Best Linen Placemats and Table Runners

Now Designs' Spectrum placemats are 100% cotton in a thick, multi-ply ribbed weave, 19 by 13 inches, sold in a set of four by Amazon directly. The ribbing gives texture and the thickness gives real protection from hot plates, spills and scratches, which is the first thing a placemat should do.

They are for breakfast, weeknight dinners and a table used by children. Spot clean between washes, then machine wash warm and lay flat to dry; tumble drying can pull them out of shape. Do not bleach.

The deep indigo is the most forgiving color. Skip them for a formal table; ribbed cotton reads as casual next to good china.

The catch. Casual in look, and they must be laid flat to dry or they lose their shape.

These are 75% cotton and 25% linen, 14 by 19 inches, with a hemstitch border. The cotton keeps them smoother and quicker to iron than pure linen; the linen gives a little texture and the slightly matte look that plain cotton lacks.

White is the most useful color for a placemat that has to work with every dinner service, and unlike the pure linen sets, this blend can take a non-chlorine bleach. Machine wash on a gentle cycle, tumble dry low, remove promptly and press with a warm iron if you want them crisp.

Skip them if you want the soft, crumpled look of washed linen. These are neater than that, which some people prefer.

The catch. White shows every drop of red wine and gravy until it is washed.

This is the same European flax linen and hemstitch as Solino's pure linen placemats, in the same Light Natural color, cut 14 by 90 inches. Solino recommends the 90 inch length for tables that seat six to eight, which leaves a proper overhang at each end of a typical 60 to 72 inch table.

It is also made in 72 and 108 inch lengths. Measure the table, add 12 to 24 inches for the overhang, and choose the nearest size. A runner that stops a few inches short of each end looks like a mistake.

Skip a runner altogether on a narrow table, where it crowds the placemats and placemats alone look better.

The catch. Creases where it is folded in storage; roll it on a tube or hang it to avoid pressing out the fold lines.

SARO stonewashes this runner, which breaks in the linen before it reaches you. It arrives soft and slightly crumpled, which is the look, so there is nothing to iron. It is 100% linen, 16 by 72 inches, unlined, with a simple stitched edge, and sold by Amazon directly.

It is wider than the Solino runner, which suits a broad farmhouse table, and 72 inches suits a table of about 48 to 60 inches. It pairs well with SARO's stonewashed linen napkins and with the ribbed cotton placemats for a casual table.

SARO suggests a cool machine wash or dry cleaning and a cool iron. The listing notes the finished size can vary by a few inches from finishing. Skip it if you want a crisp, formal line down the table.

The catch. Too short to overhang a table longer than about 60 inches, and never quite crisp.