To set up a banquet, must you first choose the tablecloth? Or perhaps not? Frequently, opting for a tablecloth appears to be the natural decision when arranging the table. However, there are occasions when table runners and placemats prove to be the most practical or fashionable options for table settings.
When to Set the Table Without a Tablecloth
A table set without a tablecloth but with table runners and/or placemats immediately evokes an informal setting, such as breakfast, a snack, or a casual lunch on the porch. However, it's entirely possible to create a sophisticated mise en place even without a tablecloth. With a touch of creativity and the right materials, you can achieve stylish and refined combinations.
Certainly, if you possess a beautiful oak wood table, a glass table, or a designer piece, you may opt to forgo the tablecloth and showcase it in all its splendor. Moreover, depending on the color and texture of the material, you can engage in a creative exercise of mixing and matching with plates, napkins, decorations, centerpieces, and other décor elements to elevate your table. In doing so, the table's wood (or the material it's crafted from) becomes an integral part of the table setting.
Of course, it may be challenging to forego the notion of having something to safeguard the table from ditry cutlery, hot plates, or glasses prone to wine droplets that could potentially stain the wood. Fortunately, there are numerous solutions available that enable you to enhance the natural beauty of the table while still ensuring its protection with quality table linens.
Prepare the table without a tablecloth: Table Runners, Placemats, and Creative Solutions
Are you familiar with table runners? They're those long, narrow pieces of fabric that "run" across the table, positioned to indicate two place settings opposite each other or laid along the length of the table, serving as a middle ground between a centerpiece and a full tablecloth. They provide a surface on which to place glasses, serving dishes, bottles, pitchers, etc.
Linen and Cotton Table Runners: Choose Your Style!
Depending on the formality or informality of the event, you have the option to select special and refined materials, such as those adorned with lace or jacquard work.
Linen is consistently an elegant choice, blending a light, natural, and delicate style with the sophistication of the fabric. Its quality as a noble material is discernible both by touch and sight.
Layers, Layers, Layers!
You can engage in a modern play of overlays by combining table runners and placemats: layers upon layers! By selecting contrasting materials and colors (while also considering the chosen tableware), you can create a stylish and original table setting without a tablecloth.
For instance, you might designate the primary place settings with table runners stretched across the table, then distinguish individual placements with cloth placemats in a darker hue or one that contrasts with the color of the table runner. Alternatively, you could opt for wooden cutting boards or wicker placemats for a more organic appearance, ideal for a dining table arranged on a veranda, terrace, or garden.
Alternatively, on your wooden table, you can position the table runner as a centerpiece and place fabric placemats underneath the place settings, mirroring the texture of the table runner. For an artistic flourish, visually link the place settings with a matching ribbon running parallel to the table runner. And remember to adorn the table with a captivating centerpiece: be it a floral arrangement, scattered candles, or other personalized details of your preference, adding a curated finishing touch to your table sans a tablecloth.
