By rights, Heather Weaver, of Guinevere Antiques, should be hyperventilating. She has six interior-design luminaries coming for dinner in 20 minutes. A wooden screen, knocked off balance, has just come within a hair’s breadth of smashing an array of priceless antique glassware on her sideboard, and she hasn’t yet finished dressing her decadent-looking dining table. But Weaver is unruffled. “I’m not really a flapper,” she says coolly.

Creating a distinctive style for a dinner party is, of course, easier for Weaver than for the rest of us. Whereas most of us might be able to cobble together dinnerware for eight, she has 14 rooms full of table-top delights to choose from in the shop, and is unrepentant about making the most of it. “Using beautiful antique pieces creates atmosphere,” she says. If you make a table look gorgeous, your guests feel special. “When I’m planning a table setting, I start with one thing and that sets the ball rolling. This time it was the orange tablecloth. I chose that colour because I thought it was zingy and different.”

Weaver dyed the Victorian cotton cloth brilliant tangerine especially for the occasion and accessorised it with a riotous mixture of old and not-so-old, traditional and quirky. There are 1930s amber-coloured pressed-glass plates, Napoleon III ormolu candelabra, bohemian glass decanters and red 1950s Val St Lambert glasses. Under the cloth is an ornate Uzbek suzani (“like an embellished underskirt”), and around the table are ebony chairs to match the touches of black embroidery.

Weaver and her husband, Marc, love to entertain. On the guest list today is a collection of local clients and friends: interior designers Nina Campbell, Alidad and Suzy Hoodless (the “It girl of the interiors world”, as Weaver describes her); yacht designer and neighbour Dickie Bannenberg; venture capitalist Kim Hurd (wife of Tory MP Nick); and ebullient shop owner William Yeoward.

The guests are unintimidated by the extravagance of the setting.

“We’re just having a bit of fun,” says Yeoward, as he sneaks a piece of roast squash from the centre of the table, coordinating (of course) with the orange theme. On the menu today, colour is key, too: stilton sformatini (mini soufflés) with a tomato coulis, slow-roasted pheasant with prunes and a cranberry compote, and lemon tart with lime-and-ginger sorbet.

“I thought it would look lovely against the tangerine cloth,” says Weaver, conscious as ever of the visual impact.

WEAVER’S ENTERTAINING TIPS

Get the table ready the night before, so there is as little as possible to organise on the day.

Start with one thing – a vase, a plate or a colour – and create a setting around it. Here, the tangerine cloth led to an orange theme, and flowers, tableware and food followed on from that.

Use antique pieces if you have them: they don’t have to match, but they help to create an atmosphere.

Always set out place names, so people feel invited and welcomed, but don’t stick to boring name cards. Here, Weaver wrote names on playing cards and pinned them to oranges with cocktail sticks.

Don’t be afraid to use bold and unexpected colours. Whether your guests love them or hate them, they will at least be a talking point.

Layer the table with an eclectic mix of textures, colours and shapes. “Some people might think the end result is too busy, but I think it adds richness,” says Weaver.

Choose simple, good food or call in a caterer. You have to give the impression that throwing a party is “an absolute breeze”. Remember, guests will only be as relaxed as the host.

Don’t panic – it will only make things worse.

If all else fails, you can always resort to William Yeoward’s party trick: make the table too small so that everyone has to sit close together, and give them all one too many drinks.

ADDRESS BOOK

TABLE TOP Guinevere Antiques, 574-580 King’s Road, SW6; 020 7736 2917, www.guinevere.co.uk

WINE Lea and Sandeman, 170 Fulham Road, SW10; 020 7244 0522

FOOD Megan’s Deli, 571 King’s Road, SW6; 020 7371 7837

FLOWERS Moyses Stevens, 16 Motcomb Street, SW1; 020 7501 0550

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