If you don’t know this already, I’m here to tell you that table cloths can really add that extra touch of class to your dining table, especially when you compliment it with various fancy accessories and decorations such as runners, napkins with napkin rings and place mats. Of course, these table accessories must not clash with each other or with the table settings, otherwise the ambiance within the dining area can be adversely affected.

One of the most obvious criteria to remember when you go about choosing your particular table cloth is to ensure that you get the correct length. This is absolutely important as the incorrect length will render the cloth useless or at best, impractical and an inconvenience. Please take note of the following -

• A table cloth that is too short won’t sufficiently cover the table underneath; or
• A table cloth that is too long can make it uncomfortable for the guests.

Probably after reading the above you think that it is fairly obvious, but you’ll be surprise at how often people get this wrong. So I thought it would worthwhile stating these points clearly here.

As such, I strongly recommend that the first task to do is to measure the dimensions of your table. The general rule when deciding on the length of the table cloth is to achieve a total drop length of about 12 inches. So simply add the table length to the 12 inches and you should be safe. The term, drop length, is just to describe the distance from the edge or end of your table to the end of the cloth itself.

Can you imagine if you were organizing some kind of major event and you had several banquet tables placed throughout the function room, each of which were using incorrectly sized table cloths? This is an embarrassing situation that you would want to avoid.