Perfect Tables showcases 26 stunning ideas for tables that will inspire you to entertain both on a grand scale and informally.

A highly respected designer of fine tableware, William Yeoward is not only a force in international design, but a larger-than-life bon vivant who loves food, entertaining, style and chat – and who has turned table-setting into an art form. Here, he offers ideas and inspiration for a variety of table settings. In ‘Special Occasions’ and ‘Family & Friends’ are beautiful tables for Thanksgiving, Christmas, a midsummer wedding and Valentine’s Day, plus informal settings for a buffet supper, a children’s tea party and the perfect breakfast. The ‘Essentials’ chapter reveals the secrets William uses to transform any occasion from plain to perfect and there’s a chapter on designing your tables with colour to enhance mood and theme, too – dining with blue-and-white china, using tartans, playing with red, violet and pink glassware and introducing gold that sets shimmering crystal alight. With tips on table etiquette and clever and inspiring ideas for everything from laying cutlery, china and glassware with precision to tying napkins and choosing flowers, William shows how attention to the tiniest detail adds to the ambience of any table.