9 Cool, Gorgeous Tablecloths to Dress Up Your Kitchen Table

As with Cynar and curly kale, it took me a while to warm up to tablecloths — to understand their use beyond the occasional holiday party, and to embrace how handy and chic they can be as a functional piece of everyday kitchen decor. I think back to lockdown, and the tradition my roommates and I started of ‘hosting’ formal Friday sit-down dinners (for no one but ourselves) with a table dressed to the nines. After a while, we kept our best checkered tablecloth out because it just felt good.

Since then, many pandemic dining practices have come and gone, but my love of tablecloths has only increased. In the long-term, they’re a cost-effective way to protect your furniture, make clean-up easier (just throw it in the wash), and shake up your decor; I recently bought a new kitchen table on Facebook Marketplace with a heinous paint job, but it was easily and stylishly hidden by a floral tablecloth until my truffle-colored chalk paint arrived.

Francky Knapp

The best tablecloths can give your dishware new life. They can dress up your Easter spread and consolidate crumbs. They make excellent housewarming gifts, and add warmth and visual interest to even the most mundane Landlord Special kitchens. As a tireless and passionate home re-zhuzher and longtime shopping writer, I sleuthed the internet for some of the best tablecloths out there for every aesthetic and budget, whether you’re a Dusen Dusen-pilled host with a tinned fish spread, linen tablecloth purist, or someone who has yet to discover which Indian block print tablecloth is destined for their dining table.

The best tablecloths under $50

Linen for a nonchalant countryside energy

Linkslove Striped Linen Tablecloth (55 x 55 inches)

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Mark my words: Somewhere, there’s a coastal French Riviera villa with a version of this striped linen tablecloth, spread out on a farm-style table, and covered in caprese salads, bottles of Bordeaux, and various quiches. Linen is always a smart material choice for tablecloths because it only gets softer with every wash and feels fabulous on your forearms. 

Mexican oilcloth fabrics are beautiful and easy to clean

Look for vintage tablecloths

The best tablecloths under $100

Start collecting Indian block print tablecloths

Marigold Living Juhi Flower Tablecloth (70 x 70 inches)

Prices taken at time of publishing.

What would we do without Indian block print tablecloths? These tablecloths refer to the thousands-of-years-old craft of carving and hand-stamping or “printing” designs onto fabrics, and Marigold Living has just about every color option and floral design imaginable; this sunny block print is ideal for spring and summer, and the 300-thread count cotton material means it can even double as a bed coverlet. 

This pretty colorblock tablecloth is 75% off

The beauty is in the details

Merrow Stitch Warm Natural Organic Cotton Tablecloth (60 x120 inches) 

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Listen, you don’t always need much — you just need a tablecloth that pays attention to the important details, such as this organic cotton tablecloth with thick merrow stitching (which will also prevent fraying) on the sides. Very Nancy Meyers. 

The best tablecloths under $300

A new take on the check print trend

Tortuga Reversible Chcker (72 x 60 inches)

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The check print trend finds new life in this tablecloth from Tortuga Forma, whose founder, Andrea Hill, spent years honing her home decor eye at art auction houses. This take on the classic motif blends colors and check sizes to create a versatile (and reversible) tablecloth. 

Bring the vegetable patch to your table

Postmodern art on your dining table

Happy dining.