The new book of table settings

Here's a guide to decorating a dinner table that's geared to today's lifestyles, when takeout in front of the fireplace counts as having friends over for dinner and a potluck picnic is far more common than a five-course meal. As a nod toward tradition, a basics section reviews the standard tableware components and provides some light-hearted refreshers on traditional put-the-salad-fork-here etiquette. More important, it shows how to assemble an all-purpose collection of tableware that will provide the foundation for almost any setting. Then, in four chapters (and with stunning photography), the book offers dozens of clever, creative, and highly do-able ideas for making tables inviting places to gather. Sometimes they're full-blown settings. Other times they're imaginative suggestions for centerpieces. The book is also loaded with tips and fun sidebars on everything from hosting a wine tasting to the best blooming branches to put in the center of your table in the spring. This book is not geared toward people who have endless space in their kitchen cabinets and unlimited tableware budgets. It's for real people--and for how they entertain today. The approach is uncomplicated the materials are accessible the results are striking.