If you have recently moved into your first home or apartment, you're probably looking forward to living like an adult. For instance, you're probably planning on having friends and family over for dinner at some point after you get settled in, and you may have already purchased some grown up dinnerware, cutlery, and the latest gourmet gadgets. There are some items, however, that add a final layer of elegance to any dinner party that slip the minds of many of those new to hosting dinner parties. 

Following are three things that every adult should have in their kitchen.

A Full Set of Quality Glassware

Many people take a piecemeal approach to buying glassware these days. For instance, they may pick up a set of red wine glasses from one retailer, water tumblers from another, someone gifts them gorgeous set of martini glasses, and they've some white wine glasses they bought while vacationing in Napa Valley. All of these may be of the highest possible quality, but nothing pulls a dinner party together better than using glassware from the same set. 

At Least Two Sets of Neutral Table Linens

Having two sets of table linens on hand prevents the kind of last minute panic that can happen when you discover that your tablecloth or one of your cloth napkins has a stain or a hole. Neutral colors allow you to use a variety of colors in your tablescapes -- and the most elegant tablecloth is the one that no one remembers because it does its job so well it essentially becomes invisible. The practical purpose of a tablecloth is to protect your table from nicks and spills, but its aesthetic purpose is to provide a setting for the tablescape. Light beige and cream are great neutral color choices for all purpose table linens. 

Silver Candlesticks and Unscented Tapered Candles

Candles are where many modern dinner party hosts go wrong. Nothing replaces white, tapered candles in silver candlesticks -- and the candles should always be unscented. Many of those new to hosting dinner parties make the grave mistake of choosing scented candles thinking it will add a pleasant note to the ambiance, but this approach usually has the opposite effect. Scented candles interfere with the way food smells as well as how it tastes, and some scents clash terribly with certain types of foods.

Please feel free to contact your Simon Pearce glassware retailer for more information on throwing an adult dinner party.