A well-appointed table —from linens and china to glassware and centerpieces —strengthens a chic setting. But the beautiful accessories are useless if you don’t know how to set a table properly.

The contemporary buffet has elevated the trestle table to a work of art.

Young Huh, an interior designer, relishes setting an outdoor table when she’s entertaining guests at her house in Hyde Park, N.Y. Stefano Ukmar for The New York Times ...