Table runners / table ribbons: still popular?

Dear users, dear authors,
are table runners / table ribbons still popular, or was that just a trend?

Well, I don’t have any anymore—not even tablecloths. We have a glass table, so I just use placemats.

I have to admit, we don’t have any table runners or table ribbons in my household either. A beautiful wooden table doesn’t need a tablecloth, a table runner, or table ribbons at all. And if I do use a tablecloth, I prefer it to be white so that the dishes and decorations stand out better. That said, I really like placemats. They give each guest their own little decorated space, while the center is reserved for whatever you’d like to serve, along with candles, flowers, etc.

But tastes vary, of course. These days, I prefer a cleaner look on the table.

Best regards, Ina

Table runners are a thing of the past. I don’t own any anymore either, only tablecloths (I think 2–3 are still from the GDR era) that still have the right dimensions. Modern tablecloths today are mostly almost square (odd dimensions).
I’ve also repurposed well-preserved, discarded regular colored bed sheets and used them as tablecloths.
Otherwise, I have a pretty patterned white oilcloth tablecloth on the table and placemats.
Tablecloths are only used for special occasions.

My mom sometimes uses table runners, or those long crocheted doilies, and depending on the occasion, she threads colored satin ribbons through them. It looks really chic (unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of it).

Oh, Andrea, those table runners your mom still has—I used to crochet them back in the day, too. But that was decades ago. Back then, I didn’t take pictures of my creations—that’s why there aren’t any photos of them.

Best regards, Ina

Just the other day I got a brand-new tablecloth—it still had the tag on it from when I bought it, along with a matching table runner in gold-beige. The tablecloth itself was bright red—very Christmassy. My daughter was over the moon because she’d just told me a few days ago that she needed a new tablecloth for the holidays. That thing had been sitting in the closet for almost 7 years and I’d never used it, so out it went—and my little girl was thrilled.

Love, Inge

I still have two or three table runners. They belonged to my grandmother, and every now and then I use them on my coffee table.