The upcoming holidays provide an opportunity for adding little touches to your table to celebrate these often rare occasions to sit down with the whole family or circle of friends and share a special meal. To dress your table in luxury without sacrificing your modern sensibilities, Tim Gledhill founded Huddleson Linens located right here in Los Angeles. We are so pleased to have him guest post some suggestions on how to use table linens for our upcoming dinner parties. And if you like what you see, he is offering a Modern Resale exclusive of 15% off everything on his website from now until November 30th using the code MODERN at checkout. Over to you Tim.
Entertaining season is upon us again, so I have put together some fall table styling inspiration in the form of a handy step-by-step guide to creating a look that suits your personal stylet.
Step One: Pick a Base Color
1a: Light – White, Ivory, Camel, Natural Linen
Photos by Huddleson Linens
For anyone who entertains regularly, an ivory or white pure linen tablecloth is a classic, sophisticated, beautiful quality piece that will always be stylish and will be a key piece in your hosting repertoire. But a range of other light and neutral linen colors can work perfectly with your decor, dinnerware or to create a different atmosphere: relaxed natural linen, warm camel golden linen, soft cloud grey or cool silver grey.
1b – Dark – Charcoal, Black
Dark tablecloths bring a totally different atmosphere. They can bring a depth and intimacy, particularly for evening parties on short fall and winter days. Black linen tablecloths add the ultimate drama while our rich charcoal grey table linens are a little softer.
1c: Patterned
Printed table linens are a perfect way to express your personality and make a table that is unique and memorable. For the fall holidays, anything goes. From dramatic painterly prints to organic textural patterns, you can style a table that is the backdrop for creating unforgettable memories.
Step 2: Layer
2a: Add Placemats
Black on ivory; white on black; coffee on ivory, silver on slate…dressing your table is like dressing yourself. One of our key pieces of advice for fall table styling is to layer linens to bring added texture, personality and show your curatorial prowess. And practically speaking, you can leave the tablecloth down and switch out the placemats for multiple different, low maintenance looks!
2b – Or a Runner
Table runners are often seen running the length of the table, but an alternative is to run them across the table like two joined up placemats – what the French call a tête-à-tête runner. Whichever way you use them, both runners and placemats are an excellent way to add contrast and interest either straight onto the table or over a tablecloth to make each meal feel special and unique.
Step 3: Choose Napkins
No matter what your everyday dining style or however often you entertain, your napkins are likely to get the most use of all your table linens. If you get a good quality linen napkin, they will wash and wear well for years and years and give you a range of options for casual and formal get-togethers. Match the napkins to the other linens for a sleek, understated look or contrast to bring in other colors and textures to suit the occasion and guests.
Step 4: Add a Hemstitch or Monogram
