apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

None of my furniture is that precious, but some guests don't feel comfortable with "aw, we got it off the curb, just set your glass on it" so I've got some Flor tile samples that I offer to people who are so-scrupled.

My roommate has a metal coffee table that gets permanent rings when a wet drink is set on it for too long, so I used old bar cardboard coasters for a while. I finally found a few sets of great coasters at a second-run store, and bought them and use them whenever I'm in the living room, or if I have a bottle of wine at dinner (keeps the drips from ruining my tablecloths).

I don't see how a household operates without coasters, unless all the furniture is lucite. Do the people with no coasters only drink beverages at mealtime?

Even lucite will scratch without a coaster.

We use them all the time. It's a hassle but oh well.

My roommate and I don't care about our cheap Ikea Lack coffee table (no dining table), but I do use a coaster on my desk in my room because it has a glass top.

My stainless steel coasters from CB2 show waterspots.

We don't use coasters...but I do keep a nice patterned napkin on my computer desk for my hot coffee. I guess that counts.

The living room coffee table is an old painted trunk--I doubt I could even get the kids to use coasters!

I have been searching for good coasters for weeks now and discovered there are way too many kitchy "themed" ones on the market. Luckily, I just found a set of 12 simple square cork coasters at Ikea.

I ordered a few 3Form samples that I am now using as coasters.

Furniture is meant to be used...it adds to the "patina".
No coasters in this house...I have them, they just never get used.

I love coasters, and wouldn't want to ruin my furniture any more than my cat already does...

I've had these (Eames chairs) coasters for a few years... They are too nice for everyday, so I use simple plain cork ones from Ikea.

i've got really pretty black damask rubber coasters, so i love using them!

I just got some felt samples from the peace industry rug folks because I'm thinking of getting rug from them. they are the best coasters ever. thick gorgeous rich colored felt. fab.

Yep, because my coffee table will get a water ring if a glass sits on it for about 1 second. Not very attractive!

I have some old wood tables that I inherited. People are hesitant to put their glasses on them so I have coasters out all of the time. It seems to make people more comfortable about putting their glasses down.
For the winter I put out wooden ones I got at the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Buffalo and for the summer I use ones that look like postcards.

I just bought these awesome wood grain print coasters from Moderndose! The knit print ones are too cute too!

http://www.moderndose.com/index.php?cPath=24_68

I guess I'd be one of those guests who'd be scared to put a drink on a coaster-less table...

We use the Ikea cork ones too. I love the prettier ones - glass, silver, etc. - but I've always just assumed they wouldn't work too well, what with not absorbing the moisture. I'd always be worried about the condensation running right off onto the table. Does that not happen?

I use an eclectic mix of square wooden ones picked up in Bali. Some have mother of pearl inlaid and othes have cinammon swirls embedded into them - smell great!

Can't live without them! (And incidentally I use the Eames ones shown above)

I put coasters on my Christmas list. There are some great ideas here - hope Santa is reading!

I also use the cork coaster from IKEA that others mentioned. I have several sets of fancier ones (metal, glass, ceramic), but I prefer the cork as it is absorbent.

I always use coasters. I have several sets, including beautiful felt backed slate squares, whick look lovely on my mahogany cocktail table.

I quilt and for Christmas presents I'm making little quilted coasters with cocktail printed fabrics.

My furniture is so, well, crappy, really, that coasters would be ridiculous. The particle-board coffee table I painted with high-gloss black paint and covered with a cloth to make it bearable? Please, set your drink right down. But I'm about to move into a new place, and there's crazy talk of an actual coffee table and end table - the grown-up type, made from wood. So I will finally get to use my coasters, a set made by a local artist with the image of a famous Cambridge sign "Live Poultry - Fresh Killed."

I had the Eames ones as well and I found they were always coming up with the glass, most coasters do...so I bought the cork Ikea ones.

we got some for our wedding, they're frosted glass and then have a clear part in the center and a slot on the bottom so you can insert pictures, or color swatches, or whatever you want. they look pretty nice and the fact that you can customize them a bit is nice. came with a little holder and all. we just have a cheap ikea lack coffee table and we still use them on that. No sense in ruining something, even if it doesn't cost much.

Aaargh! My pet hate. I loathe coasters and the nazis who use them. I have started to see a few cool sets recently, but in the main they're fugly.

So far in my life, I have preferred furniture that needs no coasters. I prefer furniture I can stand on too.

i do use coasters, but i would like to get some new ones. the glass mosaic ones that i use on my night table aren't working well at all. in fact, they are not working so much that the finish on my night table is ruined!

Moisture can damage most furniture and I've worked hard for the few pieces I have. It just makes sense to take care of them so that they'll last longer, or be useful to someone else later. I use agate slabs for coasters. They're not absorbent, but are big enough to keep the moisture off of the table. I just wipe it off after use.

Again, the cheap cork Ikea coasters. They're super cheap and their minimal-yet-organic look goes perfectly with my mid-century-modern house.

If all else fails, use a napkin! It's so much easier than wiping up unsightly rings and red wine stains.

I think coasters are cute. I put some un-cute ones to goodwill, but before that, I had more coasters than glasses. I just like them and fall for a set of them every once in a while.

I use coasters on but still feel tacky about the whole insistence on them. However, I don't want my coffee table ruined. I am truly turning into my mother.

Who has "fancy" coasters that are too nice to use? What's the point of having them?

i have them in plain white ceramic as well as thick clear tempered glass; both have lips for moisture and are non absorbent. neither are eyesores and are as attractive as a plate or bowl in a tablescape. aside from hot beverage mugs which can damage well beyond rings, i use them as soap dishes in the kitchen and guest bathrooms, for sushi parties, for olive, cherry, and date pits at cocktail hour, and for votive candles.

ugly coasters usually share a few traits: they stand out, they are themed, and they are made of cheap materials you'd never use elsewhere in your home. a coaster is nothing more or less than a small plate or tray. think outside the box, there are hundreds of alternatives out there.

Most coasters are ugly. I like the cardboard ones you get in bars. I always use those at home.

I love coasters ! not because I need them, but because whenever I go window shopping I always find some cute ones I cant resist to buy, so I have them all over the house!!!

I keep some around for guests who are uncomfortable without them. But I don't use them myself. All my wooden furniture is 100 years old, so a pristine surface isn't an issue.

Coasters are such a great home accessory! I have several sets, but these Ohio River coasters are my favorite. I have a set that I made myself as well, crafted out of plexi.

we couldn't live without our coasters. have really cool black & white rubber ones both circular and square from crate & barrel that can be thrown into the dishwasher. we also use flor rug samples. we keep them on our coffee table and dining room table all the time even when not in use & they look great.

I have many coasters, some new and some vintage ones, but they are all a necessity in my home.

I have a set of 1/2" thick wooden coasters that my mom gave me from West Elm. They don't really make sense to me - they're a little wobbly, they don't absorb moisture (and no rim), and I feel like all the water gathering on them is going to ruin the wood! They are pretty though, and they look nice stacked on my coffee table.

However, I don't care about my coffee table. My then-fiance's neighbor gave it to us when she moved because she couldn't fit it in her moving van. It's a thick glass top, so it's not going to get ruined by some water marks anyhow.

I don't think the quality of one's furniture should determine whether coasters are required. In my opinion all furniture, no matter how cheap, should be treated with respect. Why contribute to its deterioration and require it to be replaced sooner than it would otherwise?

And I don't think guests should have to decide "hmm, is this a decent-enough table that I should care whether my wet glass leaves a ring? I think they just got it off Craigslist or at IKEA..." My only exception to this rule is glass or laminate or any other surface that is impervious to water.

I love coasters, and have many. I am paranoid about rings on wood furniture. Also, they can be like little pieces of moveable art. I have a set of laminated collage coasters that a friend made that are beautiful. Long live the coaster!

People who don't have/use coasters....... tells me a LOT about their homes and style of living in general.

Not only do I always coaster, but those Eames ones are my coasters!

Well, Daily Nuance, maybe they just don't drink a lot of cold water ;) Judge not.

I have some simple braided straw ones and some fancy Asian brocade ones (which I'm sometimes afraid to use, but I keep doing it...) I have a wax-finished coffee table, so they're necessary. Some fake woods don't seem to need them, but I have enough furniture I care to preserve that I make coasters a habit. Hear hear, madsarah.

$90 for coasters?

I cut up my moving boxes into coaster-sized squares and wrote 'this is a coaster' on them in sharpie. Strangely enough, guests *love* them.

i don't get the whole coaster concept. the sweat rolls off the glass and onto the coaster, and then the minute you pick them up it rolls onto whatever you're trying to protect. i prefer double-walled insulated glasses, or if i must, a napkin like Alana in Canada.