Metro Everyday Living Creative Consultant, Frieda Colet Lim, shows off her beautiful table setting. Using a mixture of high-end flatware and budget plates and glassware achieves an expensive looking spread.

Passionate homemaker and domestic arts expert, Ms. Frieda Colet Lim, the current Creative Consultant Everyday Living at Metro, shares practical tips on how to tastefully do table settings for those who have “champagne taste with beer budget.” 

It’s really not that hard. Fact of the matter is it’s very doable to set a beautiful table, even make it look expensive, with some frugal methods that are actually clever and fun! Where to go to get supplies for economical “tablescaping”?  A budget-friendly store like Everyday Living at Metro, of course.  

Layering for dramatic effect
Layering the elements in your table is key to achieving a polished look. Layer your materials, like stacking plates of contrasting color on top of one another. Not enough matching tableware for all your guests? Mix and match what you have, combining colors and styles for variety.

Colorful napkins or placemats make for a pleasing visual. To get a colorful look without going overboard, stick to three colors with similar intensities for your dishware and accessories.

Layer linens after linens as well. Play around with small tablecloths by using a plain sheet as an under cloth, and lay several small, pretty tablecloths diagonally on top to cover a large table. If you don’t have an under cloth, use a thick blanket underneath a tablecloth to prevent the top of the table from being marked. Short on tablecloths? Improvise by using sheets or lengths of fabric. Check out the fabric section of Metro for inexpensive alternatives.

Floral finesse
Fresh flowers are always the best choice for a lovely centerpiece. Simply pick from your garden as a free alternative to buying expensive bouquets. If you don’t have a flower garden, use faux flowers instead. At Metro Everyday Living, you can find so many choices of silk or fabric plants that actually look lifelike especially when you add real leaves around it.

Add a special touch to plain napkins by bringing a pleasant scent to the dinner table. Tuck sprigs of herbs or flowers into bare napkin rings. You can also use fresh chive to tie around a simple rolled napkin.

Easy solutions for an interesting setting

If you don’t have oversized serving plates, use your trays as platter for buffet foods. Line them with salad leaves before arranging food on top to make them attractive and presentable.

If you don’t have a cake stand to showcase your desserts, use a large plate or platter.  Place it on top of an upturned bowl or soufflé dish making sure to position the plate at the center. 

For an unusual presentation, serve bread and canapés in basket containers.  Line them with napkins for bread and large leaves for canapés. Arrange bite sized finger foods on a mirror tile instead of a plate for a pleasantly uncommon display.  Leave space between each canapé to achieve the best effect. 

Happy dining!

Come visit Metro now with branches in Market! Market! at The Fort, at the Ayala Center in Cebu, Mandaue, Colon, Legazpi, and Lucena. Soon to open at MarQuee Mall in Angeles City.