Win a Set of Eight Damask Linen Napkins VERNISSAGE

Finest pure linen damask napkins in milky white colour with ornamented border in natural shades, perfect for special occasions. Size 56x56cm. Worth £79.

These super-quality linen napkins have been weaved at one of the oldest Russian factories, which was supplying table linens to the Russian Royal Court in the 19c.

Enter our Prize Draw by submitting your contact details before the 20th of October 2009.

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A great chance to enhance your dining table with these high quality napkins out of range of pure linen home accessories.

Or they could be a great Christmas gift for your mum!

To increase your chance of winning please feel free to submit your details for a few times - once every new day.
Invite your friends and family to challenge their luck too!

Damask or jacquard is a figured linen fabric in which warp-satin and weft-sateen create a pattern. Such patterns are visible even in an all white cloth, woven from all white yarns. This process requires threads to be woven in contrasting directions, which creates a pattern that is visible when viewed at certain angles. Across large surfaces, damask fabrics are most extraordinary as reflect light and continually reveal new designs to your eye in a subtle and appealing way.

You can also buy these napkins from Alenska website for £9.90 each, as well as matching Vernissage tablecloths and table runners:

Vernissage Tablecloth 130x130cm            £ 69.00

Vernissage Tablecloth 140x170cm            £ 78.00

Vernissage Tablecloth 170x170cm            £ 85.00

Vernissage Table Runner 50x175cm        £ 44.00  

Table Linens and Modern Etiquette

Sometimes we all need some new good ideas for a party and to prepare the table. Each occasion has its own requirements of table linens and consideration of this is a good place to start when coming up with ideas. Let’s go through some basics together to create the right atmosphere and setting for your party table with the right tablecloth, napkins, placemats and table runners

Nowadays, the Internet offers a wide range of table coverings from paper and polyester tablecloths, to finishing the table with high quality cotton or linen tablecloths.

Most of us would prefer to use affordable polyester covers which, apart from their fabulous price, are very easy to look after – stains can be removed easily by a standard washing cycle. It is reasonable to say therefore that most households have this type of tablecloths. However, there is one major drawback – polyester does not last very long.

There is another low budget solution, a paper version. While being something that you cannot survive without when arranging a picnic or serving your dinner outdoors, it should hardly ever be considered as an option for the home (except for children’s parties). The reason for this is that the use of a paper tablecloth, even if it is absolutely stunning one and purchased from Harrods is simply considered as a bad taste for the table and cannot replace the proper tablecloth.

Another type is polycotton table linens, including napkins. However, our point would be to very strictly only consider these for industrial uses only. You can normally judge how cheap or sophisticated a restaurant is by the appearance of their tables. Cheap ones have no covers on their tables. The maximum they offer is some placemats for each guest individually. However, restaurants with style can be recognised immediately through the window where you can see tables covered traditionally in white tablecloths.

Such places are normally more expensive but they charge you more for the overall pleasure you experience. You feel good in restaurants with this attention to detail and easily forget about the cost versus the feeling they give. The picture we are painting is what is good for a good restaurant is not good though for your friends and family. Treat your loved ones to the best they would experience in a Michelin stars restaurant.

If you are searching for the best experience then try the luxury of a crisp Out of practicality such a tablecloth is normally white, but recent trendy establishments may offer some coloured choices - sometimes even black! Of course such linens require a bit extra care, but you’d want to look after them anyway...

Pure linen fabric is extremely long-lasting. Linen is more wearable then cotton and there is no problem when dealing with stains from wine, dressings and greasy food. Due to its sheen and smooth surface, linen releases stains easily.

A simple rule for you to observe from now on is that as soon as the dinner is finished and you believe your tablecloth has been damaged with stains, you should remove all hard food leftovers from its surface and soak it in warm water immediately. You can also add a drop of Fairy which fights with grease on your linens as well as on your plates. Next morning your treasured linen tablecloth is ready to be washed as usual. And do not forget to iron it while damp. A hint of starch will be good as well. If you have purchased a tablecloth in bright colours you should add a tablespoon of white vinegar into the rinsing cycle. This will help dyes of the tablecloth return to normal natural contrast.

Apart from linen napkins, placemats, table runners and all other sorts of table linens we also recommend you should try the whole experience of luxury bedding including < href="”"> bedspreads and cushions.
Once you have tied the luxury of linen home accessories you are not able to survive without them – so beware!

How to Choose the Right Size of Your Tablecloth

Buying table linens for your home seems to be an easy task but it might become quite a confusing undertaking if not planned properly. Apart from the style and quality of a fabric you also should consider the right size of tablecloth for your dining table, as well as some matching napkins, placemats and table runners.

There are some rules which exist for any type of tablecloth and it does not matter if they are cheap or expensive. When buying a new tablecloth make sure it is at least half a metre longer and wider than your table. Then it will hang over your table with free folds on each side.

Ideally, when you are buying your dining table and matching chairs, the height of the chairs should be 30cm lower than the table surface. If this is the case, then you provide your diners with the most comfortable dining experience as the table is not too high, nor too low for keeping your back straight and relaxed at the same time. Using this guide, your luxurious linen tablecloth should ideally be same level with the seats.

Of course there can be another scenario when for some special occasion you might need your table linens to overhang the table down to the ground. This is normally the case for a formal reception and not something you would normally undertake at home. Therefore for your home you should feel comfortable with any size of the tablecloth with at least half a metre of extra length and up to additional two heights of your dining table.

The use of a luxury tablecloth is very beneficial when your furniture has lost its glamorous look and got a little older. The solution of a new tablecloth will change the situation immediately and with the minimum of effort.

You will also achieve superb results when you take the time to match your tablecloth with your window curtains. In this way, your dining room will look extremely chic and fresh.

Alternatively, if your home is set in a modern manner and you do not wish to hide your exceptionally stylish furniture under a classic tablecloth, you can always add some glamour to your table with a table runner and some matching linen napkins and placemats. Such arrangement will create an impression of luxury without being too over bearing.

There is a wide variety of quality table linens to choose from including plain linens, embroidered tablecloths and damask tablecloths.

Damask or jacquard is a figured linen fabric in which warp-satin and weft-sateen create a pattern. Such patterns are visible even in an all white cloth, woven from all white yarns. This process requires threads to be woven in contrasting directions, which creates a pattern that is visible when viewed at certain angles. Across large surfaces, damask fabrics are most extraordinary as reflect light and continually reveal new designs to your eye in a subtle and appealing way.

When making your choice of table linens you should remember that dining in style is one of those little pleasures which can bring some deserved elegance and luxury into your life. So easily achievable and so rewarding to experience! Good luck and have fun selecting your next table…

Damask Linen Tablecloth Valse

PURE LINEN DAMASK TABLECLOTH

Nothing can look more glamorous than pure linen damask tablecloth in natural colour. Available in two different sizes - 150X200cm and 150x250cm. 300g/m2 pure linen.


This damask tablecloth with its neutral colour and classic pattern is suitable for any sort of occasion - anniversary, birthday party, official reception or dinner with your close friends and family.

It has been made in Belarus, on one of the top linen factories with the use of traditional East-European technologies.

HOW TO LOOK AFTER DAMASK TABLECLOTH

• Wash in low temperatures, such as 30 -40C
• Dry naturally, iron on *** while dump.
• Use starch if necessary

WHAT IS DAMASK?

Damask or jacquard is a figured linen fabric in which warp-satin and weft-sateen create a pattern. Such patterns are visible even in an all white cloth, woven from all white yarns. This process requires threads to be woven in contrasting directions, which creates a pattern that is visible when viewed at certain angles. Across large surfaces, damask fabrics are most extraordinary as reflect light and continually reveal new designs to your eye in a subtle and appealing way.

HOW TO BUY VALSE DAMASK TABLECLOTH

You can buy this luxury tablecloth online from Alenska website.

PRICES

150X200cm £75
150X250cm £90

Russian Eco-Linen

There is no other fabric apart from pure linen which just gets finer and finer through many years of use and multiple washes. It is a king of modern fabrics. But apart from that linen is a very green product.

Linen is grown by using traditional methods of rotation. It is planted at some particular field for one year, and then it is not brought back to the same place for at least 6 years. In between those fields will be used for wheat, corn, potatoes or clover. Using this technology, Russian farmers were allowing the soil to have some rest, and by that they were reducing amount of used chemicals.

Linen requires 5 times less pesticides and fertilizers than cotton and 13 times less then potato (can you imagine what we eat?!!). It is ecologically friendly product. Apart from that linen lasts up to 12 times longer than cotton. Linen is thermo-regulating (insulating in wintertime, cool and breathable in summertime), non-allergenic and anti-bacterial and thus especially recommended for sensitive skin. The careful transformation and finishing processes are resulting in products which induce a feeling of pleasure and well being.

Eastern European linen is proceeding from the savoir-faire of generations. It inherited a unique elegance while adapting itself to evolving fashions and lifestyles. More than ever, it gives shape to designer innovations and fulfils consumer requirements. Whether as pure linen or in blends, it always combines quality with loyalty and creativity…

The use of linen dates back to ancient times: it was the first known textile fiber in the world, the earliest traces of its use dating back to 8000 BC. Linen has also been discovered in Egyptian tombs, wrapped around pharaohs' bodies: in 6000 BC, the noble virtues and solidity of this fiber were already well-known. The Phoenicians, renowned merchants and illustrious navigators, used to buy linen in Egypt in order to export it to Ireland and England. Flax thus was the first textile plant to be grown in Europe.

During the Roman era, the growing and applications of this fiber developed throughout the Empire and the Romans were the first to start using it at home.

During the Middle Ages, linen gained ground in northern and central Europe. It was used in clothing and equipment for kings and artisans, monks and soldiers. It was worn as a sign of status during the Renaissance: from delicate batiste, drugged, fine linen and lace ruffs through to work wear and humble caps for peasant women.

The ultimate family business, flax was grown and retted by the men folk, harvested by the women and children, spun by the women, woven by the men, made up into clothing and embroidered by young girls...

The savoir-faire was exported during the wars of religion. Huguenot weavers were forced into exile in Ireland and the Netherlands, and initiated local workers into the art of weaving linen.

The industrial revolution in the 19th century increased production capacity and linen was exported throughout the world. Trade routes were established, for example, canvas woven in Brittany was exported to Brazil, via Cadiz.

Colonial settlers adopted linen for its thermoregulatory properties. Light, absorbent clothing and household linen were very popular, and linen was often used for civil servants' uniforms. Linen was still the benchmark quality-wise and also for status. 19th-century wedding contracts mention it in descriptions of trousseaux.

Linen has always co-existed happily alongside the other natural fibers, even giving rise to interesting combinations: linen/cotton, linen/silk, linen/wool, linen/hemp... However, artificial and synthetic fibers posed a threat to European linen after World War II.

Jettisoning home economics, women's lib wholeheartedly embraced these new easy-care fabrics, imbued with modern flair, albeit often to the detriment of comfort and elegance.

This challenge acted as a spur to Eastern European linen and, today, thanks to ongoing research into innovations, the Eastern European linen industry has developed easy care fabrics, an amazing array of products for fashion and furnishings (weight, colors, handle and style) and often takes pride of place in international collections.

Read more about linen fabric and linen products on our website Alenska-Luxury Bedding and Table Linens. Alenska is the UK supplier of quality home accessories - linen window curtains, cushions, curtain fabrics, duvet sets and pillowcases, bedding sheets, bedspreads and luxury bath towels.