Laying beautiful tables is all in a day’s work for Royal Household-approved butler Daniel Prattley
If you’re hosting a dinner party soon, pay close attention.
Laying beautiful tables is all in a day’s work for Royal Household-approved butler Daniel Prattley – and he’s willing to share his expertise.
Daniel, 50, has been a full-time butler since 2009 and works for a variety of ultra-high-net-worth individuals in luxurious villas and estates around the world for several weeks at a time.
He occasionally shares videos on TikTok of the stunning tablescapes he has curated on the job, and they’ve proven a hit – one clip captured in the dining room of a country estate, showing candles flickering and neat rows of polished silverware, has racked up more than one million views.
So, what makes the perfect dinner-table set up? Daniel, who describes himself as a ‘modern-day butler’, tells MailOnline Travel: ‘Whatever makes your guests gasp [or] comment… is a perfectly set table, in any format. If your guests have had a good time and enjoyed the table, then it was a perfectly set table.’
Daniel has been a full-time butler since 2009 and works for a variety of ultra-high-net-worth individuals in luxurious villas and estates around the world for several weeks at a time
Successful table settings can be formal or more relaxed, depending on the occasion, the Devon native explains.
Some of Daniel’s clients ‘100 per cent insist’ that he lays the table according to what’s known as the ‘butler’s rule’, which means that ‘every placemat, napkin, glass is the same distance and every place setting is a mirror image of all the rest’.
However, that’s not the case for every wealthy client. Some ‘just want the table to look cosy and inviting’, he says.
The most common request, he finds, is for a ‘relaxed formal’ table. Daniel says: ‘This still means attention to detail is high and the level of service is flawless but it’s just done in a more familial, friendly manner.’
Regardless of the occasion, something it’s important to get right, he notes, is glassware. He says: ‘If you are using multiple glasses, you want them in order – water as the first glass, then each glass for each course wine pairing followed by dessert wine then port.’
He also recommends that you get creative with your arrangement. Daniel says: ‘Make it festive, make it colourful, use your best china and napkins.’
Successful table settings can be formal or more relaxed, depending on the occasion, Daniel explains
Daniel occasionally shares videos on TikTok of the stunning tablescapes he has curated on the job, and they’ve proven a hit. One video that Daniel shared on TikTok, showing off his beautiful table arrangements, has racked up more than one million views
The two images above show an ‘edible centrepiece’ created by Dan. He says: ‘It looks incredible and really gets guests talking especially if they are sitting next to someone they don’t know’
What are the don’ts when it comes to table-setting? He says: ‘A personal preference is to keep napkins simple. I don’t like them in glasses or folded into a waterlily.
‘I like them ironed, folded perfectly sideways so they are long and can drape off the plate or mat below the table with a simple flower, cut lavender or name card [placed] on them.’
And when it comes to adding final flourishes, there are many simple – and affordable – things you can do at home, Daniel reveals.
Daniel says: ‘Definitely use what you have, go into your garden if you have one and see what you can bring in.
‘It does not always have to be floral. I cut whole branches of trees and bushes and then stuff them with tomatoes or lemons and limes and use that as the centrepiece table runner.’
He recalls: ‘I once had to set a table for a black-and-white theme and I had so much fun with that. I used black sea salt and put black dye in the flower water, which, during the night, turned the white roses in the table vases black.’
‘Whatever makes your guests gasp [or] comment… is a perfectly set table,’ Daniel says
Daniel recommends using fresh flowers from your garden to decorate the table. Pictured to the right is a table Daniel set for a dinner party for 20 in the South of France
A set table in one of the properties Daniel has worked at. He says: ‘A personal preference is to keep napkins simple’
Doling out table-setting tips, Daniel says: ‘Make it festive, make it colourful, use your best china and napkins’
However, when adding these flourishes, one of the most common mistakes people make is underestimating the importance of ‘sight lines’. Daniel says: ‘You want everybody to be able to have eye contact with each other so don’t have a centrepiece, [such as] flowers or candles, that will block that.’
Establishing the arrangement of the seating is another important part of the process.
Failing to leave enough elbow room or leg room between guests is a common mistake, he says, explaining: ‘Guests being comfortable is so important, so sit in all [of] the chairs to see what the space is like around them and check that it’s not too cramped.’
On top of that, Daniel says that failing to pay careful attention to the seating plan is a major ‘no-no’. He advises putting strangers together, avoiding putting two shy people together, and mixing up the seating plan if dinners are being held amongst the same group over several days in a row.
Where did Daniel acquire his masterful table-setting skills? He says: ‘I have to give credit here to a client I worked for in France for many years.
‘If you are using multiple glasses, you want them in order – water as the first glass, then each glass for each course wine pairing followed by dessert wine then port,’ says Daniel
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‘To me, she is the immaculate hostess in everything she does and I have learnt so much from her. She could serve canapés out of Faberge eggs or a thousand-dollar wine out of tin mugs and [it would be] amazing… always her main focus is to give her guests the best time and she goes all out with the table decor.’
Daniel says he has been inspired by this client’s ‘mix-and-match mentality’ and now follows her lead in mixing expensive pieces – such as napkin rings and crockery – with more organic features such as fresh fruit or flowers from the garden.
Under her guidance, he has also learned to create an ‘edible centrepiece’, in which he covers the table with crudités and cheese for guests to consume as their starter. ‘It looks incredible and really gets guests talking especially if they are sitting next to someone they don’t know,’ he says.
More tips Daniel has picked up from this creative French client include creating thoughtful name cards that are personal to each guest and using deliberately mismatched tea towels instead of napkins.
Daniel does note, however, that the strength of a table setting is entirely subjective. He says: ‘There will be 1,000 books to tell you how to set a table, especially in reference to bygone eras.’
The main thing, he insists, is to have ‘fun’ with it. He says: ‘A dinner party is a wonderful thing, bringing people together to chat, eat and drink so make it however you want it to look like, have fun and enjoy it.’
To see more videos and content from Daniel, visit his Instagram and TikTok profiles.
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