Table Talk

Forget about ‘less is more’ – when it comes to placemats, play with bold colors, funky textures and fresh shapes

By Kate Sullivan
CTW Features

Image courtesy Crate and Barrel

Throw a dinner party complete with a not-to-be-forgotten punch … a punch of style, that is. Transform the tabletop with a generous helping of creativity and say goodbye to the expected dining décor of meals past. Start with one of the usual suspects – the placemat – for a quick, easy and cheap way to turn up the heat in the dining room.

Entertaining is increasingly less focused on the food and more concerned with the guests’ overall experience, so evaluate all the elements in a room, like the table, the lighting and the ambiance, before making changes.

When it comes to selecting new table accessories, size does matter. Catherine Gentile, public relations manager for Bed Bath & Beyond, suggests assessing the situation before heading to the store.

“First, start with your table. Is it round, square or oblong? If your table is round you may want to consider a wedge-shaped or round placemat, as they will fit better than a traditional rectangular placemat.” It’s also helpful to take a measurement of the table’s surface space, as it’s easy to lose sense of size when looking at store samples.

When picking out placemats, treat the purchase as it is – an accessory. Have fun. Think about color and texture. Traditional china pops against a bold-colored pattern. Neutral dishware steals the spotlight when paired with a wild card. It’s about mixing old world with new world. The placemat can breathe life and creativity into tabletops that otherwise stick to sensible. For under $10, let the inner diva, the Nantucket nautical, or the avant-garde artist come alive in the dining room.

Breakfast nooks tend to tone down the mood, making a meal more casual, while dining rooms up the ante. But for Domino magazine’s decorating editor Tori Mellott, tablemats need not follow time-of-day rules.

“Spice up your table. I love the beaded mats that give an ethnic, wild feel to any setting,” she says. Breakfast comes alive in the a.m. and dinner goes beyond just the p.m. when the table comes to life with an embroidered, animal-themed mat.

Keeping variety among placemats can become a family affair. John Tusher, owner of Velocity Art and Design in Seattle, keeps his favorite childhood memories in mind when selecting his store’s mats.

“I remember being so excited when my mother told me I could choose the placemats for dinner. It was a great honor in my family to be the kid in charge of the dinner-table décor.” The way to a man’s heart may be through his stomach, but for a young picky eater it might just be about making dinner less about the vegetables and more about the presentation.

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