The Table Linen Size Guide: Choosing Placemats, Napkins and Tablecloths That Fit

There is a particular kind of disappointment in unwrapping beautiful linen and finding it does not fit. The tablecloth that stops short of the edge. The placemat that crowds the plate. The napkin that looks lost beside the glass.

Sizing table linen is not complicated, but it is specific, and almost nobody explains it properly. So here is how we do it in our atelier, with the measurements we work to and the reasoning behind them.

Start with the table, not the linen

Measure the top of your table: length and width for a rectangle or square, diameter for a round one. Write those numbers down. Everything else follows from them.

If your table extends, measure it both ways. Most households dress the table in its everyday form and only extend it for occasions, which usually means two different tablecloths rather than one compromise.

The drop is the decision

The drop is how far the cloth hangs over the edge. It is the single choice that changes how a table reads, and it is where most people go wrong by defaulting to whatever the shop had in stock.

Choose the drape that defines the silhouette of your table. Our signature drop lengths:

• 30 cm / 11.8 in — Signature
  Our signature drop. Effortlessly elegant.
• 45 cm / 17.7 in — Formal
  A generous drape with a refined, formal presence.
• 60 cm / 23.6 in — Ceremonial
  A sweeping drape designed for grander occasions.
• 75 cm / 29.5 in — Floor-Kissing
  A graceful drape that softly meets the floor.
• 90 cm / 35.4 in — Full-Length
  A sumptuous, floor-length drape for maximum impact.
• Bespoke — Made to Measure
  Specify your desired drop.

The perfect drop is more than a measurement — it is what gives your table its presence.

When you land between two sizes, take the larger. Too much drop looks generous. Too little looks like a mistake.

Tablecloth size chart

Rectangular and oval tables, 25 cm drop

Round tables, 25 cm drop

For a formal 35 cm drop, add 20 cm to each figure in the tablecloth column.

Placemats: 40 by 50 centimetres, and why

Our placemats are 40 cm wide by 50 cm deep. That is not an arbitrary number. It is the width a place setting occupies when a guest can move their elbows, and the depth that holds a dinner plate, a bread plate and a glass without anything hanging off the edge.

Allow 60 cm of table edge per person. It is the figure that separates a dinner from a queue. On a 180 cm table, that gives you three settings comfortably along each side.

Leave at least 5 cm between placemats. If they touch, the table reads as crowded no matter how beautiful the embroidery. A placemat should sit about 2 cm in from the edge of the table, not flush with it.

Shop hand-embroidered linen placemats

Napkins: the size tells you the occasion

50 × 50 cm is the dinner napkin. Large enough to fold with authority, large enough to cover a lap. This is the size we make to match every placemat, and it is the size you want for a seated meal.

40 × 40 cm is the lunch napkin. Lighter, less ceremonial, right for daytime and for smaller plates.

15 × 26 cm is the cocktail napkin. It is not a small dinner napkin, it is a different object: made for a glass in one hand and something to eat in the other. We sell ours in sets of six with a matching pouch, because they travel between rooms.

If you are unsure, buy the 50 × 50. A large napkin at a casual lunch looks generous. A small one at dinner looks like an oversight.

Shop embroidered linen cocktail napkins

Runners

A runner should overhang each end by 20 to 30 cm, or stop cleanly at the table edge. What it should never do is finish somewhere in between, which reads as an accident.

For width, a third of the table's width is the classic proportion. On a 90 cm table, that means a runner of about 30 cm.

Runners work across the table rather than along it, too, one under each place setting. It is an underused idea and it looks considered.

When the standard size is wrong

Old tables, marble tables, round tables that were never a standard diameter, the long table in a house that was built before anybody agreed on furniture dimensions. Plenty of tables do not correspond to any size on any chart.

That is what our atelier is for. Every piece we make can be made to your measurements, in the size, the shape and the colour you need, with the embroidery of your choosing. Bespoke pieces take six to eight weeks, because they are drawn, approved and then embroidered by hand in Tuscany.

Send us the dimensions of your table and we will tell you what it needs.

Start a bespoke order

The short version

1. Measure the table top.
2. Choose a drop: 25 cm for every day, 35 cm for occasions.
3. Add twice the drop to each dimension.
4. Allow 60 cm of edge per guest.
5. Round up, never down.
6. If nothing fits, have it made.

Frequently asked questions

What size tablecloth do I need for a 180 cm table?

For a table 180 cm long and 90 cm wide with an everyday 25 cm drop, you need a tablecloth of roughly 230 × 140 cm. For a formal 35 cm drop, 250 × 160 cm.

How much should a tablecloth hang over the edge?

Between 20 and 25 cm for everyday use, and 30 to 40 cm for formal settings. Anything shorter looks unintentional; anything longer gets in the way of the people sitting at the table.

What is the standard placemat size?

Ours are 40 × 50 cm, which holds a full place setting without crowding. Allow 60 cm of table edge per guest and leave at least 5 cm between mats.

What is the difference between a dinner napkin and a cocktail napkin?

A dinner napkin is 50 × 50 cm and covers the lap. A cocktail napkin is 15 × 26 cm and is made to be held with a glass. They are not interchangeable.

Can I order table linen in a custom size?

Yes. Every piece we make can be produced to your measurements, in any size, shape and colour, with the embroidery you choose. Bespoke orders take six to eight weeks.

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