Using Table Runners is a Fast, Easy, and Inexpensive Way to Enhance Décor
As the days grow shorter, and colder weather drives people indoors, autumn is traditionally the time that thoughts turn to creating a warm, nurturing indoor environment. Our next few blog entries will focus on small ways to enhance your living space that make a big difference in your interior refuge from the harsh winter elements.
Table runners are one such way to not only compliment a table setting for mealtime, but to create an elegant “tablescape” that inexpensively transforms a room’s décor.
First, let’s define what a table runner is: a table runner is a strip of decorative cloth that 
varies in width, length and adornments, which “runs” the span of a table. Ways to use a table runner in a decorating scheme is limited only by one’s imagination. When used over a beautiful wood table, one may want to use a runner alone so as to enhance the natural elegance of the table. Additional drama can be introduced into a tablescape when a runner is used over a tablecloth, especially when fabrics of differing colors and textures are used.
Table runners are not limited to use on a traditional dining room table only. Runners can enhance the look and feel of end tables, side tables, buffets, teacarts, coffee tables, or almost any piece of furniture with a flat surface.
There is no hard and fast rule regarding the size of the table runner. It can have a drop and hang over the sides of the table or it can be shorter than the table and sit in the middle. But the runner should not hang down past the drop of the tablecloth.
Establishing a mood by the imaginative use of a table runner can result in a particularly dramatic decorative effect. Colors, textures and centerpieces can be mixed and matched in order to celebrate special occasions, observe a holiday, or simply change the “feel” of a room.
Quick tips for enhancing drama by simply using table runners:
- Lay two table runners across a round table, creating four “sections”. If four people are dining, each diner can be centered on the length of a runner. Eight diners can be seated with two diners per “section”, thus creating an intimate effect.
- For a less formal effect, use a shorter runner (one that is one-third the length of the table) and place a visually interesting, textural centerpiece on the runner.
- For longer tables, place multiple shorter table runners across the width of the table, preferably with no more than a six-inch drop. Be careful not to place the runners closer than two feet apart, otherwise the table will appear too cluttered.
InnStyle stocks table runners at wholesale pricing in many styles, fabrics, sizes and colors. You will be pleased with our selection, prices and customer service. Call us Toll Free: 1-800-877-INNS (4667) or 1-800-877-4667.