use big, beautiful wine glasses as part of the decoration, a red and white gingham table cloth or napkins and big dishes to serve food in, family-style.”

Tablescaping: four ways to bring joy to your table