YOU DON’T NEED TO RUN FROM RUNNERS! HERE’S WHY
One time, I was prepping for a magazine photo shoot and the photo order from the art director suggested I add a table runner in the dining room to soften the look of the long dining table. Well, when I showed up to the shoot with a very pretty Belgian linen table runner (and all kinds of beautiful flowers to add to the tabletop), the homeowner/designer kind-of-sort-of crinkled her nose at the table runner. Here’s what she said:
“Aren’t table runners, um, kind of GRANNY-ISH?”
She may have even said “old lady-ish”, and I’m sure she mentioned something about “stuffy” and “dated”. You get my drift.
You may have the same preconceived notion of table runners, and who could blame you? I think these are the first thing that comes to mind when I mention “table runner”:
Yikes. Now, normally, I don’t post photos of egregious design examples, as I’m sure many of my readers already can picture what I’m talking about. However, while doing my research for this post, there were a number of images like the ones above when I searched for “table runner images”. That got me thinking: Who could blame the aforementioned homeowner for her perception that table runners were kitschy, dated, stuffy or too formal?
But I’ve been styling with table runners for many years. And there’s a reason why I used them on photo shoots. Most of the time, I would add some sort of flowers to a table, but they looked a little lonely all by themselves. So I would add LAYERS to the table, with a runner and maybe two or three other elements, such as a bud vase, glassware, or a small collection of related items.
TABLE RUNNERS, STYLED FOR MAGAZINES
Below is the dining room in my former home, which was photographed by John Bessler for Better Homes & Gardens® “Color Made Easy” magazine. As you can see in the shot on the right, I styled the space with a subtle introduction of pale lilac. The linen table runner adds softness and ties all the tabletop elements together.
Below is an outdoor porch story that I produced for Woman’s Day magazine. I had the runner made from a French-inspired blue fabric from Calico Corners, with a beautiful tassel as the finishing touch. Imagine the tabletop without the runner – it wouldn’t look quite finished, in my opinion.
NEW LOOKS FOR TABLE RUNNERS
So now that you know you can use table runners without it looking old-school, I’m sharing with you five fresh looks for table runners. In each of these vignettes, I styled five different table runners (including an outdoor shot), with links to the runners and tabletop items you can purchase, as well.
TABLE RUNNER #1: “FRENCH STRIPE”
My first table runner is a pretty French stripe on a light taupe backdrop, inspired by French simplicity. I styled the tabletop with a grouping of cream vases, some of which I filled with seeded eucalyptus branches. The simple styling makes the runner the focal point of the table. This table runner is under $30, and would also make a beautiful hostess gift.
“FRENCH STRIPE” RUNNER SHOPPING GALLERY – CLICK IMAGES FOR PRODUCT LINKS:
TABLE RUNNER #2: “DARK & MOODY”
I styled the second table runner as a layered look, starting with a charcoal grey linen tablecloth and added a flax-colored hemstitch runner. Note that the runner doesn’t always have to run down the length of the table – for this look, I positioned the runner perpendicular to the length of the table, for a more modern feel.
I was going for a “modern still life” look with the accessories – a dark pedestal with grapes and figs, deep purple faux baby’s breath branches in a black vase, cherries in a grey marble bowl and mini succulents in charcoal painted pots. We shot this table during the day, but this look would be gorgeous for a nighttime dinner party (substituting red wine for the coffee, and adding dark mercury glass votive candles).
“DARK & MOODY” RUNNER SHOPPING GALLERY – CLICK IMAGES FOR PRODUCT LINKS:
TABLE RUNNER #3: “OUTDOOR CASUAL”
For the third scenario, I chose two table runners in a casual burlap fabric (under $10 each), and criss-crossed them on the table. Note that the table runners have a slightly different striped pattern, to add visual interest and keep it from being too “matchy-matchy”. The table was styled with herbs, garden orbs, olive wood boards and a garden lantern.
“OUTDOOR CASUAL” RUNNER SHOPPING GALLERY – CLICK IMAGES FOR PRODUCT LINKS:
TABLE RUNNER #4: “GREIGE MONOCHROME”
This tabletop is a Belgian-inspired monochromatic, layered look, with a few twists. I started with a classic, cream-colored linen tablecloth and added a grey-beige (“greige”) linen runner down the center. I juxtaposed modern bud vases (shown in the shopping gallery below) with simple glassware, cut garden roses, ferns and white majolica plates.
The cool plaster grapes add an unexpected element to the tabletop (I made those plaster of Paris grapes during lockdown and I’ve linked to similar marble grapes in the shopping gallery). Keep in mind that an unexpected element, such as the plaster (or marble) grapes, keeps the table setting from feeling too stuffy or formal.
“GREIGE MONOCHROME” RUNNER SHOPPING GALLERY – CLICK IMAGES FOR PRODUCT LINKS:
TABLE RUNNER #5: “BREATH OF SPRING”
My fifth tabletop vignette is inspired by my dining room that was featured in Better Homes & Gardens® Color Made Easy magazine. I re-created this tabletop, starting with a lilac linen table runner, accented with touches of green. This look would also be fabulous outdoors, for a spring garden party.
“BREATH OF SPRING” RUNNER SHOPPING GALLERY – CLICK IMAGES FOR PRODUCT LINKS:
I hope this post inspired you to take a fresh look at table runners and how you can create beautiful tablescapes incorporating some of these looks into your own home.