A napkin is the one thing on a table nobody thinks about until they are holding the wrong one. Too small and it sits uselessly on a lap; too large and it swamps a side plate. We make eight sizes, and the shop is careful to tell you the measurements and careless about telling you which to pick. This page fixes that.
The eight sizes, and what each is for
These are conventions rather than rules — the sizes are ours, the customs are the table's.
| Inches | Centimeters | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 | 25 × 25 | Cocktail and canapé napkins; under a glass |
| 12 × 12 | 30 × 30 | Tea, coffee, cake; children's places |
| 14 × 14 | 35 × 35 | Breakfast and light lunch |
| 16 × 16 | 40 × 40 | Everyday lunch — the smallest size that still covers a lap |
| 18 × 18 | 45 × 45 | The common all-purpose size; lunch or an informal dinner |
| 20 × 20 | 50 × 50 | Dinner. If you buy one size and use it for everything, buy this one |
| 22 × 22 | 55 × 55 | Generous dinner; folds well for a formal setting |
| 24 × 24 | 60 × 60 | Banquet size; the one that drapes properly over a knee |
Two things to know before you choose. Linen is thinner than a cotton damask of the same size, so a linen napkin folds smaller than the number suggests — if you are between sizes, take the larger. And every size shrinks onto its listed measurement rather than below it, because the cloth is cut oversized rather than pre-shrunk.
How many you actually need
The honest answer is more than one set per bed of a table, and the reason is laundry rather than hospitality. Napkins are washed far more often than any other table linen, so a household that owns exactly six spends its life waiting for them to dry.
- Two people, everyday use: a set of four. Two in use, two clean.
- A family of four: a set of six. Four out, two spare, one wash a week.
- You host: six in your everyday size, plus four or six in a dinner size kept separately. The larger ones stay unworn and keep their edge for years.
- A long table you fill twice a year: count the seats, then add two. Something always goes wrong at one place setting.
Sets come in four and six, one size and one color per set, and both are offered in all eight sizes. Singles and sets together are on linen napkins.
Why a set costs less than the same napkins singly
Because it is one cut, one seam run and one parcel rather than four or six of each. We pass that on rather than keeping it: a set of four is 7.5% below four singles, and a set of six is 10% below six — the same discount at every size, with no minimum and no code.
The practical consequence is that buying singles only makes sense when you want an odd number or a mix of sizes. For anything else the set is cheaper for the identical napkins.
White or oatmeal on a table
White is the safer choice and the more demanding one: it goes with every plate ever made, and it shows every drop of red wine until it is washed. Oxygen bleach is safe on it, which is what makes that survivable.
Oatmeal hides more and asks less. It is a mélange of bleached white and gray yarn rather than a beige dye, so it reads warmer under lamplight than in daylight and sits comfortably against wood and stoneware. It cannot be bleached, so treat stains promptly instead.
Mixing the two across a table works better than it sounds — one color for the napkins, the other for the runner, rather than alternating around the setting. The rest of the linen table linen is cut from the same cloth, so the two colors behave identically whichever way round you use them.
Living with them
Napkins get the hardest life of anything we sew and are the easiest thing to care for. Wash before first use, cold, then at 40 °C with everything else. Wash a set together so it stays a set — three now and three next month leaves you with two slightly different stacks for good. Oxygen bleach on white only, never chlorine on either color. The rest is in the linen care guide.
Ironing is optional and mostly a question of what you want the table to say. Pressed damp, linen takes a sharp fold; left alone it keeps a soft crease that suits an everyday table. Napkins are also the one piece where ironing is genuinely quick, so it is worth doing when it matters.
They wear in rather than out. The same 170 GSM cloth as our bedding, cut and sewn in our workshop near Riga, gets softer and more absorbent with every wash — a napkin that has been through fifty washes is better at its job than a new one.
Common questions
What size napkin is standard for dinner?
20 × 20 in / 50 × 50 cm is the usual dinner napkin, and it is the size to buy if you only buy one. Formal settings go up to 22 or 24 in; lunch drops to 16 or 18.
How many napkins should I buy?
More than the number of people you seat, because they are washed constantly. Four for two people, six for a family of four, and the number of seats plus two for a table you fill occasionally.
Is a set cheaper than buying the napkins singly?
Yes. A set of four is 7.5% below four singles and a set of six is 10% below six, at every size we make. Singles are only the better buy when you want an odd number or a mix of sizes.
Do linen napkins need ironing?
No. Linen carries a soft crease naturally and an unironed napkin is a normal thing on a table, not a lapse. Iron while damp if you want a sharp fold for a formal setting.
Can linen napkins go in the dryer?
Yes, on low. Take them out slightly damp — fully dried linen is harder to fold and harder to iron, and high heat is the single biggest cause of wear.
Will white linen napkins stain permanently?
Rarely. Linen is absorbent and releases most stains in a normal wash if they are not left to set. Rinse cold, then wash; for stubborn marks on white, soak in oxygen bleach first. Never use chlorine bleach on either color.