Soft from the first dinner, not the tenth.

The linen is pre-washed and dyed before the napkins are cut and sewn, which is why they arrive already relaxed instead of asking you to break them in over a year of laundering. Forty-five centimeters square, 17.7 inches, in sets of four, embroidered in Italy one motif at a time.

That size sits in the middle of a disagreement the trade has never settled: at a fraction under eighteen inches, one fine linen house would call it a luncheon napkin and an American size guide an informal dinner napkin. It covers a lap, folds without bulk beside a plate, and handles a full meal, which matters more than what anybody calls it.

Linen creases. That is the fiber doing what it does, and a napkin that comes off a lap looking untouched was probably not linen to begin with.

Questions

What size are these napkins?

Forty-five centimeters square, 17.7 inches, in sets of four. Depending on which house you ask, that is either a luncheon napkin or an informal dinner napkin. The labels overlap more than the inches do.

What does pre-washed linen mean?

The cloth is washed and dyed before the napkin is cut and sewn, so the softness and the relaxed hand are there from the first use. It is a gentler process than the abrasive finishes used elsewhere in the trade, and the various washed finishes are not interchangeable.

How do I wash them?

Machine wash on a gentle cycle at a maximum of 30°C with a mild liquid detergent, or dry clean. Air dry flat in the shade where you can. If you use a dryer, keep it low and take them out while still slightly damp, which avoids the deep creases that are hard to press out later.

Do they need ironing?

No. The relaxed texture is the point, and many of our clients never press them at all. For a smoother look, iron gently on the reverse at medium heat, which keeps the iron off the embroidery.

Will they wrinkle during dinner?

Yes, and that is linen behaving correctly. The fiber creases where it is folded and where it sits, which is why sculptural folds do not hold in a soft washed linen. A napkin that stays flat through a meal is usually a blend.

Do the motifs match your other pieces?

Yes. The same motifs are embroidered across the napkins, the placemats, the cocktail napkins and the bread baskets, so a table can be set with one motif throughout or with several from the same collection.

Where are they made?

Made in Italy: designed, cut, sewn and embroidered there. The flax itself is grown in the linen belt of western Europe, which is where nearly all fine European linen begins.