Are tablecloths in style?

[Linoleum81]

Just got a new dining table, and in the process of decorating the dining room. DH is really keen that we use a tablecloth to keep the new table clean (our previous table was 3rd hand and already had a lot of marks on it). Are tablecloths in style or just totally naff? What are the latest ahem trends in tablecloths?

Who cares? There are some lovely table cloths around. Or just use place mats?

I like them for special occasions but wouldn’t bother with one everyday.

Zara home usually has nice ones.

Will the table be used for meals only? Or also kids crafting etc? Is it heat proof?
If not I would get the kind of tablecloth that insulates and is wipable for daily use so you don't have to stress about it and take it off for special occasions!

Heavy cloth, not the kind you actually eat off. Like tapestry, depending on the style of the room.

My nice table has a heatproof protector and a top cloth between meals, Table cloth when we eat. But that’s the table in the dining room. We tend to eat in the kitchen day to day. Dining room if we have guests and over Christmas.

We use an oil cloth on a daily basis to keep food, paint, crafting stuff from spoiling the table top.

I have a table protected and a wipe clean cloth for if the GC are here…..otherwise never use one…..we have a lovely refurbished ercol ( elm ) table ….the grain is stunning….don’t want to hide it away

I have a tablecloth on my dining table all of the time.

I love them. My DC are older so no messy crafts but everything is washable.

I have a few of these-

https://www.ibbidirect.co.uk

Wash beautifully and are so pretty.

We have a protector on the table - protects from heat and liquid (you can buy leather ones). then we use a tablecloth. We tried just using place mats and they looked very nice but people are liable to scratch the table with their watches or jewellery. When I used to go to the States I would stock up on cloths in Walmart. They aren’t expensive and they are stain resistant and wash and tumble dry and don’t need ironing.

We used to use a vinyl John Lewis one when the kids were small. This kind of thing

I found this at John Lewis & Partners. What do you think?
https://www.johnlewis.com/morris-co-strawberry-thief-oilcloth-tablecloth-fabric/duck-egg/p3603605?tmad=c&tmcampid=7&s_share=jlappios_Y29tLmFwcGxlLlVJS2l0LmFjdGl2aXR5LkNvcHlUb1Bhc3RlYm9hcmQ=

ive got a fairly old fashioned solid oak table and I bought an Orla Kiely patterned oil cloth and it’s transformed the whole room not just the table! Wasn’t cheap but worth it.

I love my oilcloth tablecloth. I’ve got a few and themed ones and change them regularly. Though the kids are older now I have a creative one that paints and likes other crafts. Just changed my Christmas one to a check one

Who cares what's in style.

I have stiff white linen damask for Christmas/Easter, and a few less formal ones - pale yellow and white for spring birthdays, dark red in Autimm.

I’ve got a table cloth as the table is old and scruffy. I just picked one that went with the rest of the room decor and is wipeable for daily use.

Depends what sort of table. I’d use a tablecloth for protection (crafts/eating), but we have a beautiful round mid-century table that looks so much better without a tablecloth.

Our table is an ancient glass topped one which doesn’t remotely suit the style of the house we are in now so it’s covered by a heat protector and one of these
Yofori Gingham Tablecloth, Heavy... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D1Y3PHBM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I’ve got a couple in different colours, they wash amazingly well.
We are in an old cottage-y house however, fully appreciate gingham doesn’t work for a lot of modern styling!

we only use on special occasions. I find them a waste of time as you have to wash after every use imo. As it gets drinks or crumbs or whatever on

Also I find my 5 year old can’t sit still so the cloth always gets pulled and it’s at risk of a disaster of everything flying off

i use a large silicone mat to protect the area he’s using from paint or glue if he’s doing crafts

I got scalded when I was about 2 by pulling at a tablecloth when there was something hot on the table. Never, ever used one while my kids were small.

Who cares what is in style? Honestly?

We use tablecloths. I get them when we are on holiday in Italy because they’re used so much in Italy so there is a great selection in the markets.

I have my Christmas one on at the moment but I have multiple including a lovely white one with lemons and lemon blossom flowers on it for summer.

They make me happy!

Tablecloth won't protect it, you'd need a table protector underneath for that.

When my kids were younger, and our dining table was also the craft table, I used an oilcloth red gingham table cloth.
Now we are all adults, I use various ones for more special occasions. Or just because I want the table to look a bit nicer for dinner. I'm loving the ones that have been posted, especially the block printed ones. I'm after a yellow large squared gingham, in cotton, so in anyone knows where I can get one. Really, I should just get the fabric and hem it up, but my sewing projects are almost as long as my crochet and knitting ones...

I grew up with a tablecloth-loving mother. Her oak dining table was bought new in 1952 and the top never saw the light of day except when uncovered to polish it with lavender wax. It had a thick, coated felt pad, then a dark chenille cloth, an oilcloth square laid diamond-shape over that, then a white damask linen cloth, all totally covered with either a floral or checked oilcloth square.

My brother lives there now and only since mum died has the table been left uncovered. He doesn’t eat at the table, but he keeps it gleaming.

I used a tablecloth until I had a toddler and feared her pulling the cloth and everything off. She’s nearly 40 and I’ve never gone back to using one, though I still have an old damask one tucked away!

Ours is permanently covered in an oilcloth. I should have done it when the DCs were younger as the varnish on the table ended up damaged from constant damp rubbing and spills and it now needs sanding and re-doing. I struggled to find one around the time that the DCs were young and used large plastic placemats.

I put a nice fabric one over it over Christmas.

I think tablecloths are more widely used than about 15 years ago. Focus on dining around a table has picked up and they've faded on the chintzy dated association that they had with Hyacinth Bucket types.

We’ve started using them with a new table as the kids ruined the old table. Zara and H&M have some lovely tablecloths and Bowley & Jackson have some great oilcloths that hang more like a fabric tablecloth but are wipe clean.

Just use a tablecloth or protector when it is actually in use. You don't need to leave it on the whole time.

I like a vintage tablecloth and have several, including the ones from my 1960's childhood, and a linen one which is a family heirloom dating from the early part of the 20th century. That one does not get used at all!