Unconventional Ways to Cover the Table

We love pretty much everything about Lisa and Alex's Montreal house tour, but the detail that's really remained with us is the way they covered their table in a woven rug. It's a warm, unexpected approach that sent us on a search for other out-of-the-ordinary ideas for tablecloths and runners...

As Lisa mentions in this post, using rugs on the table was common in early American homes. In her home, a worn but clean rug protects the tabletop from everyday use, while a regular tablecloth comes out for dinner parties.

Pretty much any type of textile can be repurposed as a table covering. We've seen Indian saris, curtains, and blankets used in lieu of traditional tablecloths.

For a table runner, try repurposing a scarf or using an unexpected material, like felt. We also like the idea of using decorative paper to dress up a party table, either as placemats or a runner. For more ideas, click here.

SHOWN ABOVE
• 1 Lisa and Alex's Craftsman Loft
• 2 Saris on the Table
• 3 Saguaro Table Runner from Plait
• 4 Art and Chel's IKEA Curtain Placemats
• 5 Wool Felt Table Runner from FilzFelt

Photos: Regina Yunghans, Janel Laban, Plait, Art and Chel / Apartment Therapy Flickr Pool, FilzFelt

Comments (17)

I love the rug itself in #1, but sadly, its lovely faded appearance makes me think it was used in the traditional manner of a rug before it became a table cover... ew :-(

Eating off a rug, no matter how clean it looks doesn't seem right. #4 is an Ikea curtain? It's an interesting material.

Yeah, the worn rug on the table kind of grosses me out, even if it is clean. I like the other ideas, though, especially the saris.

In the 17th century Netherlands, carpets were so precious imported items that no one would have put them on the floor. They were placed on walls or on tables (cf. paintings by Vermeer, De Hoogh etc...). Whenever people ate, a white linen tablecloth with finely ironed pleats was placed to protect the carpet.
I love carpets on tables personally, and I was thinking of using one as a bed cover.

Put a piece of glass on top of the rug. Then you get your fashion and your function too!

Loving the saris on the table. Not loving the rug, though. It seems like you would be eating off the dirty floor. It might work if the rug didn't seem so... used.

For Halloween I put down a standard black tablecloth and then a square piece of shimmery spiderweb fabric that I got for a less than a dollar. For Christmas it's the same but the tablecloth is white and the fabric has snowflakes. I like that the tablecloth still shows through the fabric but creates an almost three-dimensional effect with the simmery fabric. Not that my idea is that unusual, but it does look pretty awesome and I've had a lot of compliments on it.

clampers - put a piece of glass on top of the rug? what would an adequately thick (that wouldn't crack) piece of glass cost & weigh? Cumbersome & tacky.

And Mr. Poitiers, even if 17th century folk might have put a rug on the table, we've come a long way since then... plumbing, electricity, etc. ... -toilet paper.

This just doesn't seem like an idea worth pursuing.

We have a family tradition of glass tops for heirlooms - my father's mantra is "Protect the wood!" - and they are surprisingly inexpensive. When he refinished my grandmother's desk for me, he had a glass top cut for it and it cost $40.

Ugh. When we were living in Holland, I used to hate going into restaurants and bars where there'd be rugs on the tables -- a 'quaint' custom there that drove me nuts and always had me heading for the door. Could not get past the 'ick' factor.

I won't put anything on my table that can't be thrown into the washer and dryer.

i agree with most of the comments - eating off of something that's been under people's feet is a very uncomfortable thought.

Or you could try Plexiglass after you get your panties out of that twist, @krunkinator.

Uh...I would not be comfortable eating off an old rug like many other here even though it's been cleaned.. It's like putting your feet with shoes on on a dining table.

I love it.

But I make rugs. I'm running out of places to display the ones I keep too. :-)

In the 17th century, only the rich had rugs on floors. The middle class would put rugs on tables. Look at paintings by Vermeer, and you'll see examples of this. These were NOT rugs that had been used on floors first! They were bought new or as used table rugs, and were used only on tables. Carpets and rugs didn't appear on floors in general until the mid 18th century.

For dining purposes, table rugs were removed or covered with a linen cloth. (Comments here about "dirt" concerns are silly if your table rug is new. Do you wear your shoes in your house? Think of the filth that you track in onto your floors!)

Many in Netherlands, Belgium and elsewhere even today use table rugs, though of a thinner and smaller type than previously used. The custom is charming, and the look goes well with American primitive furnishings, European antiques, and even eclectic interiors. We have an early style room in our home, and a table rug on a gateleg table in the center of the room is a definite focal point.