Placemats, how to choose

Placemats for the table

We set the table for our lunches and dinners often hastily: we place tablecloth, plates, cutlery and glasses and, without thinking too much, we sit down to dine.
But if we have a bit of time available we can give life to a creative table, simply by resorting to some original elements and, at the same time, informal.

Often the creation of an original panel, in fact, is associated with the use of glassware, silverware, ceramics, or an embroidered tablecloth, in rich fabrics.
In this article, however, we will see how you can create a table lively and unique, thanks to the simple use of placemats.

Placemats originate in American culture and are born with the intent to serve as a support surface for plate, cup and cutlery for one person: as the classic tablecloths, serve as protection of the top below, preventing stains and spots due to heat ruin it.
Because of their shape, their use is often linked to breakfasts, to informal or haste lunches and dinners.

The materials are extremely varied: you can use the paper, then disposable, or plastic and wood, until you get to the classic fabric.
In our culture, where the textile tradition is widespread, the use of mats was linked to informal and frugal lunches; today, however, thanks to very interesting and original printed fabric, the use of mats, also for elegant meals, is spreading.
Let's see then, some products that can characterize the table, keeping pace with the times.

Placemats for a contemporary table

The use of mats in contemporary tables, is linked to the taste but also the needs of everyone: the rhythms of daily life change, become more hectic, and the use of mats has a lot of success on lunches and dinners with friends, in among young couples or singles who choose them because comfortable, practical, easy to clean and, above all, very original.

The first example we present is made in Germany and is produced by Koziol: Silk is the table set consists of interwined plastic wires, designed to recreate the wire strands of silk. It is made 100% of recycled plastic, it is available in seven variants of color, one more lively than the other and it has the dimensions of 45 x 32 cm. Its cost is € 9.75.



One of the problems associated with the use of tablecloths and fabric is to eliminate the stains during washing: for this reason, as for all fabrics, it is important not to pre-treat aggressively or washing the same with suitable products.

Another solution, however, may be to adopt anti-stain fabrics: fabric that looks real, but they can be easily washed with a sponge soaked in soapy water.

An example is given by the set table by Fermob, monochrome placemats in canvas sheet size 35 x 45 cm. Due to their characteristics they can also be used to dine outdoor, for setting up the table in the beautiful days of the warm months.



For those, however, who want to use natural fabrics, without sacrificing originality, you can choose a product by Ferm Living: Black Stripe Dinner Mat is a mat of organic cotton, with striped black and white diagonal black.
Its originality lies in the presence of a pocket contrasting stitched sideways, where to put the cutlery. It's a nice way to set the table, or, why not, for a picnic outdoors: its price is € 16.50.



Finally an original solution because customizable: we are talking of paper placemats that we find in fast food restaurants, pizzerias, in some taverns or inns.
Nothing prevents us from adopting them for our tables: turning to sites specializing in prints of various products like flyers, business cards, posters, t-shirts, we can also find disposable paper placemats, customizable with writings and drawings of different types.
Have breakfast or lunch on them will be more fun!

Regardless of the imagination and the text you choose, the important thing is to make sure of two things: that the prints are made with inks certified for food, and that, as a raw material, recycled paper is used in this way will buy an original product and at the same time environmentally friendly.