DuoMat Double-Sided Faux Leather Placemats

Two colors on one mat is a more useful idea than it first sounds. One side suits everyday meals, the other suits the table you set when people come over, and flipping them takes seconds compared with owning and storing two separate sets.

Faux leather handles the practical side. Nothing soaks in, so a spilled glass is a wipe rather than a wash, and the surface is heat resistant enough to protect a wooden or lacquered table from the white marks a hot serving dish leaves behind.

The material has enough weight to lie flat rather than curling at the corners, which is where thin PVC mats usually fail after a few months. Wipe clean with a damp cloth and dry immediately rather than soaking, and check the manufacturer's stated temperature limit before placing cookware straight from an oven or stovetop on them: use a trivet for anything hotter.

• Different color on each side, everyday and formal
• Faux leather: nothing soaks in, spills wipe away
• Heat resistant, protecting wood and lacquered surfaces
• Enough weight to lie flat without curling
• Wipe and dry rather than soaking; use a trivet above the stated limit