I found the tablecloth on ebay and it had a buy it now price. I had sent the seller an email because I had a question about the cloth, and while I was waiting to hear back from her...someone bought it right out from under my nose. Drat it! I'm so mad at myself for not going ahead and buying it. Now, to start all over again trying to plan the tablesetting...

Are you plannning on buying, making, or having it custom made? If you are buying one already made, your size options will definitely be more limited. I don't think there are hard and fast rules about how big the topper must be. Look at the link below(Ballards). If you scroll down to the bottom of that page you will see another topper that is longer. Take a flat sheet and fold/pin it to see what size is visible pleasing to you. If it were me, for a 42" table, I think a 60" square might work nicely. Come back and share your results! Here is a link that might be useful: Ballards

fnmroberts-- lovely tables! What a way to celebrate! Thank you for sharing! cyn, I love the Provence tablecloths. High on my list now, esp. since it's on sale! seagrass, you've given me a lot to think about! I think I will have to look in person to make returns easier, as you said. Very true about the pattern placement. Much more challenging when it's a non-standard size table. busybee-- great idea about CB. We have an outlet not too far, either, so that could be another place for me to look! WhiteRiver-- Wow . . .endless ideas from that site. I've bookmarked it for inspiration. I can see having a lot of fun decorating for everyday and the holidays with those ideas! catt-- I had not had much luck with the image search, which is why I posted. Sometimes I have no idea how some images come up in the searches I post-- they seem so random! I would love to use runners more and see the table as-is, esp. since we got rid of our water-damaged table (bought that way used). But, DH is afraid the kids will ruin it (or maybe me, too) so we have it protected at all times with a pad. Hmm. If we clean up spills right away, what is the worst that will happen? I guess the more "dangerous" thing that would happen is if we put something too hot down without the right kind of pad? yogacat, what great ideas. I forgot about bedding. I love matelasse and do not own any of it . . .keep dreaming of raspberry matelasse covers for my sofa, but since that's not going to happen, I could get a spread for my table! Are they pretty much a standard size? Some sites had actual dimensions listed, but some only "queen," "king," etc. oak, I am going to have to explore table toppers! Thanks again, everyone!

Wow, thank you all for posting! @dilly_dally: It's funny, but I had thought of using glass for a side table, but not for the dining room. I'll have to give it more thought... And thanks for the props! @cyn427: I had looked into replacing the windows a few years ago (the DR and LR both face south), but it's not a priority right now. As for the colors, the DR walls are Chestertown Buff (Benjamin Moore) and the ceiling is Benjamin Moore 1302 (no name, just a number). I worked with a great color consultant to get my house colors right. My DH calls her the Paint Whisperer. She was terrific and suggested that we paint the ceiling that dark red color. I was unsure but trusting and it turned out great. The LR green is actually two colors. Because the windows face south, the fireplace wall was painted a darker color. It's Mosaic Tile (also Benjamin Moore). The other three walls are Paddywhack (C2, which is my fav paint---luminous rich colors). @squirrelheaven: I will check out that possibility with my local Calico Corners and see what they say. Thanks for the tip! @bestyears: I googled Amy Butler and her stuff is great but too busy for me. It was very helpful, tho, to know that "laminated fabric" is what I'm looking for, and I'll probably spend more time just looking at that. @teacats: I did look at etsy (I have a currently inactive storefront there), but didn't find anything that was quite right. @tuesday: The den is painted in Oriental Silk (Benjamin Moore), which is a very soft yellowy tan. Thanks again!