Cotton and Hemp Tablecloth Optical
Price range: $184.23 through $341.82
This hemp and cotton jacquard tablecloth is loom-woven by L’Arcolaio, an artisan mill in Abruzzo at the foot of the Gran Sasso, from 50% hemp and 50% Egyptian cotton: entirely natural fibers, interwoven into a geometric jacquard pattern with a rich, tactile surface. The color isn’t printed — it’s dyed yarn interwoven with hemp in its natural shade.
The fabric is pre-washed, so natural shrinkage is almost entirely eliminated, and it’s finished with a discreet corded edge along the sides and fringe at both ends.
Available in 5 colors — blue, burgundy, raw, terracotta, green — in standard and made-to-measure sizes up to 71″ (180 cm) wide. Because of the special finishing process, delivery is estimated at about 15 days from the order. Not sure which napkins to pick? Our Tortora solid-color linen napkins are the simplest match, on any of the five colors.
Also available on a custom-made basis.
For more information send an email to: info@labottegadicasa.com
- Composition: 50% hemp, 50% Egyptian cotton
- Woven by: L’Arcolaio, Abruzzo, at the foot of the Gran Sasso
- Design: geometric jacquard pattern, created by the weave, not printed
- Color construction: dyed yarn interwoven with hemp in its natural shade
- Treatment: pre-washed at the finishing stage, virtually no residual shrinkage
- Colors: blue, burgundy, raw, terracotta, green
- Side finish: corded edge
- Ends: fringed
- Made to measure: available, maximum fabric width 71″ (180 cm), any length
- Round shape: not offered; for round tables we recommend the square version
- Lead time: about 15 days from order, due to the special finishing process
- Washing: machine wash at 105 °F (40 °C)
- Sold: individually
- Brand: L’Arcolaio
- Retailer: La Bottega di Casa
A pattern born on the loom, not the press
Optical isn’t printed — it exists only because dyed yarn and natural hemp yarn cross paths on the loom. From a distance it reads as a graphic rhythm of checks and stripes; up close you see the weave itself, the fiber’s living irregularity, the character of a fabric that could never repeat itself exactly.
It’s a pattern that doesn’t tire the eye: it works on an antique table, among family silver and porcelain, and just as well on a spare table in a home that chose to remove rather than add. We recommend it as often to people restoring an old country house as to people living in a contemporary, minimalist interior — the pattern holds up either way, because it’s texture, not applied decoration.
The fabric: hemp and Egyptian cotton
The cloth is woven from 50% hemp and 50% Egyptian cotton, both natural fibers. The hemp gives the surface a dry, slightly coarse hand — the kind that reads as real fabric on first touch — while the Egyptian cotton softens the weave and sharpens the jacquard pattern.
A jacquard hemp and cotton fabric like this one arrives pre-washed: the finishing process removes almost all of the fiber’s natural shrinkage, so the measurements you see are already final, even after the first wash at home. The slight irregularities in the weave aren’t a flaw — they’re what gives the surface its texture, something a printed fabric can never replicate.
The workmanship: L’Arcolaio, Abruzzo
The tablecloth is made by L’Arcolaio, an Italian weaving mill based in Abruzzo at the foot of the Gran Sasso, which applies traditional jacquard-weaving techniques to patterns and color combinations reinterpreted for contemporary tables. La Bottega di Casa has worked with L’Arcolaio for many years, selecting its collections: Optical is part of L’Arcolaio’s own catalogue, not an exclusive La Bottega di Casa design.
The finish — a corded edge along the sides, fringe at both ends — is the same one that runs through the rest of the Optical collection, including the table runner, and underlines its natural, informal character.
- The pattern is woven, not printed: a depth and texture no print can match.
- Entirely natural fibers: 50% hemp, 50% Egyptian cotton.
- Pre-washed: shrinkage is almost eliminated, ready for the table.
- Five colors, from raw natural to deep burgundy.
- At home anywhere: an antique dining room or a contemporary minimalist one.
- Made to measure up to 71″ (180 cm) wide, for long or non-standard tables.
- Corded edge and fringe: the handmade character shows even at the hem.
- A L’Arcolaio fabric, from an Italian mill we’ve selected for years.
Two mills, one table
We don’t work in closed collections. We work in combinations. The Optical Tablecloth comes off a jacquard loom in Abruzzo; our solid-color napkins come out of a linen atelier in Follina. Two different mills, two different fibers — hemp and cotton on one side, linen on the other — brought together because they do more for a table together than either would alone.
It’s the same work we’ve always done in our shops in Follina and San Miguel de Allende: take a textural, rustic fabric like this one and find the solid color that gives it room to breathe instead of competing with it.
It works just as well as a hemp and cotton tablecloth for minimalist rooms as it does in a classic dining room — what changes is what you set around it, not the fabric itself.
The simplest match: Tortora linen napkins
Across all five Optical colors, the pairing we suggest first is our solid color linen napkins in Tortora. It’s a warm neutral that doesn’t compete with the tablecloth’s geometric pattern — it lets it speak, while softening it, because linen has a different hand than hemp and the contrast between the two fibers is something you can see and feel.
On blue, the Tortora cools the table slightly; on terracotta and raw, it warms it further; on green and burgundy, it acts as a neutral frame that lets the tablecloth’s color lead.
Two mills, one table
We don’t work in closed collections. We work in combinations. The Optical Tablecloth comes off a jacquard loom in Abruzzo; our solid-color napkins come out of a linen atelier in Follina. Two different mills, two different fibers — hemp and cotton on one side, linen on the other — brought together because they do more for a table together than either would alone.
It’s the same work we’ve always done in our shops in Follina and San Miguel de Allende: take a textural, rustic fabric like this one and find the solid color that gives it room to breathe instead of competing with it.
It works just as well as a hemp and cotton tablecloth for minimalist rooms as it does in a classic dining room — what changes is what you set around it, not the fabric itself.
The simplest match: Tortora linen napkins
Across all five Optical colors, the pairing we suggest first is our solid color linen napkins in Tortora. It’s a warm neutral that doesn’t compete with the tablecloth’s geometric pattern — it lets it speak, while softening it, because linen has a different hand than hemp and the contrast between the two fibers is something you can see and feel.
On blue, the Tortora cools the table slightly; on terracotta and raw, it warms it further; on green and burgundy, it acts as a neutral frame that lets the tablecloth’s color lead.
With the Optical Table Runner, same fabric
For anyone who wants to stay within the same textural world, layer the Optical Hemp and Cotton Table Runner, woven on the same loom, in a color different from the tablecloth: raw over terracotta, burgundy over blue. Two identical textures, two distinct colors — it’s a pairing that builds itself, because the fabric is already the same.
Tableware, glass and centerpieces
- Tableware: handmade stoneware in natural tones for raw and terracotta; white porcelain or matte black plates for blue and burgundy, for a sharper, more contemporary look.
- Glass and metals: clear or smoked blown glass, matte brass, wrought iron.
- Centerpieces: branches and wildflowers for a rustic table; a single, spare arrangement — or none at all — for a minimalist one.
- Rooms: raw wood or antique tables, natural stone, limewashed plaster, but also concrete floors and pared-back contemporary furniture.
Frequently asked questions about pairing
What tablecloth works in a minimalist dining room? One whose pattern is woven rather than printed, like Optical: the weave itself gives the table texture without needing added decoration. Pair it with a spare centerpiece and plain tableware and it carries a contemporary room on its own.
How do you style a geometric jacquard tablecloth? With a solid color that doesn’t compete with the pattern: our Tortora linen napkins work across all five colors precisely because they stay neutral. Avoid layering another patterned fabric on the same table — the jacquard is enough on its own.
What napkins go with a terracotta tablecloth? Tortora warms it further and is the simplest choice; for more contrast, white or raw-toned napkins work just as well and let the terracotta lead.
Not sure how to put it together?
Write to us. Tell us which color you’ve chosen and how you picture your table, and we’ll put together a proposal with napkins, runner and tableware that work together. It’s the service we’ve always offered in the shop, and going online didn’t change it.
Standard sizes
| Width × Length |
|---|
| 71″ × 71″ (180 × 180 cm) |
| 71″ × 98″ (180 × 250 cm) |
| 71″ × 106″ (180 × 270 cm) |
| 71″ × 118″ (180 × 300 cm) |
| 71″ × 126″ (180 × 320 cm) |
| 71″ × 142″ (180 × 360 cm) |
Made to measure — we make this made to measure hemp and cotton tablecloth in any length; the maximum fabric width is 71″ (180 cm), the limit of the loom it’s woven on. For a quote, email us at info@labottegadicasa.com.
A round version can be made but isn’t among the options we offer: for round tables we recommend the square version instead, which in our view dresses the table better than a shaped cloth. If you’d still prefer round, write to us and we’ll look at it case by case.
Lead time: because of the special finishing process, delivery — even for standard sizes — is estimated at about 15 days from the order.
This is a machine washable hemp and cotton tablecloth, machine wash at 105 °F (40 °C).
Before washing, separate light and dark colors, as with any yarn-dyed fabric. Tumble-drying and ironing instructions are on the label sewn into the tablecloth — follow them to keep the hand and definition of the jacquard weave intact.
Because the fabric is pre-washed at the finishing stage, you shouldn’t see further shrinkage after subsequent washes. All our advice is on the cleaning instructions page.
La Bottega di Casa began in Follina, in the Prosecco Hills north of Venice. Since the early 2000s we’ve also had a shop in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and we ship worldwide.
We do two things. In our own atelier we design and make the La Bottega di Casa collections: exclusive prints, hand cutting, mitered corners. And we select — one by one — Italian weaving mills selected by La Bottega di Casa: the solid linen from Northern Italy we use for our own napkins, and artisan mills like L’Arcolaio in Abruzzo, which weaves the Optical collection using traditional jacquard techniques applied to contemporary patterns.
On this product, our work isn’t the cutting or the finishing — that stays with L’Arcolaio — it’s the selection: we bring a fabric we believe in into the shop, and put it in conversation with our own linens, so that setting the table doesn’t mean choosing between something rustic and something refined. We don’t sell closed collections. We build tables.
What is the Optical Tablecloth made of? 50% hemp and 50% Egyptian cotton, jacquard woven by L’Arcolaio in Abruzzo.
Is the pattern printed? No. The Optical pattern comes from dyed yarn interwoven with hemp in its natural shade, directly on the loom.
What colors is it available in? Five: blue, burgundy, raw, terracotta, green.
Can I order it made to measure? How long does a custom hemp and cotton tablecloth take? Yes. The maximum fabric width is 71″ (180 cm); length is unrestricted. Lead time is the same as for standard sizes, about 15 days from the order. Email info@labottegadicasa.com for a quote.
Is it available in a round shape? It’s not one of our standard options — for round tables we recommend the square version. If you’d still prefer round, write to us and we’ll look at it together.
How long does delivery take? About 15 days from the order, even for standard sizes, because of the fabric’s special finishing process.
Does it shrink after washing? Very little: the fabric is pre-washed at the mill, so residual shrinkage is minimal.
Does hemp fabric wrinkle easily? A little, like any natural fiber left unironed — it’s part of the fabric’s character, not a flaw. If you prefer a smoother look, a light steam while the cloth is still damp is enough to relax it.
How do I wash a hemp and cotton tablecloth? Machine wash at 105 °F (40 °C), separating light and dark colors. Check the label for tumble-drying and ironing.
What napkins go with a hemp and cotton Optical tablecloth? Our solid color linen napkins in Tortora, on any of the five colors — a warm neutral that lets the jacquard pattern lead.
You may also like…
