Tablescapes and Other Bougie Nonsense

November 16, 2022 7:32 AM

Hey all. I'm hosting Thanksgiving for the first time, and using it as an excuse to buy baby's first tablecloth and napkins. Please help me choose!

I have two sets of dishes, one very basic white minimalist IKEA set, and one set of Red Wing china which looks more or less like this.

What style (fabric, color, etc) of napkin and tablecloth do you think might go with both? The table itself is a walnut color and the room overall will be a kind of neutral colors, mid-century vibe. (Walls are being painted Sherman-Williams Light French Gray.) Ideally these would be pretty washable and hardy, so I can use them reasonably often in place of disposables.

Kind of a ridiculous question, but hey. Thanks in advance!

posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese to Home & Garden (17 answers total)

I would be inclined to pick one if the colors out of the plates and go with that.

But really, I just came here to say: your napkins must be all or mostly cotton or linen. Maybe bamboo these days. Natural fibres.

Do not buy polyester napkins because they are useless as napkins. This is a lesson I learned by buying polyester napkins and trying to use them.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:40 AM on November 16, 2022 [13 favorites]

A nice ivory or natural linen colored tablecloth is always in style. I would add color with the napkins and a table runner by picking up the rust or celery color in your dishes.
posted by jraz at 7:45 AM on November 16, 2022

I love using cloth napkins; please get cotton or linen, synthetics are useless for their task. I have a bunch in similar shades, and mix-n-match. World Market has beautiful napkins. These are a good price; I like the Gray floral and Multistripe with your dishes, but Gray print is more subdued. Solids. Cotton or linen softens with age, and lasts quite a while; they are so much more pleasant to use than paper, worth the few minutes of folding to me.

Because they're small, napkins are easy to tie-dye if you are even the tiniest bit crafty. You don't need to use special dye, you do need to wear gloves.

I'd get a solid coordinated color tablecloth because my pattern-combining has limits.
posted by theora55 at 8:02 AM on November 16, 2022

So, I am a fan of Crate and Barrel napkins (and usually buy them secondhand at a particular rummage sale I go to in October most years). Here is a link to some cotton ones in a variety of attractive solid colors. They also have some plain solid color tablecloths.

For a tablecloth that's a little more special, what about this linen one from West Elm? Or this nice runner?

I like to mix and match table linens, rather than have them absolutely in lockstep. As long as the colors work well together, it's nice to have some visual texture.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 8:02 AM on November 16, 2022 [2 favorites]

One thing we always did in my family was put down some kind of barrier tablecloth (vinyl usually with a fuzzy underside) underneath the fancy one, so that spills, hot dishes, etc. didn't damage the wood.

I would buy 3-4 tablecloths in neutrals and colors that harmonize with your dishes so you have options, as well. It's a worthwhile investment.

Personally I'm not a huge fan of white because it does show everything, but a warm tan or darker gray will often work for many occasions/layouts.
posted by emjaybee at 8:18 AM on November 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Oooo - exciting! A nice bricky-orange red might be a nice tablecloth color, which has the added benefit of hiding a multitude of finger-wiping sins. Napkins in a darker/deeper version of the same color would look great with both sets of plates, and align with a mid-century aesthetic.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 8:25 AM on November 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: (lol. SHERWIN Williams, thanks autocorrect)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:31 AM on November 16, 2022

Here’s a stonewashed linen tablecloth on Etsy, with alternate color keywords “terracotta”, “red ochre” - a beautiful Mexican cotton tablecloth in brick red, with some pattern detailing that could be played against both the plain and patterned dishes - a stripe (available in “dusty red”), which could also be a nice choice for a pattern contrast for napkins (since there’s already floral on the plates).
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 8:37 AM on November 16, 2022

We have these in a variety of colors, I believe in the 12x12 size, and they are AMAZING. We got them to use for nicer dinners with our china, but they're so great we use them for everyday meals. If I were in your shoes, I'd get some of those in something like the burnt orange to pull out that great orangey red accent from your dishes, and then a contrasting tablecloth.
posted by okayokayigive at 8:47 AM on November 16, 2022

emjaybee is offering up some good advice. A pad protector (random assortment, no personal recommendation) is very helpful in saving your furniture from mishaps. You don't need one that hangs down over the edge, but you do want one that covers the entire surface of the table.
posted by sardonyx at 9:41 AM on November 16, 2022 [2 favorites]

If you want to splash out, Williams Sonoma has some GORGEOUS tablecloths, runners and napkins, but they are spendy. I particularly like the idea of a rust tablecloth with this runner in grey and your white dishes. Or rust tablecloth + white dishes + these napkins for a little more casual look.
posted by sarajane at 10:36 AM on November 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

I would go with a raspberry and a celery green. One for the tablecloth, one for the napkins.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:24 PM on November 16, 2022

+1 to not getting white
+1 to a rust, deep red or jewel toned tablecloth
+1 to getting linen/cotton blend
+1 to crate and barrel for solid quality (we inherited some tan/" natural" ones from a neighbor and they are excellent for both daily use and fancy use)

Polyester napkins are indeed useless, and our waterford linen navy napkins, while awesome and the best color, literally collect all the hair from our cat (unknown how, as they are kept in a sealed bag) and require lint rolling before guests.

I would spend $200-250 or so on a linen tablecloth in your favorite color. It will feel absurd, but also you will only purchase once and then it's done forever, and linen will survive. (You can also thrift, or make yourself from raw cloth)
posted by larthegreat at 2:54 PM on November 16, 2022

Congratulations and love your Red Wing dishes. Not a ridiculous question at all. A nicely laid table is a joy and a pleasure, and really amps up the holiday cheer. I inherited a collection of cotton and linen tablecloths and napkins from both grandmothers and my mother. I also have cotton sets from Crate & Barrel and April Cornell that I like a lot. I regularly mix and match, and I think it often looks better when the napkins contrast a bit with the tablecloth. Also, while white might seem boring, it goes with everything and can be bleached when stained. It would look elegant against grey walls. For a holiday table, nothing beats the white on white with sparkling candles and some greenery for a centrepiece. If you're into vintage, there's lots of places that do do secondhand linen. Nth-ing that natural fibres are essential to absorbancy in napkins. Also consider a basic white tablecloth with a seasonal runner.
posted by amusebuche at 5:01 PM on November 16, 2022 [2 favorites]

Slightly off piste: I have made tablecloths and napkins by knotting the fringes of cotton monk’s cloth. It arrives flat and sort of hole-y, but gets thick and softer wash after wash. No need to iron, very absorbent, durable. Any of the pale neutrals there would look well with your Red Wing, I think, or some of the colors.

You could also hem it or have it hemmed.
posted by clew at 8:27 PM on November 16, 2022

I love my hunter green tablecloth - the dark jewel tone color makes the plates pop without demanding attention for itself. Also it is a polyester weave (nubbly texture) that can be machine washed and dried without needing any ironing. (No ironing is a major requirement for tablecloths in our house.)
posted by metahawk at 9:58 AM on November 17, 2022

So I have collected a bunch of cotton bandannas over the years and use them exclusively as napkins. I have them in a ton of different colors, which works for me because my dishes are white and also because the grandkids love getting to choose the colored napkins that they prefer. They have lasted really well, shockingly so, so I want to throw that out for future, non-fancy napkin needs.
posted by Bella Donna at 11:26 AM on November 17, 2022 [1 favorite]