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It's an out-of-the-bedroom-and-onto-the-table story in textiles this year as manufacturers bring new fabrics to the table linen arena. Chenille and quilted materials are making strong statements in table linens, while creatures of all sizes are heading to the kitchen textiles department.

Much of the change in design can be attributed to the metamorphosis of tabletop as a whole. As place settings continue to evolve as they tell the tabletop story, retailers have been blindly throwing darts at textile selections or opting for very conservative purchases.

It's difficult to select only one design that melds with today's dinnerware patterns as tabletop's popular mix-and-match trend is responsible for a wide variation of colors and styles.

"I think fabrics have been the hardest category for me to get a handle on because the colors are always a problem," Fowler said. "It's so difficult to find just the right one in the right pattern and the correct quantities. You always seem to have one napkin or one place mat leftover."

She continued, "Linens are following the trends in tabletop. The colors are changing from the traditional."

During both last year's New York's Tabletop Market Week and Gourmet Products Show, a number of tabletop companies announced new product launches with coordinating table linens and kitchen textiles. Even more tabletop manufacturers have joined the textile ranks this year as dinnerware trends continue to dictate textile fashions and consumers demand a completion to their tabletop story. It is a move specialty retailers are watching closely.

"Denby has a line called Energy which they recently extended to include table textiles because that's what customers need — the ability to match those new colors," Fowler said.

Fowler said she's intrigued by the additions from tabletop vendors since she is constantly searching for linens which complement today's simplistic yet complicated tabletop story about fashion and style.

Color Me Sherbet

Retailers are seeing the grayed-down pastels moving from dinnerware to table linens. Despite the name, these colors are anything but dull. Instead, they are bright primary colors — the shades of sherbet are combined with lilacs and iridescence to form a new pastel primary rainbow not normally witnessed in table linens and textiles.

"We don't do very well with pastels but these colors aren't really pastel," Pomp said. "The colors we're seeing are oranges, primary colors that have a story. Anything in cobalt blue is a good color for us."

Pomp said colors gaining consumer attention are grass greens, cobalt blues, and schoolbus yellows. Other retailers describe them with allusions to foods such as mango, banana, grape, and lime. Whatever the term, color is back in style.

"Colors are changing. There's a lot of purples and Aberdeen-type colors. Light green is popular, but hunter green is passé," Fowler said. "Popular runners have a lot of burgundy and purples."

Traditional damask and linen fabrics are being treated to new colorization. Off-whites are still popular, but colors not normally seen on the table are making a statement as muted greens, butter yellows, and grayed-down browns and blacks garner interest.

"Portland is a funny market. We're not a very trendy one. Yellow is really hot this spring as is sage green, but those two colors did well last year," said Rachel Garfield, owner of Portland, Maine-based Pier 1.

These hues are extending into the fourth quarter complemented by more colors with flowery or edible names. Squash, celery, iris, and pansy are just some of the colors taking over the table this fall. Denim is another color and fabric treatment to watch.

Birds & Bees

Colors aren't the only thing making the leap from the plate to textiles. Bugs, bees, and birds can be found dashing across napkins, tea towels, appliance covers, and tablecloths. Leading the textile runway this year are ladybugs, leaves, apples, cherries, grapes, bumblebees, fish, frogs, and butterflies.

"Fun and whimsical are really strong right now," Pomp said. "Big, bold, graphic things are working well. We have one pattern which is reminiscent of Marimekko, a Scandinavian design popular in the early 80s, that is selling great for us. Of course, anything with bugs is good."

Garfield noted, "We do a lot with bugs. Bugs do well for dish towels and napkin rings but I don't know if people want bugs all over their larger pieces."

Flowers, which traditionally do well in table linens, are joined by fruits and vegetables this year. Fruit designs in particular are exceeding expectations in specialty retail channels across the country.

Traditional European designs are benefiting from this trend. Tea towels with jacquard woven designs are increasing in popularity. Designs with fruit baskets, cornucopia, and harvest themes are also back in style. European manufacturers are breathing new life into old-fashioned patterns by introducing new colors such as turquoise, periwinkle, and butter spectrums in window pane or gingham designs.

Does Size Really Matter?

Once you have the design, color, and texture decided, how do you select the size? If a 90-in. runner is the average, when should you order a 120-in. one? What about squares versus rectangles versus circles versus ovals? Where do the decisions end? Size and quantities seem to present the greatest challenge to retailers.

"I think there's a resurgence in tablecloths; the young girls are really looking for the tablecloth," Fowler said. "But trying to determine what size to get, what shape to get . . . it's just a nightmare. I'm still trying to feel my way through."

There doesn't seem to be a distinct demographic for textile purchases. While table linens are gathering momentum with the assistance of consumer-shelter trends, determining a customer base requires tenaciousness.

Garfield dedicates over 30 square feet of her store to table linens. She said she buys solely 100-percent cotton tablecloths and a wide range of place mats. Her tablecloth inventory consists of squares, rounds, and a variety of rectangles.

"I can't say there's any consistency. I buy on my own gut instincts and price points," she said. "Probably my number one seller is tea towels. They make a nice gift and are something that can dress up a kitchen without a lot of money having to be spent."

According to most of the specialty retailers we spoke with, bridal didn't seem to be a strong market for table linens, but kitchen textiles — such as aprons — are taking their place on gift registry lists. Garfield noted aprons are a hot seller during the fourth quarter as holiday gifts or for entertainment purposes.

"I'm just doing small rectangles, but with a lot of pattern in them, not just plain," Fowler said. Most of her inventory is comprised of cotton washables, but she also said laminated fabrics are doing well. "Most of my runners are purchased as 90 inches, but most people purchase them during the holidays when they put in their table leaves. Then they come in and I special order them 120-in. runners," she said.

Setting the Table

There is no steadfast rule to either tabletop or table textile purchasing. But if you study trends in table settings themselves, the story becomes more apparent.

The overwhelming result is a versatile mix-and-match table: a buff damask Irish linen tablecloth with twig mats, artisan-design stainless-steel flatware, colored bubble-glass wine goblets, Asian paper-light candles, and casual, glazed stoneware.

The tabletop story is ready to be merchandised year-round. You can add a variety of elements to regionalize your table: big floral napkins with seashell napkin rings in warm seaside climates; strong cobalt blue cotton napkins with whimsical napkin holders in the Pacific Northwest; a nautical centerpiece and periwinkle napkins for New England; or hues of gold and purple on a Midwest table.

Determining how to set and style your customers' tables is as easy as reviewing your own inventory and sales records. In order to design your customers' tables, you must first set your own. Create whole tabletop stories, from linens to napkin holders to candles and glasses. Today's consumer wants to make their home environment both fashionable and comfortable. It's up to you to lead the way.