An enjoyable table setting will be harmonious with all it's parts and pieces.
Here is what you can do to prevent your event from becoming another horror story.
For starters: Know the basic china, silver, and glassware that you have on hand to work with.
Sure this sounds simple, but how many of you really know what you have stuffed into your cupboards over the years? Or, what pieces broke way back when?
A good way to know what you have is to pull it out and photo it. List how many of each.
Doing this, I discovered I have three china sets for special entertaining. One set is a complete set for twelve, shown top left. Another is complete for 5, but there are 12 small bowls, cups and saucers and 8 dinner plates (shown right). The other is for 20, except for one plate.
I have eleven green with gold soups and 12 saucers. I have 12 green with gold demitasse sets. I have 8 gold demitasse sets. I have salt dishes, butter pats, relish plates....
Who uses all this stuff?What I needed to know, and what you need to know, to quickly deal with the basics of what's on hand and get on to making our tables fabulous are: What colors and what shapes work well together? If doing a dinner for eight what are the options? If service is required for six or for twelve? What if it is a basic three course? Or, a fancy seven course? What can demitasse sets be used for? Is there another use for shot glasses? What about those tiny "liquor" stemmed glasses? Is there another use, other than that first intended, for the other oddities we can't seem to get rid of? And, what can be added to make our table settings look more up to date?
Lets talk Shapes.
Most china is round, no problem. However, there are squares, ovals, rectangles, octagons and even twelve sided, as shown in two of my sets above, and more. Circles, or rounds, dominate a design. Placing a round on top of another shape will work depending on their sizes, and vice versa. A good rule of thumb is smaller rounds on top of larger other shapes and same size or smaller other shapes on top of rounds. Experiment, if you have varying shaped pieces.
When it comes to glassware, shapes can work hard for harmony or subtly, yet mightily, work against it. When placing different shaped glasses next to each other note the negative space between the "bowl" of the glasses. Is the space between the glasses pleasing, like the two different glasses shown left?
Is the shape the same, such as these cobalt glasses? Are the patterns alike, or close, such as in the cut and etched design above?
Shapes are important.
A square under plate updates this vintage desert bowl and ice cream spoon with modern flare. The vintage cordial stem adds interest and fun when filled with a sauce or creme de menthe.
A large square plate used as a service or place plate is quite modern under another square plate. The small vintage fan shaped plate is great for an appetizer and the crystal salter is large enough for a sauce. 
The same square service plate works for this larger fan shaped plate (vintage snack plate with place for cup) and is perfect for a salad. The egg cup works well for "dressing on the side."
A twelve sided vintage china plate sits nicely on the square service plate as well. An Ikea double handled soup bowl helps make this setting special without seeming overly formal.
Round on round on round always works, and this up to date Calvin Klein cup, with no handles, and a saucer are a favorite of mine for a small soup serving. The square napkin with geometric pattern further updates this setting with vintage platinum rimmed dinner plate used as a service plate.
The saucer works for an appetizer with vintage cocktail fork and modern oval mini sauce dish.
A paper napkin in a square lucite holder sits nicely under a crystal finger bowl used for cold soup. Even with fancy spoon, napkin ring and name card , the unexpected decreases the formality.
The combination of modern saucer, vintage gold demitasse saucer, vintage ice cream spoon, and vintage clover shaped ash tray (yes, cigarette ash tray) are perfect with a paper napkin to say "special desert" without looking old school.
The napkin, shown below, folded into a triangle and set under the soup bowl and on top of modern salad plate and vintage dinner plate gives this place setting a current appeal for a somewhat formal look.
Mixing a non-traditional into your table setting is an easy update. Try a large dinner napkin folded into a square and set atop an unmatched plate on a vintage one. There are many ways to bring vintage into today's world. Try a salter for a mini sauce bowl, a bird Christmas ornament clipped to a name card placed on the plate instead of above it, and more.
Color and Pattern Can Do Amazing Things.The silvers, grays, and whites of the setting above say soft and fancy. The colors and the patterns of this setting shout special fun.
Below, the vintage mix of glass on modern plate, in a muted tone with no pattern, still says elegant. The mix plays down the formality of the white table cloth, crystal goblets and silver.
A mix of pattern and color can be playful, lively and informal, as seen right.
Mixing just a couple of patterns with less bold color and not as much contrast between colors makes for a more subtle statement.
Not so bold modern colors are easier to mix with vintage patterned multi-color china.
Finding current and modern pieces to use with what you already have can be a challenge.
I was lucky to find a color called "ash" from Calvin Klein at a discount store. The fact that these modern additions can be microwaved and are dish washer safe is icing on the not so old fashioned yet somewhat fancy and this is special cake!
The next post will pull it all together for a special Holiday table.
