Let’s Talk Linens
That ✨extra touch✨ that puts your table and hosting over the top
I was talking with one of my best friends this week and she was saying how I am the quintessential modern *grandma* which cannot of course be actually true since I don’t have children. But I have been described with similar characteristics to grandmas before - nurturing, comforting, gives advice you didn’t ask for - with a knack for entertaining. These are things I’m proud to be, and feel very fortunate that others see that clearly.
In my early 20s my friend described me as a Domestic Goddess since I loved to cook and bake for friends, host people, and have parties in my tiny apartment in New York City (eternal thanks to my roommates for indulging me in these moments). Throughout my adult life I’ve loved hosting parties and gatherings in the spaces I live. I love looking out in a room seeing people I love connecting, laughing, feeling at home and at ease. Friends who come over to our gorgeous high-ceiling dining room for dinners and parties say I’m the “hostess with the mostest,” with an eye for detail that makes the aesthetics just right and my guests feel as cozy as they would be in their own home.
This all is extremely high praise, and something I am proud of about my adult self. I highly value a thoughtful space that feels well-put together, welcoming, and warm, so to hear that reflected back from my closest people is so affirming. As I’ve entered my mid-30s in the midst of a pandemic, I have found myself in a tension - both 1) wanting to host monthly dinner parties with hand drawn menus, Pinterest planning boards, and mismatched dinnerware that still goes together, and 2) being cautious about ours and loved ones’ health. I’m finding it hard to balance those two desires and values so I’ve stuck to the old reliable events we always host: Pumpplefest, Thanksgiving, Easter, and a couple game nights with friends. But maybe someday in the next couple of years, I’ll feel more able to host with abandon.
One key to these events and future gatherings are the linens: tablecloths, runners, napkins, placemats, and the like. When I think back to my grandma’s table, I actually don’t think of linens, which is strange since she is my inspiration for everything related to homemaking, food, and hosting. For Thanksgiving and breakfast alike, we all crammed around the oval medium oak table in the middle of her tiny kitchen with the fancy plates and paper napkins. The linens weren’t anything special at all.
But then for our wedding eight years ago, my husband and I were having to consider linens. Who knew there were so many colors, patterns, weights to fabric, and range in cost?! Looking back at the $360 we spent on tablecloths and napkins for a once in a lifetime event, it’s not *that* expensive, but it felt so overwhelming at the time. We got a high gloss white dining table from our friends for our wedding present, and I love it so much. The benefits of knowing yourself is that you like things almost a decade later despite the trends shifting.
I was getting a little bored with the same white backdrop on all my food pics, and gatherings so fiveish years ago, I bought a plain gray tablecloth and gray napkins to mix things up a bit, and to be a little more sustainable in avoiding using paper towels as napkins. That has led to a few other tablecloth and napkin purchases since, both new and thrifted alike. Thrifting linens is such a fun partner to buying new linens. It gives variety to the fabrics for the table, and older fabrics are usually made of natural fibers like cotton or linen, which makes it easier to treat stains. Thrifted tablecloths and napkins often have the sweetest embroidery, or happy floral patterns that grandmas (both literal and in vibe) have used for meals for years. Plus I love getting a piece of fabric with storied history woven into the threads.
When choosing a tablecloth specifically, you need to know the dimensions of your table first. Then you need to consider how far down you’ll want the tablecloth to hang and factor that into the dimensions of the tablecloth you choose. I recommend carrying a small tape measure with you when you are thrifting to make sure it’s the right size. When washing your tablecloth, check the tag for instructions so you don’t accidentally shrink it!
Where to buy linens
Linens can be expensive, so I would first suggest that you thrift if you’re not a regular linen user yet. You can usually find tablecloths and sets of fabric napkins for less than $10 and sometimes less than $5!
For new linens, I’d suggest these places (don’t forget to check the sale section of each of these sites!):
The linen mixing and matching that I can do now makes me SO HAPPY to host people for meals and snacks at our home, it makes events all the more special and let’s not lie - more beautiful too.
Things I Like
These napkins are calling my name
Painting my nails at home
As a person who is child-free by choice, I’ve been thinking about this article a lot this week
This post with several slides that are worth reading
Sitting by the Solo stove on a cool fall night
May your week be gentle and may you eat well. 🌲🥣