A coarse, open weave in undyed oatmeal, bordered all the way round with a crocheted lace trim in the same tone. The texture does the work: set against glass and gold it gives a table the roughness it needs to stop looking like a showroom. The lace edge is worked as a continuous scallop rather than stitched on, so it lies flat instead of curling. Four to a set, in round or rectangular is the sort of thing that lives in a drawer and comes out whenever the table needs softening.
