What Is a Table Runner?

Having been a creator of table runners for several years, I just thought everyone knew what these were.  But according to my webmaster, that’s not necessarily the case. No, it’s not somebody in a track suit running across your table.  It’s a decorative fabric element you can add to your table, your sideboard, or wherever else you need a pop of color.

After a little research, I discovered that table runners date back to the Middle Ages and were used to keep the tablecloths clean.  After an exciting night of consuming mass quantities of meat and ale, the tabletops were trashed.  Somebody figured out that by putting another layer of fabric down the middle of the table running the length of it, the tablecloths would remain clean.  The tables were cleaned off by simply picking up the table runner with all of the leftovers, stains, etc. on them.  Consequently, this kept the tablecloths clean without having to constantly remove and clean them!  Well, we’re not in the Middle Ages anymore, and like everything else since that time (hopefully), table runners have evolved.  Now they are used as a decorative element that make the top of your table more visually appealing consisting of various sizes of rectangles.

So, let’s take a look at some of examples.  The first picture shows candlesticks which add height to the table.  But that’s kind of basic.  In the second picture we have added a floral arrangement which adds some depth to the table.  (Floral arrangement is available only in the shop.)  While this is starting to add some interest, there is still another element of interest that can be added, and that’s where the table runner enters the picture (pun intended).  Let’s take a look at the third picture, and now we see how the table runner adds color and interest to the top of the table.

You can change them out by season or just because you got bored with seeing the same look all of the time.  It’s a fun and simple way to add some color to your festive holiday table!

Hopefully, this is starting to give you some inspiration as to what to do with the top of your table!  Next month we’re going to talk about another exciting option – table toppers!