New Trends for Your Table Cloth

Your table cloth is one of the quickest ways to make a change in the kitchen or dining room. When you select table linens made of exceptional quality, like the ones available at Pottery Barn, they often become touchstones in your decor and last across years' worth of meals. As trends develop, adding new tablecloths to your collection helps maintain the life of your favorites and lets you find new ones to love.

How Many Table Cloths Do You Need?

Every home should have a stack of table cloths in a linen closet, hutch, drawer or decorative basket. It's perfectly fine to leave the table covered with the same cloth for a few nights in a row, but you could literally change your tablecloth every night and you wouldn't be going overboard.

There are also a few occasions that require a fresh look for your linens.

• When you're hosting a big dinner, a new tablecloth that looks crisp, clean and on-trend lets your guests know you paid attention to all the details.
• Significant holidays or birthdays for those you love dearly deserve a new tablecloth look, too. Decor is a major part of celebrating and you'll want your tabletop to be as memorable as everything else.
• Be sure to have enough on hand to quickly dress the table for last-minute meals on busy weeknights, to create a romantic or creative look for weekend meals and to be able to replace one at a moment's notice if wine or sauces spill.

Try a Table Runner Instead

For a minimalist approach that still carries elegance, use a table runner. These slim table coverings run down the center of a dining table so that you can keep surface space around place settings and centerpieces. The look is spare, modern and focused.

• Placemats are a must with this trend. They anchor your dinner plates and protect your table.
• Soften the contrasts inherent in the trend with cloth napkins in colors that match the placemats.
• Take the time to create a centerpiece, even if it's just a floral bouquet surrounded by candles.

Fringe, Tassels and Knots

For tablecloths that are truly current, check out selections with fringe, tassels and knots. These borders frame woven, solid and printed cloths, while adding texture, movement and handcrafted grace. Make even more of an impact by draping yours layered or at angles, so the fringe becomes a can't-miss dining room detail.

Intricate Patterns

Intricacy reigns in the world of tablecloths right now, too. Prints inspired by the great patterns of antiquity or lands afar are making a statement in stylish homes everywhere now. Discover a soft, yet unforgettable style, like the Kalamkari prints out now. Derived from Indian patterns, they're noticeably pretty without overwhelming the table, thanks to desaturated colors.