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[JeanLouiseFinch]

Seasonal tablecloths mostly, placemats occasionally.

Seasonal paper napkins mostly, cloth napkins occasionally. 
Paper plates very rarely. 

[Sooner]

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@Mom2Dogs wrote:

@Sooner   I wonder if a wedding venue would be interested in your china?  Doesn't hurt to find out.  

I helped a jewelry store owner clean out his basement of excess items.  Some of the china did to go a  venue that held large receptions, parties, etc.. They liked the look of mis matched sets.

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@Mom2Dogs THANKS--good idea and I'll check.  I know it isn't worth anything anymore, and not worth selling on e-bay but I'm not sad about it.  Things change. 

It was my hobby and what I love for the house--I wasn't into seasonal decor since the 80's, so I got so much from outlet stores and places on vacation, and filled in a little from e-bay.

So my first cut is to keep 6 to 10 place settings of ones I like and get rid of the excess--and may ditch Lenox English Rose and Spring Vista all. 

[ECBG]

@Mom2Dogs 

Get a builder in there, enjoy the heated space you pay for.

DS is a builder and contractor.  Against my advice, he a and his wife bought a ranch from the 1970's.   The family room adjoining the kitchen was lost space. Unfortunately,  they had a fire and made a great room.from the LR, KIT,  DIN rooms.

[meallen616]

Daily use placemats, cloth or plastic. For holidays and formal occasions, fancy!

[CANDLEQUEEN]

Woven placemats and a table runner! 

[We rescue cats]

Like another @Goldengate8361 we seldom sit at the table unless it is breakfast. We eat dinner in the family room.

@Sooner  I have too many dishes, from my mom, MIL, and gram....along with their flatware. I volunteer with an orgzanization that hosts dining events so I am donating them all to them to use. We do a community meal that seats a few hundred folks so I know they will use them. 

[shoptilyadropagain]

I have some woven placemats I keep on my table but like @gidgetgh , I'm normally in my recliner in front of the TV eating my meal.

[NickNack]

I use rattan round place mats that I found at Pottery Barn a few years ago.  I really like the look.  Here's a picture of them on my small table.  I only keep one place mat on for me but do have more.

[Mominohio]

We have only one dining table available to us (as opposed to having a kitchen table in the kitchen for less formal eating and another formal table in a formal dining room). It is solid oak, and in what is our formal dining room (although a true Realtor or home design expert will tell you that our space is not actually qualifying as a formal dining room, the space is big enough and properly situated that I turned it into just that).

So I want to preserve the formality of the room, yet for 30 years and through raising a family (and now having grands) we have had to eat all our meals there. The table is covered with custom made to fit table pads, then a lacy Heritage lace table cloth is over that. When we eat, I put cloth placemats on that coordinate with whatever dinnerware I am using for that meal. We also always use cloth napkins. I tend to choose solid color placemats and napkins as my many dinnerware sets are prints. 

The Heritage Lace tablecloth takes a ton of abuse. All stains wash out and it looks great for many years before I have to replace it with a new one. 

This is not my dining room, but it is the cloth that we use. And they are made in USA!!!

[Lucky Charm]

I have a whole buffet filled with tea towels that I use solely for placemats.  They're never used for drying hands or in the kitchen.

I set clean ones down every day.  They're so pretty (vibrant colorful patterns) and wash well. I've used them for when we have company, too.

Placemats just seem like a pain, some are pretty, but you can only wipe them down, not wash them and that skeeves me out.