Yesterday Mikhael Romain, a design editor from the magazine California Home + Design, came to the store to interview me on what’s new in table linens for Fall 2008. She wanted to see the newest, latest thing and I explained that fashions in table settings don’t change quite as quickly as clothing styles do. Fewer people set a fancy table these days or even use fabric table linens for every meal. When people do shop for table linens, it is most often for a holiday occasion or for an evening of entertaining.
Twenty or twenty-five years ago, customers would buy sets of coordinating print mats and napkins for the breakfast table and white linen damask or embroidered tablecloths for formal dinners. But lifestyles have changed. Now we sell a lot of hard mats (textured vinyl that resembles leather or straw cloth) in solid colors that can be dressed up or down depending on the choice of napkin.
Combine a hard mat with a striped cotton napkin and it works for casual meals. Dress it up with a linen napkin or a silk like synthetic and a beaded napkin ring, and it will serve for all but the most formal occasions.
That said, what’s new in table linens? Spice tones are always popular for fall and we have hard mats, napkins and cotton damask tablecloths in colors like pumpkin, paprika and topaz. Subtle metallic shades, such as pewter, bronze and antique gold are featured in table linens for the holidays.
Choosing table settings to complement your china or to coordinate with the dining room, rather than following the latest fashion color, is still our recommendation. Stop in the store anytime to see what’s new, and don’t forget to measure your table before you come. Maybe with the growth of the “Slow Food” movement, we will start gathering around the dining table again, instead of eating on the run.
Shelley Rideout
Buyer
