There’s no single correct pattern for setting an elegant table, because how the table is set depends on what is being served and, therefore, what implements are needed. Nevertheless, here are some guidelines for setting a dinner table for company in all but strictly formal situations:

General rules

Allow at least 15 inches between place settings, or about 24 inches from the center of one place setting to the center of the next. The space allotted to each diner is called the “cover.”

For most meals, all the flatware can be laid on the table ahead of time. For a meal with many courses, however, you should avoid crowding by laying no more than three knives, three forks and a soup spoon on the table initially. Utensils used after the main course may be brought out on the plates on which the courses are served.

The napkin can go in the center of the plate, to the left of the forks, above the plate, under the plate, on the bread-and-butter plate, in the wine glass or even draped over the chair.

Placing dinnerware

Position the dinner plate about 1 inch from the edge of the table, in the center of the cover. If you’re using a large plate called a service plate, however, set it flush with the table edge.

The bread-and-butter plate usually goes above the dinner fork.

If salad is being served as a first course, place the salad plate on the dinner plate. The salad plate also can go to the left of the forks if space allows.

If a hot beverage is being served with the meal, place the cup and saucer on the right, about 1 inch beyond the outermost piece of flatware. Align the top edge of the saucer with the top rim of the plate, and place the cup handle in a 4 o’clock position for easy access.

If a hot beverage isn’t being served until the end of the meal, however, the cup and saucer should be brought to the table after the last course.

Position the handles on soup bowls or soup cups parallel with the edge of the table.

Placing flatware

Flatware is laid on the table in the order of use, starting on the outside and moving in.

Align the lower edges of the utensils with the bottom rim of the plate. The utensils should be about an inch from the rim.

Forks go on the left of the plate. Knives go on the immediate right of the plate, and spoons to the right of the knives. The only exception is the seafood fork, which is laid on the right side of the soup spoon.

Position knives with their cutting edges facing inward, toward the plate.

The butter spreader is laid on the bread-and-butter plate in one of three ways: horizontally across the top edge of the plate, vertically on the right edge of the plate or diagonally on the upper right part of the plate.

If you’re providing your guests with a spoon for a hot beverage an after-dinner coffee spoon, a demitasse spoon or teaspoon intended strictly for stirring place it on the saucer behind the cup handle. The spoon handle should be in a 4 o’clock position.

Dessert utensils may either be presented on the dessert plate or laid on the table before the meal. In the latter case, they’re laid horizontally above the cover. The dessert spoon is laid with the handle facing right. The dessert fork goes below the dessert spoon, its handle facing left.

A fruit knife and fruit fork are presented on the fruit plate.

The iced-beverage spoon is laid on the table on the right side of the glass.

Placing stemware

Stemware goes in the top right part of the cover.

Like flatware, stemware is placed on the table in the order of use. The water goblet is placed in the position closest to the hand, about 1 inch above the tip of the dinner knife.

When a meal has only a few courses, stemware may be arranged in any pleasing manner, such as in a diagonal line that points to the table edge.