FloraMat Embossed Round Placemats

Round mats break up a rectangular table in a way square ones cannot. On a long dining table a row of circles stops the setting reading as a grid, and the curve echoes the plates sitting on top rather than fighting them.

The embossing is pressed into the material rather than printed on it, so the flower pattern has physical relief and catches light along its raised edges. That is what gives the mat some presence in daylight, when a printed pattern flattens out and disappears.

Practically it behaves like any good faux leather mat: nothing soaks in, spills wipe away, and the surface takes the heat of a serving dish without transferring marks to the table. Wipe with a damp cloth and dry immediately rather than soaking. Use a trivet for cookware above the manufacturer's stated temperature limit, and avoid abrasive cleaners, which flatten embossing over time.

• Round shape softens a rectangular table setting
• Embossed relief rather than a printed pattern
• Wipe clean: nothing soaks into the surface
• Heat resistant, protecting the table beneath
• Avoid abrasive cleaners, which flatten embossing