Although I look the look of a bare table, for practical reasons, I use not only a table cloth but a table pad. I have a cat who likes to lounge on the table so for reasons of hygiene and to prevent scratching, I keep it covered. Out tables is also constructed to look like planks so there are grooves in it. Keeping the grooves clean if always uncovered would be a nightmare. Perhaps when the cat is gone and I am retired with more time to fuss, I will once again enjoy a bare table, but for now, it is covered and I have the pleasure of buying beautiful table cloths.

not for everyday use…unless you have an old table to cover up…..i bought a reclaimed wood farm table…i want to see it.

Having family antiques, placemats and buffet scarf runners are a must to protect the furniture from items placed on them (decorative bowls, candlesticks, etc.), while still allowing a lot of the wood to show. During formal family dinners, a table pad with a table cloth are also a "must". When you love something, you protect it.

I love using tablecloths .. I use them on all my tables... including end tables and cocktail table... it makes for a softer looking and more welcoming, warm home.

I use a table cloth for the following reasons:
1. My table is a hand-me-down and badly needs refinishing. So I use a pad and a table cloth to both protect the wood where the finish is worn off, and to cover the burn from I forget which sibling being careless as a kid. :)
2. I don't really like my table, and until I find the right replacement, I will continue to hide it under a cloth. This particular item is low on my priority list, as is refinishing a table I don't like. :)
3. I have hardwood floors throughout my house and easily could have an acoustically live house. I don't have an eat-in kitchen, so the dining room is where all meals occur. I don't have a rug under the table because its easier to clean a hard floor. I use heavy drapes and the tablecloth/pad to dampen the echos. As soon as I find ones I like, I will add chair pads.

Only for holidays with large groups. I put a pad underneath to protect the table from hot items and use a tablecloth.

I like to use them for special occasions. I have lots of antique ones from my Grandmother & Mother. They both traveled and brought back ones from Italy, Portugal and places unknown!Make the table look lovely!

yes it sets the mood a nd softens the hard edges for dining plus i collect the vintage printed ones and they ramp up a sterile table for outside dining as well….my italian friend indoctrinated me as that is what they did in Italy…every meal a table cloth and it makes it feel more homey even if its just soup and sandwich..mange mange mange….

I have a vacation house in WI. It's older and I like to keep that look. I put "old fashioned looking" cloth and /or placemats on the table for coler to suit my taste at that moment. It's just fun!

Appreciation of international textiles is a wonderful addition to one's abode.

I love a table runner, letting plates touch the runner but also showing the beautiful wood.

I love table runners and placemats for everyday use and tablecloths for special occasions. That said, I do have a quilted tablecloth that stays on our breakfast nook table during the winter time. There's just something really cozy about it when it's cold and blustery outside!

I like to see the table I painstakingly selected, so I prefer table runners and placemats. I like to change them up depending on the season, occasion, and mood.

Only use a tablecloth for holidays or birthday parties with lots of messy kids- plus I hate the way they slip and slide all over the table. I love my dining room table and want to see the wood- we use placemats on an every day basis.

To add to my previous comment, I did regularly use a tablecloth on the first dining room table I owned right after college 40 or so years ago: an old folding card table. It looked better covered up .

I have them and just don't like them much. I prefer runners and place mats that I can swap out as the mood strikes. I do use small square ones that can be put on catty corner so you still see some of the table. Why cover up a beautiful table (unless you have kids)!

I'm a Southern girl whose late mother set every Sunday table with a crisp linen tablecloth. It's a wonderful memory.

Vintage tablecloths are beautiful, but so are my tables. I used a table runner on my oak table at Christmas time and it was beautiful and I also have an yellow and green enamel top table and it is beautiful just the way it is...

Generally no, occasionally yes. I like the look of my table both ways. Its a very old rectangular pine table that I like to look at.

Yes in the dining room for Holidays and special dinner parties. No for everyday in the kitchen.

We have no dining room, but do have a large eating area off the kitchen, so decided to go a little traditional with the table, chairs and china cabinet. When brand new our two cats started jumping on and off the table, creating numerous scratches. (Declawing is out of the question.) Since then, we have a padded table protector on it, and a tablecloth at all times. Saves the table from heat burns too.

I have one just to protect it because it scratches really easily otherwise I would much rather see its nice wood.

I agree Suzanne. We have a hobby farm with a large oak table and I love to sit at it when the wood is bare. Almost impossible to mark it. Easy to wash.

Much more elegant. Bare tables are for fast food restaurants!

Thumbs up-tablecloths add color and texture to a room.

Yes, I keep a tablecloth on my dinning room table all the time. The table cloth helps my dinning room table look elegant with my china on top of the tablecloth.

Scratches on real wood tables can be easily removed: sandpaper it then apply 2 layers of wood protection product (the transparent one). Works for me so far.

Hi!
So interesting discussion for me! I make and market tableclothes of various styles and materials, and, honestly, I have seen very beautiful table top arrangements in either classic or modern style interiors. What do you say for the following? Could it make a nice dinner table decoration?
http://www.houzz.com/projects/502281/Collection-DREAM

I have a whole closet devoted to my twenty-or-so tablecloths. I love having them in various colors and use them mainly when I entertain. Several were hand-embroidered by my mother-in-law and one was hand-crocheted by my aunt--both are at least fifty years old, Both are used at least once a year.

I have tablecloth on my table . Its a gift from my mom in India. She does block printing and makes really beautiful table cloths, bedspreads and curtains. The best part is I can have any color I want :)

I usually just have the runner on the table; sometimes with fresh flowers, other times with my silk flower centerpiece. The green tablecloth is my Christmas tablecloth, the cream colored cloth I've used for Brunches, birthdays, etc. I grew up in an era when linen tablecloths were used for holidays and special occasion dinners

Yes when we have people over for dinner, it is a must to set up a nice table...no, we eat direct on our wood table when it is only the family...I have all styles of table clothes, so i can create different ambiances...

I agree with others who say no tablecloth for everyday use (I too like to enjoy the look and feel of wood) but definitely get out a cloth for special occasions. I think these photos speak for themselves - a dining room "everyday" without a cloth and the same dining room with table decked out for Christmas which the clients asked me to create. A tablecloth makes the holiday special and today you can get spill proof cloths so there's no excuse. The spill just beads up on the surface and the stain won't permeate the fabric. My two cents from Montreal!

Oops wrong second photo (that's my house!) ... here's the second photo of the Christmas dining room...

And don't forget to layer the tablecloth with runners and chargers for extra glam!

Both your client's and your own tables are beautiful, Rebecca!! I also realized when I set the table for Christmas (that was a new tablecloth-great deal) that I needed silver chargers. Needless to say, I will have them this Christmas as both sets of china are rimmed in silver! I love, love, my red chargers when I use the cream tablecloth!

Thank you Beverlynn. I think this is something that mainly women can understand and gush about!!!

Sometimes tables cloths look nice but they get annoying and they are just another bit of laundry

I love textiles and have a variety of tablecloths that I use sporadically to add warmth, style or flair to my tables. They are also great buffet-scapes, and hide objects used to create height on the buffet table. Mostly, they are just fun, and I use them because they make a table feel cozy and joined.

@Rebecca, so true!!

Yes, but not for keeping the table clean. I just enjoy decorating with the colors and designs of tablecloths and placemats. It's a quick, easy, inexpensive way for me to change things up a bit every so often.

I love black tablecloths. They are modern and practical. Do not understand why manufacturers do not make wide/wider tablecloths? I like a 12" drop on each side of the table.

Definitely yes and no. For the yes times, I have a large collection of tablecloths, runners and placemats. I especially like to have fun on holidays. I love Halloween...this was one photo I saw online and thought was great. Haven't duplicated it yet but will at some point.

Idk

When we lived in France, I made many purchases of beautiful Jacquard linens & love using them. The patterns are beautiful. My tables have glass tops to preserve the fabric from too many washings.cloths dress my table just as my window coverings do to them.

Typically no, but it also depends on the setting. It looks stunning in the photo above, so why not?

Yes, I use a table cloth for holidays and dinner parties. I feel that my table looks dressed. I use a table protector so I have to hide it with a cloth. All other times I love to see the beautiful dark wood.

25 years of wear and tear, writing on the table by naughty children and grandchildren, arguement marks, wine spills, family meals gone awry, etc...well, yes sometimes tablecloths are the best option.

I couldn't even have breakfast without a tablecloth on my table

I don't have a tablecloth for the table in my formal dining room, but I use one for formal dinners.

for our everyday breakfast nook ( two or three meals a day), I tried without for few days for a more modern look in the kitchen, and within two days, the wooden table had scratches. So now, I am back to a tablecloth, and we put placemats on top to eat