My Mom Puts This Dining Room Staple on Her Bedside Table (See Why!)

"Years ago, I thought the lace table runner and place mats that my mother had put in our guest room - runner on the dresser top and two matching mats on the small nightstands - were old-fashioned and fussy. After all, this was the same space where she had filled an empty corner with an antique wooden washstand, complete with a pitcher and basin, which seemed strange to me since there was a bathroom with a shower just across the hall."

"Fast-forward a few decades, though, and I've come to understand that, unlike that washstand, those table linens really earned their keep as furniture protectors from the stains and scratches things like water carafes, glasses, nail polish, charging cords, and the like can create at the bedside. Just looking at my own banged-up vintage nightstand could tell you that."

"But I never expected to see my mother's simple but practical idea on decorative display at the spring/summer 2024 preview for Matouk linens, one of the most luxe textile brands around. There, Matouk's team had styled one of the brand's circular Scallop Edge Placemats, which are sold in a set of four, atop a bedside table under a lamp. And you know what? With its fun contrast border and linen construction, this design detail looks supercute and modern in this context."

"Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying you should do away with using place mats on kitchen or dining tables. I'm just advocating bringing back the idea of using table linens as protectors in rooms where you maybe don't do a ton of eating but enjoy the occasional drink. Think of a bedside place mat as a giant coaster alternative and a decorative opportunity to have s"

Lace table linens once seemed old-fashioned, but they proved practical as furniture protectors. Table runners and matching place mats shield surfaces from water carafes, glasses, nail polish, charging cords, and other bedside messes. A Matouk spring/summer 2024 preview showed a circular Scallop Edge placemat styled on a bedside table under a lamp, combining linen construction with a contrasting border. The placement suggested that dining-room place mats can work in bedrooms as a decorative alternative to coasters. Place mats can be used in rooms with occasional drinks, without replacing their use on kitchen or dining tables.

Read at Apartment Therapy