BRING CLOTH NAPKINS BACK TO THE TABLE

Over the last few years I fell in love with cloth napkins. Until 2020 I only used them for the holidays. I remember holidays centered around the dininr toom table and the holiday or seasonal fabric napkins.

And if hosting a crowd I will either switch to paper or mix patterns on the dining room table.

CLOTH NAPKINS WITH ALUMINUM NAPKIN HOLDERS

But somewhere between the grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup during 2020 I decided cloth serviettes made an ordinary meal extraordinary.

I still use paper napkins and keep a stack in a drawer for those nights when I am happy to use a paper napkin or towel to dunk my pretzel squares in to the Costco Artihichoke dip.

Sidenote: There is no shame eating Costco size dips for dinner.

But during the pandemic when I hoarded paper products and made comfort foods like mac and cheese and four versions of grilled cheese I discovered cloth napkins made a sandwich look fancy.

WHITE COTTON NAPKIN UNDER A PLACE SETTING FROM CRATE & BARREL

But even when we returned to familiar routines around meals I added cloth squares with dinners that included a side salad. It just looked like a little bit more effort was made to same leftovers from the night before.

NAPKIN TIPS

I prefer cotton or a cotton blend. They handle the stains.
I also like a subtle pattern to disgues the inevitable spills
Look for napkins that measure a generou 20″x20 “to cover more area with inevitable spills and bumps.
If you fold them after the dryer cycle there are fewer wrinkles.
I have a metal finish but here is a fun metallic napkin holder. I These would look with this Thanksgiving centerpiece.
like to add them to a napkin ring after I wash them so they are ready for the next event.
WHERE TO BUY

Cloth napkins are a challenge to find at Homegoods because it is rare to find eight identical/similar prints or patterns. Which is how I stumbled (rolled) onto sites with cloth napkins.

Shop the out of season clearance sales. Buy red cloth napkins for 3 holidays!

My keystrokes have memorized the clearance tab at Pottery Barn

I found my favorite blue/gray cloth napkins on clearance at Crate & Barrel. I love gingham and found a selection on Amazon. Here is a fun pattern for fall.Target also has fun patterns! There is a little bit of everything in the shop board below!

SHOP