Decorating the dining table does not require a big budget or changing the dinnerware. It requires knowing which elements go together and why. These seven combinations work in any dining room, with any decorating style, and they all have something in common: the fabric placemat is the piece that ties it all together.
1. Green and white: the combination that never fails
A placemat in dried green or olive green on a natural wooden table, with plain white dinnerware. Nothing more. It is the most elegant combination and the easiest to pull off. The green brings colour without shouting, the white dinnerware lets the placemat be the star, and the wood warms the whole.
It works just as well for a family Sunday lunch as for a dinner with guests. If you want to add something, white flowers or a sprig of eucalyptus in the centre of the table are all you need.
2. Neutrals with a touch of colour on the napkin
Placemats in a sand or beige tone, white or ecru dinnerware, and fabric napkins in a colour that stands out. Green, blue or even burgundy bring a table to life without breaking the harmony. The napkin does the work of colour without the whole looking overloaded.
It is the perfect combination for anyone who wants to decorate the dining table with personality without taking too much of a risk.
3. Floral print on a neutral base
A placemat with a floral motif is the absolute star of the table. For it to work, the rest has to stay very quiet: white dinnerware, no elaborate centrepieces, no coloured candles. The placemat speaks for itself.
This combination is especially good in spring and summer, for lunches in natural light. The floral print brings cheer and character without the table feeling crowded — as long as the rest gives it the spotlight.
4. Natural linen with handmade ceramics
Placemats in linen or a linen blend, with their natural texture, look particularly good with handmade ceramic dinnerware — irregular pieces, with matte glazes, in earth, green or greyish-blue tones. It is the most on-trend combination right now and the one that works best for creating a table with soul.
Add cutlery in a gold tone or with wooden handles and the result is a table worthy of any decorating magazine. No flowers, no elaborate centrepieces — the texture of the materials does all the work.
5. Blue and white: the Mediterranean classic
A placemat in blue — from navy to a calm blue — with white dinnerware is a combination that never goes out of style. It evokes the Mediterranean, summer light, long lingering meals. It is fresh, elegant and very easy to carry off.
For a more casual version, add a centrepiece with lemons or wildflowers. For a more elegant version, white candles and clear crystal glasses. The same base, two completely different results depending on the occasion.
6. The aperitif table with cocktail napkins
Not every moment at the table is a sit-down meal. The aperitif deserves its own staging. A low table or a countertop with embroidered linen cocktail napkins, the glasses, some olives and a little cheese — that is already decorating the table with intent.
The 14 x 14 cm cocktail napkins in embroidered white linen are the detail that turns an aperitif into something memorable. Small, elegant and full of personality — exactly what a well-dressed aperitif table needs.
7. The winter table: warmth and texture
In the cold months the dining table calls for more warmth. Placemats in earth tones — sand, dried green, ochre — with dark ceramic or terracotta dinnerware, candles, and some natural element in the centre: dry branches, pine cones, red berries. Linen and cotton are the materials that best convey that feeling of home in winter.
It is the table that invites you to stay. The one that makes the after-dinner conversation stretch on without anyone wanting to get up.
The common denominator of all these combinations
In all these ideas for decorating the dining table there is one element that always appears: the fabric placemat. Not because it is essential in practical terms — it is that without it the table is just a flat surface with things on top.
The placemat is what turns a set of pieces into a table with intention. It is the first step to decorating the dining room without renovating, without changing anything else.
Explore our collection of placemats and cocktail napkins — and find the combination that best fits your dining room.