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My daughter tells me that no one today uses tablecloths, but they use placemats, I would like to get opinions on this,
I have at this time tons of tablecloths, so I guess if she is right, I am going to start donating.

I use tablecloths less than I used to because my cats are more likely to lie on the table with a cloth on it. Can't seem to train cats to do what I want and it leads to a lot of laundry. I always use placemats when I don't use a tablecloth and put them on after wiping the table just before a meal.

However, while I've edited out a few cloths I'm keeping most of them as I really don't care what anyone else does in their home and will do what I want in mine. I also use placemats, in fact sometimes use placemats on top of a tablecloth. I think I'm turning into my DM! She sometimes used a large cloth with a smaller cloth on top, then placemats!

I occasionally go over-the-top and use a very ornate cloth scrunched up on my large sideboard with a vignette on it. Doesn't last long as the cats think it's a nice bed and I have to remove the cat hair, wash it, and put it away until I want a lot of extra work again.

I think most people just want to avoid extra laundry and keep things simple but IMO some of these little decorating extras lead to a certain 'je ne sais quoi' which is part of one's lifestyle. I like pretty things and don't occasionally mind the extra work it takes. Of course no one would ever call my style of decor 'simple' - it tends more to 'more-is-more' altho I've edited it a bit in recent years.

IMO tablecloths NEVER go out of style! I have old damask ones of my mothers and grandmothers that I still use (they wear like iron) and some really good OLD Quaker Lace ones as well that have stood the test of time!

But . . . if "no one uses tablecloths" you might want to check Williams Sonoma's website -- they sell LOTS of different kinds of tablecloths and April Cornell is doing a booming business in table linens (tablecloths and napkins). WS also sells placemats and although I haven't looked in a while I'm thinking that their tablecloth/placemat choices are about 50/50.

I wouldn't donate all of them! You might want to go through and cull -- colors that don't go with your house, ones that look a little "needy", ones that don't fit your currant table but I wouldn't get rid of ALL of them!

SHE may prefer placemats but that doesn't mean the rest of the world does!

Martha

I wouldn't get rid of them. I don't always use cloths, but do love the look of them.

Dinning table is not in the best of shape, so a cloth is a necessity.

My cloths are usually inexpensive ones, so if get messed up not too big of a deal. Feel special when we do eat on a cloth.

Kitchen table doesn't usually get a cloth. Do a lot of food prep on the table too. Lack of counter space. Do use placemats there some too.

For holiday and special meals, try to have a cloth in hopes of teaching grandkids what it is like to eat on tablecloths. At their home, they don't even eat at a table, so at least when they are here, we have meals at the table. Well, except for pizza night.

It is personal preference.

I do admire some of the lovely linens that have been shared on the boards.

Doesn't matter what's "in"...what do YOU prefer to use?

Tell your daughter to decorate her house...you will decorate yours.

Funny this subject has come up. I was going to buy my DIL and DS a tablecloth for their dining room table and she told me the same thing. Nobody uses them anymore! Saved that money As for me I use tablecloths and placemats. To me, not using a tablecloth is like not having a rug to wipe your feet at the back door!

I LOVE tablecloths and use them daily. I have seasonal/holiday cloths as well as neutral. BTW, my table lines are washable and rarely, if any, require pressing. FYI, I Often use mats or chargers on top of tablecloths. You can even layer runners atop tablecloths. My everyday dishware is white mainly for their flexibility with an array of solid and print linens. I also encourage anyone who loves a well dressed table not to be concerned with what some might consider is passé. Keep in mind that tablecloth use is classic and even those with more contemporary furnishings can enjoy them if they wish to.

I love tablecloths and have one on my table 24/7 . I just prefer the look!

I currently have a 70 inch round solid red with a plaid square cloth on top. I do this during the warmer months with our porch dining table. It requires a 90 inch cloth, so I use a 70 inch cloth on top. I prefer a solid underneath with a printed one on top. I change the top cloth frequently and the bottom one less often. I have only a few 90 inch cloths due to their cost.

I have several table cloths that I use, and not one single place mat. My opinion is that your daughter might be misinformed. Or it might be that the younger generation is more inclined towards place mats, although I don't really see that.

don't any of these people ever eat in a nice resteurant with those white tablecloths and napkins. Can't we be classy at home too!
Sure never heard of tablecloths going out of style. IMO you can't set a prettty table like for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with plcemats, but for everyday use just placemats.

quote:

Originally posted by KeepYouInStitches:
Doesn't matter what's "in"...what do YOU prefer to use?

Tell your daughter to decorate her house...you will decorate yours.

^^^^^this^^^^^^


I love tableclothes and always keep one on my tables. I have a casual plaid one that matches my french country dining room, and hides cat hair well. Washes easily too. When company is coming I snatch it off and wipe the table down with 409 and no one sees the cat hair! I actually have several cloths for that table but that is the one I use daily.

I love anything vintage 40s and have a red and gray chrome dinette set in my kitchen. I have a good size collection of those vintage luncheon tablecloths in primary color prints I like to use in there.

I also have lots of different placemats too. I could care less what is in style, the only thing that matters is whether or not I love it.

I love tablecloths too and usually have either a table cloth or runner on my dining room table. I like the floral vintage tablecloths from the '40s or '50s. Since I am the only one in my home now with the kids grown, when I eat, I use a placemat on top of my tablecloth. Easy to wipe down a placemat!

I dont think tablecloths are out of style at all. I have trouble finding high quality table cloths period - like the ones that are used in the better restaurants - that i find disappointing. I think tablecloths and placemats both have a place.

I love tablecloths! But when grandkids are over, can't use them, they pull on them, and fidget around and somehow the table gets messed up. They do not mess up a placemat setting, so I use that for them.

The reason that really lovely tablecloths are not too popular now is because they need to be ironed. Not too many women under the age of 50 iron anymore.

I have many beautiful tablecloths that I use from time to time when I'm entertaining. When I'm not using the dining room table and the breakfast room table for dining, I choose to leave them with only placemats because I LOVE seeing the cherry wood and the mahogany wood and don't wish to cover this beautiful wood.

My husband and I eat daily at our bar in the kitchen, so we, of course, use placemats.

I am agreeing that the use of tablecloths should be a personal preference and not so much of a trend or fad issue. I do agree that it requires more maintenance via laundering and ironing, and that may cause some in the younger generation to not use them.

tHANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU, FOR A MOMENT THERE I THOUGHT THAT I WAS OUT OF TOUCH. BUT BY SEEING ALL YOUR POSTS, I SEE THAT I AM NOT.
YES, IT IS PROBABLY THIS GENERATION THAT DOESN'T WANT TO TAKE THE TROUBLE OF USING TABLECLOTHS, AND YES, THE MAJORITY OF RESTAURANTS DON'T EITHER.
I DON'T USE TABLECLOTHS ON A DAILY BASIS, BUT I FIND IT INCONCEIVABLE NOT TO HAVE A TABLECLOTH WHEN I HAVE COMPANY OR ON HOLIDAYS.
BUT, WHO KNOWS WE MAY ALL BE OF THE DYING GENERATION. LOL.

There is no doubt in my mind that we are a dying generation treasuring our madeira tablescloths, sterling silver, limoge china and cut glass - all of which requires TLC to clean and maintain.

BUT when one gets right down to the practicalities, for a large dinner, it takes more than one load in a dishwasher so you might as well use fine china and just hand wash it all.

I use them outside on the deck tables in the summer, then placemats, sometimes. I really hate wiping off the table out there before we eat, so I just do a light wipe, then the tablecloth.

I've also made curtains out of them.
Which reminds me, I might make a circular tablecloth out of an old one I have. I won't have to piece it to fit on those cheap 19" circular tables you find at Joann's. It will be good enuf for a basement bedroom. Better go find that Good Will box....

Back in the old days, even on the farm, my beloved Grandmother used a damask tablecloth on her kitchen table. When it became worn, she would take what fabric that was usable to make napkins. I guess she did the same with sheets - took the usable portion to make pillowcases.

For more formal dinners, I prefer tablecloths, and sometimes I use placemats on top of the tablecloth! I love layers.

In my sunroom, I always use a tablecloth as the table has issues, and in the kitchen it varies, sometimes a cloth and sometimes placemats.

I don't think tablecloths ever go out of style.
Everyone has personal preferences and it sounds like your DD prefers placemats, but that doesn't mean that tablecloths are out of style, : )
JMHO,
Candy

I use tablecloths on the kitchen table 24/7. The dining room table has a runner always, and a tablecloth when we are eating at the table. I don't believe that tablecloths go out of date, but I have noticed that the younger generation doesn't like anything that might make extra work, so that is probably why they don't use table cloths.

I only have a kitchen table & they have always been very decorative pieces.. My CURRENT ONE IS WROUGHT IRON, with a glass top that you can see a very pretty table sized medallion.. so i don;t wanna cover it up.. I alos have cats, so tablecloths wouldn't work.. I haven't ever personally used them, and don't intend on using them myself.. But i have seen some beuatiful ones that look awesome.. just a personal tase thing.while it may not look right in my home, it may look wonderful in another

Lots of tablecloths still in use here. I love them; round, square, rectangle and ovals too. I always used tablecloths with a vinyl/felt cover underneath when kiddies were little too.

Now I keep the DR table without a cloth unless we are having a holiday dinner. Then it has a cloth along with a protective cover underneath. Other daily table is 56 round and has a glass piece on top to protect the wood. I use place-mats on this table.

Humidity is a factor here in FL and I don't want sweaty glasses directly on the table. Plate bottoms can be scratchy so I like tablecloths. I know fussy perhaps but my table-my way!

quote:

Originally posted by AKsunny99:
...when I eat, I use a placemat on top of my tablecloth. Easy to wipe down a placemat!

We do this, too, on our breakfast table.

http://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary/table-linens

Love some of these unique mats, runners and tablecloths feature. Some are contemporary, some rustic and others more formal.

I have both. I use table cloths more.

Tablecloths when we use the larger dining table. Placemats would just be a hassle to clean around or wash, then one has to do the table too. I like to pick the whole thing up and throw in the wash. Place a clean one on...done.

We have wood or formica tables that simply wipe clean for every day meals. For me, much easier than cleaning mats and the table around them?

Popularity of decor changes each year (that is what sells the decorating magazines)...don't get rid of all your tablecloths, but probably a good idea to weed out the ones you seldom or never use.

I moved the formal dining table into the kitchen for the 6-7 of us so i'm using a table pad and table cloth on it. I don't have 8 matching placemats but i have put some random place mats on top of the table cloth... There are 3 kids and although they're not that messy, i figure the extra protection from scratches and hot pots can't hurt.

we do also use cork trivits for the hot dishes too.

The dinette table got quite scratched up with just the placemats on it. One day, when i have no children living here, then maybe i'll just go bare table top but until then i like to prevent water rings and whatever daily use with bring scratches.

The only time I ever use tablecloths is for holidays, but my dining room table has weird corners so they don't fit right.

I would love to get a piece of glass for my kitchen table though. I've been quoted $250.00 for a 46 round piece! Does that sound right?

quote:

Originally posted by WWanda:
The only time I ever use tablecloths is for holidays, but my dining room table has weird corners so they don't fit right.

I would love to get a piece of glass for my kitchen table though. I've been quoted $250.00 for a 46 round piece! Does that sound right?

Wanda,

Check around with different glass vendors. I just called the vendor I used for mine. For my 54 inch round glass (1/4 inch with pencil edge) my price was 189.00 and included deliver/set-up. She mentioned that they had actually ordered mine direct from the glass factory as it was cheaper than they could create it.

She gave me a quote of 100.00 for a 48 round (1/4 inch w/ penci edge) from the factory. That would not include delivery. Would you like a road trip to FL?

Yes, I also shopped prices when getting this piece of glass. Good Luck!

quote:

Would you like a road trip to FL?

Yes, yes I would. In fact, we are planning on going down there sometime in March. Unfortunately on the other side of the state from you Maybe you could drive across alligator alley and come meet me!

After seeing all the replies, I can see that tablecloths have a place in any table. you can use it daily, or you can use it when having dinners of Holidays,but there will always be a time that you will welcome a tableclorth in your table.
So, my daughter is not really wrong, but also not correct. Tablecloths are not dated, people still use it for different occasions. So, I guess is up to us, therefore I won't throw away any of my tablecloths. LOL

Sorry to be a little late to the discussion... this might already have been mentioned.

I do have tablecloths. No placements.

The tablecloths are various sizes--some cover the table, others are just toppers.

Part of it, for me, depends on if there are other tables to use for work projects, puzzles, hobbies, and the like in-between meals. Virtually everything we do in our home requires the use of a "table" of sorts. It's too hard to write or craft on a tablecloth, particularly if they are embroidered.

Placemats can be really handy in those cases where there aren't other tables to use. They dress up the table a bit, and protect it. But, can easily be moved.