Tableware & Professional Secrets

to set a high-end table

How to choose a high-end table?

Whether it's to enhance an intimate dinner, impress your guests at a grand reception, or simply treat yourself every day, the art of luxury tableware is a true conveyer of emotions. In France, from Paris to the French Riviera, the seated meal is a sacred ritual where the container highlights the content.

Every detail matters: the brilliance of a crystalline or innovative material glass, the curve of a plate, the weight of a piece of cutlery. To transform your dining room into a table worthy of the finest Michelin-starred restaurants, discover our professional tips and the iconic collections from the brand Chef&Sommelier.

simple and fast

How to choose and showcase your designer dining table?

Before considering glasses and plates, furniture selection is the central pillar of your decor. A high-end dining table should structure the space while inviting conviviality.

The art of dimensions and circulation: A majestic table inspires prestige, but circulation space is the key to comfort. Interior designers recommend leaving a minimum of 80 cm (ideally 120 cm) around the table to allow for smooth French-style service and easy movement for your guests.

Location and light: Traditionally centered in the dining room, your table can also break conventions by being placed near a large bay window. Good exposure will highlight the unique reflections of your glassware.

Noble shapes and materials: While the rectangular table remains a standard for large receptions, the round table encourages more fluid and intimate exchanges. For materials, solid wood brings warmth, while marble or waxed concrete add a decidedly contemporary touch. Our tip: If you like to display the raw material of your table, you can certainly do without a tablecloth and opt for minimalist table runners.

French-style

How to set a luxury dining table?

French-style table setting follows precise codes that evolve over time while modernizing. To create a visual harmony worthy of a Parisian palace, follow the order of arrangement.

1. Textiles as the Foundation

A high-quality linen or jacquard cotton tablecloth is the backdrop for your masterpiece. While white remains the symbol of timeless elegance, mineral shades (charcoal grey, sage, natural linen) are very trendy. Pair them with matching or contrasting napkins, folded with sobriety.

2. The Perfect Alignment of Plates

Place the charger plate about 2 cm from the edge of the table, perfectly centered with respect to the seat. Then stack the dinner plate, followed by the appetizer plate if necessary.

3. The Symmetry of Cutlery

To the left: Forks, tines facing the table (French tradition).
To the right: Knives (blade facing the plate) and the soup spoon.
Above: Dessert cutlery (small spoon or fork) is placed between the plate and the glasses.

The art of glassmaking

A focus on excellence by Chef&Sommelier

The choice of glassware is what sets a high-end table apart. This is where oenological expertise meets pure aesthetics. By choosing Chef&Sommelier glasses, a brand favored by sommeliers and restaurateurs worldwide, you bring a professional signature to your table.

Crafted from Krysta, a revolutionary lead-free crystalline material, these glasses offer lasting brilliance, absolute transparency to appreciate the wine's color, and exceptional rim finesse.

The Chef&Sommelier Exaltation Collection

For a truly memorable table, the Exaltation collection is a must-have. Designed specifically to enhance sparkling wines and champagnes, its innovative design and bold lines stimulate the development of aromas while offering a unique visual spectacle thanks to its laser-etched point that activates fine and regular effervescence.

The Galea & Mylla Collections: With their slender silhouette, tall and delicate stem, and perfectly balanced bowl, these stemmed glasses made from extra-fine crystalline, combining thin walls and elegant shapes, the Galea & Mylla ranges bring unparalleled verticality and classic elegance to your table setting.

The Open Up / Reveal'Up Collections: Ideal for lovers of contemporary design and technical tasting. Its dynamic angular break is not only aesthetic: it allows for optimal wine oxygenation.

The Geometry of Taste

How to pair and arrange your glasses?

To avoid clutter while respecting etiquette, the golden rule is diagonal arrangement, from largest to smallest, from left to right:

The tumbler or water glass: Contrary to popular belief, modern table setting values magnificent colorful or cut water tumblers (such as Luminarc tumblers) placed all the way to the left, or slightly set back to break the straight line.
The red wine glass: Wider to allow aeration of the nectar, it is placed in the center of the diagonal.
The white wine glass: Slightly smaller and narrower, it is positioned to the right.
The flute or Champagne glass: If you are serving an aperitif or dessert, the flute is elegantly placed on a second line, slightly above, between the water glass and the red wine glass.

How many glasses per person? To preserve the visual purity of your designer table, never exceed 3 to 4 glasses per guest. Two glasses (a water glass and a universal wine glass like the Macaron or the Sublym) are more than enough for a casual but refined meal.

Breaking the mold

Personalize your world

Modern table setting is not static. To make your inspiration page a true source of ideas for your customers, encourage them to express their creativity:

Mix & Match: Pair very sleek stemware like the Exaltation collection with rustic, handmade plates.

Nature's invitation to the table: Replace traditional bouquets with table arrangements common in wineries: olive branches, seasonal grape clusters, dried vine leaves, or eucalyptus.

Play of light: Multiply indirect light sources. The crystalline transparency of Chef&Sommelier's Krysta glasses will capture the glow of candles and candelabras to create enchanting reflections throughout the evening.

Discover all of Chef&Sommelier's exceptional collections on La Table d'Arc and transform every meal into a moment of pure gastronomy.

Glass selection

Each piece in our glassware catalog has been chosen for its ability to enhance your tasting moments, combining industrial expertise with expert functionality.