Linen Drawer: Table Linen

From birthdays to engagements, graduations to just-because get-togethers, we all love to celebrate special moments in life with loved ones. And those special moments usually include a delicious meal.

For these social moments to be successful though a few things apart from delicious food and wine are necessary. For starters, you’ll need furniture such as a table and chairs, as well as cutlery, crockery and glassware and, of course, table linen.

But where to start and how to choose the correct table linen for your table? To help, we’ve chatted with the team from Linen Drawer.

Question: How does one calculate how many guests can be seated at a table?

Answer: “The minimum space needed per person is 61x38cm and the maximum is 76x46cm. This is relevant when discussing how many people a table can seat and when buying any table linen.”

Question: How do I go about measuring my table correctly?

Answer: “You will need a retractable metal tape measure (builders’ tape measure), a notebook and a pen. Measure the width first, then the length and note it down. Then measure the height and note it. If the table is round, measure the diameter (across the middle). An oval table is measured the same as a rectangular table.”

Question: How do I know what size tablecloth I will need?

“First decide whether the cloth is to be floor length or to have a ‘drop’ on the side, which means it hangs over the edge of the table by a specific length.

“If the cloth must be floor length, then you want to have it hang off the floor by about 2cm. This ensures that diners do not step on the cloth. A floor-length cloth will have rounded corners otherwise the points at the corners will drag on the floor.

“If you merely want a ‘drop’ at the sides then the standard for a 72cm table is about 35-40cm on either side of the table. The maximum ‘drop’ on a 72cm high table is 50cm, which means the corners are just off the floor.”

The team suggest using the following calculations to get the size just right:

Cloth to floor: Width + height + height = A – 4cm and length + height + height = B – 4cm

90 + 72 + 72 = 234cm – 4cm = 230cm (A) and 120 + 72 + 72 = 264cm – 4cm = 260cm (B)

So, your cloth should measure 230x260cm for a 90x120x72cm-sized table.

Cloth with ‘drop’ of 40cm: 90 + 40 + 40 = 170cm (A) and 120 + 40 + 40 = 200cm (B)

So, your cloth should measure 170x200cm for a 90x120x72cm-sized table.

Don’t feel like doing maths? No problem, the friendly team is on hand to help you shop for the perfect table linen in store or online.