Ideas
Linen Care ~ Softer Every Time!
Tablecloths and Placemats for Round Tables
Should My Tablecloth Match My...Wallpaper?
Not so long ago, inviting guests to your home required the standard white or ivory starched linen tablecloth, fine china, silver and cut crystal goblets. We would spend a week preparing the food, ironing the tablecloth and setting the table for our guests while repeatedly referring to etiquette books to be sure that our table met the highest expectations. There were few options for tablecloths. Unless we were hosting a barbeque or picnic, the choice for tablecloths was white or ivory.
Today, the home entertaining trend in America continues to grow. Cooking clubs, gourmet kitchens and global cuisine are all the rage. We invite people into our home and entertain in our kitchen. Frequently, our guests actually help us cook! We then proceed to the dining room or we stay in the kitchen for dining. This more relaxed approach to entertaining makes it easier of all of us to spontaneously invite a group into our home...and to find tablecloths that reflects our more casual lifestyle.
We also have a wide selection of wonderful tablecloth options....unlimited color combinations, bold patterns and fabrics that are much easier to care for than the traditional linen. Even traditional white linen now is available liquid and stain repellent. We can change the entire mood of the room or a party by simply changing our tablecloth and napkins...mixing or matching!
Of course, choices means that questions arise and decisions must be made.
" What should my tablecloth match?"
" Should my tablecloth match my dinnerware?
" I have a busy pattern on my Oriental rug...do I need to use a solid tablecloth?"
" Should I match my wallpaper, particularly if a bold pattern?"
" What about the pattern on my dining room chairs?"
The answer to these questions really depend on you and your "eye"...and the mood that you want to create on that particular day. There a lots of good choices!
Most people do have preferences for certain colors...often reflected in their color pallette for their homes or their clothing wardrobe. Some of us can tolerate a lot of mixing of patterns and colors, others prefer a more subdued palette. We encourage experimentation with patterns and colors. Most people are not aware of all of the choices available, so that may begin shopping with some ideas that change right away when the options are presented.
I generally recommend that a customer select the first color to explore. Since we carry table linens from the finest designers in the world, their color combinations and palettes are on the cutting edge of fashion. Often customers will purchase a tablecloth and decorate a room using the unexpected color palette in the tablecloth. The hallmark of a skilled designer is the use of color...so, let the tablecloth take the lead. If your first color choice does not work as expected, another color in the same cloth may lead to a totally different, and fabulous, location!
Solid tablecloths are relatively easy. Choose a color that enhances the most subtle shades of your favorite dinnerware. A neutral cloth creates an elegant look and allows you to highlight the wonderful food and flowers on your table.You can create a unified atmosphere in your room by choosing a patterned tablecloth that includes one color appearing in your dinnerware, rug or wallpaper. Experiment with color. You may be surprised how often unexpected colors in the tablecloth compliment the shades that all ready exist in the dining room or an adjoining room! A particular color may "suddenly appear" and the room and table perfectly blend together.
Or... ignore your draperies, wallpaper and carpet and create a fabulous oasis - mixing colors and patterns you never imagined in your room - and WOW your guests! All eyes will be on the table and the food and on each other!
Another option - choose a predominant color in your room for your tablecloth, add matching napkins and dinnerware in the same shade and create a soothing, elegant, quiet room. Or choose print napkins in contrasting colors for a totally different look.
Tablecloths do set the stage for your entertaining. You choose how you want to present your room, elegantly, casually, sophisticated, playful. Don't worry about "matching" the tablecloth. Today, the only "rule" is that the result is pleasing to your eye. Sit back and enjoy your party...and the compliments!
Tournesol offers fine table linens, distinctive dinnerware and gifts for the home from around the world.
Le Jacquard Francais 
Mustardseed & Moonshine 
Tournesol's Concierge