We often talk about changing the cushions on your sofas to give your living room an instant facelift. But what can you do in the dining room? It’s rarely convenient to change all your chairs, after all, and not everyone has room for a buffet with pretty décor on it. But a lot of people have placemats and table runners. These are cheap, practical, and stylish, and can fulfil much the same facelift function as cushions in your living room.
So how do you pick placemats and table runners for your dining table? Read on to find out!
1. THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AT YOUR DINING TABLE DAY TO DAY
Are you single? In a couple? Or do you have a family to feed? This will determine how many placemats you really must buy.
2. THINK ABOUT THE LENGTH OF YOUR TABLE (BUT DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH!)
You need to look at the length of your dining table and make sure you’ve got enough material for it to fit nicely in the middle of the table.
Some people suggest your table runner needs to be a certain proportional length (one-third to two-thirds the length of the table, for example), but this really doesn’t need be something you worry about. Table runners are made long enough so that they’re almost always folded on the table, so unless you’ve got fancy features on your runner like tassels then you can adjust the length to however you please.
3. HAVE SPARES
If you have four in your family, get six. You’ll need spares for washing. If you ever have dinner parties with 8, 10, 12, or even 20 or more people, you better stock up!
4. CONSIDER A TABLECLOTH TOO
Don’t forget the humble tablecloth! They can add a very useful layer of practicality in young family homes (think vinyl or some other easily maintainable material), or, if they’re a bit fancier, they can add literally another layer of style to your dining room.
Happy decorating! Check out our range of placemats and table runners for some more inspo.