Table linen setting guide: sizes, layers and layouts

Table linen is mostly a sizing problem. Get the drop right and almost any combination of cloth, runner and placemats looks deliberate; get it wrong and good fabric looks like a mistake.

This guide covers the arithmetic first, then the layering choices.

Sizing a tablecloth

Tablecloth length = table length + (2 x drop)

Tablecloth width = table width + (2 x drop)

The drop is the overhang on each side. Choose it by occasion:

A drop past 15 inches on a dining table ends up in people's laps. Save floor-length for buffet and display tables where nobody sits.

Common Indian dining tables

For a round table, the cloth is a circle of table diameter + (2 x drop). A square cloth on a round table is a legitimate look, but the four corners will hang notably lower than the sides - plan for it rather than discover it.

Sizing a runner

A runner sits along the length of the table, over a cloth or straight onto bare wood.

• Length: table length + 12 to 24 inches, so 6-12 inches overhang at each end. On a table with a decorative edge, stopping the runner 6 inches short at each end instead also reads well - just be consistent.
• Width: roughly one third of the table width. On a 36 inch table that is 12-14 inches.
• Across a round table: a runner can also run across the diameter, or two runners can cross at the centre.

Placemats and napkins

Allow 24 inches of table width per person. A 72 inch table seats three comfortably per side; squeezing four means placemats touch.

Layering

There are four workable layers. Use two or three, rarely all four.

1. Silence cloth (felt or thin quilted underlay). Optional, goes directly on the wood. It deadens the clatter of crockery, protects against heat, and makes the top cloth hang better. Underrated.
2. Tablecloth. The main surface.
3. Runner or placemats. Use one or the other, not usually both - a runner under placemats reads as clutter unless the placemats are noticeably narrower than the runner.
4. Napkins. On the plate, to the left of the forks, or in the glass.

Combinations that work:

• Everyday: placemats on bare wood, napkins to the left. Fastest to clear and wash.
• Family dinner: tablecloth plus napkins. No runner, no placemats.
• Semi-formal: tablecloth, runner down the centre with the serving dishes on it, napkins on the plates.
• Formal: silence cloth, tablecloth to a 12-15 inch drop, placemats, napkins folded on the plate.

A standard place setting

Working outward from the plate, which sits about 1 inch from the table edge:

• Forks to the left, in order of use, outermost used first.
• Knife immediately right of the plate, blade facing inward toward the plate.
• Spoon right of the knife.
• Dessert spoon and fork horizontally above the plate.
• Water glass above the knife tip; wine glass to its right.
• Bread plate above the forks, on the left.
• Napkin on the plate, or left of the forks.

For an Indian thali-style setting, the plate or thali sits centred, the spoon goes to the right, and katoris are arranged along the top edge of the thali rather than around it.

Three napkin folds worth knowing

• The rectangle. Fold in half, then half again, lay flat to the left of the forks. Takes two seconds and never looks wrong.
• The envelope. Fold into a square, fold the top layer down diagonally, tuck the sides behind. Holds cutlery or a place card neatly.
• The roll. Roll on the diagonal and tie with twine, a leaf, or a simple ring. The most forgiving fold on a napkin that has been washed many times and no longer holds a crisp crease.

Cotton and linen hold a fold; synthetic blends do not. If you want structured folds, press the napkins slightly damp beforehand.

Care notes

• Wash table linen separately from towels - lint transfers badly onto flat weaves.
• Treat food stains before washing, and never with hot water. See the bedspread washing guide for a stain-by-stain table that applies equally here.
• Iron slightly damp on medium heat for a crisp finish.
• Store flat or rolled rather than tightly folded. Permanent fold lines across a tablecloth centre are hard to remove.
• Roll runners around a cardboard tube to avoid a crease down the middle.

Quick answers

• What size tablecloth for a 6-seater table? A 60 x 36 in table needs roughly 80 x 56 in for a 10 inch drop.
• How much overhang should a tablecloth have? 6-8 inches for everyday, 10-15 inches for formal.
• How wide should a table runner be? About a third of the table width, so 12-14 inches on a standard table.
• What is the standard dinner napkin size? 20 x 20 inches; 16 x 16 for everyday meals.
• Can I use a runner and placemats together? Yes, if the placemats are clearly narrower than the runner, or the runner crosses the table rather than running along it.