apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Look at an outdoor furniture store. My mom is always buying new placemats for her round patio table at one of those places... the mats aren't oval though, more trapezoidal.

This link is to real linen mats, which require careful washing and ironing.
http://www.pioneerlinens.com/classico

This is to a poly/rayon blend in a variety of (solid) colors.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/collections/B000ZLZZ40/ref=cl_tr_dp

And this is to cotton damask/lace (more washing & ironing)

http://www.horchow.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=cprod15180119&ecid=HCCIBizRateFeed&srccode=cii_10043468&cpncode=17-9734715-2

I couldn't find anything in a fabric with an appropriate Modern pattern but you could probably make them.

Why not make some? Cut the shape you want in paper and use it as your pattern (allow enough for the seam). Double layer, turn outside in, press, and topstitch to close it up and finish the edge.

Besides that, I saw some nifty wedge shaped place mats at Bed Bath & Beyond that I thought would be great for my round patio table.

Or if you can't sew, barter/trade with a friend who can. Customization is worth the extra work!

Personally, I like leather place mats -- they wipe easily. We have some from ROOTS Home (they do great leather furniture and accessories, in addition to handbags, etc.). Roots -- the people who do the Olympic team outfits.

PS -- what a great dining area!

oooh! ooh! I have that exact same table, but the cushions are looking super sad. Any tips on how to recover them? I am not the best sewer, but I am willing to take a stab at it.

You can find round spongy (sorry, don't know the material) mats at IKEA. I have deep blue ones for my round kitchen table. I just wash them and hang dry, but I think they'll hold up in the dishwasher, too. They are only at the stores, and they come in a lot of different colors.

GL!

Cost Plus World Market has a lot of cotton mats.

This isn't exactly what you asked for, but check out the gorgeous round placemats by Chilewich (www.chilewich.com). They're woven "plynyl," so you can wash dried goop off in the sink; mine drip-dry in minutes. They were expensive, but after a year of heavy use by messy children, they still look brand-new.

Make your own? I was planning to recycle old flannel bedsheets (after i upgraded to a queen). Alas lazy got the better of me....

Why not round ones? They come in a cotton weave in several colors. I have a couple sets of those, and they are washable and I found them at Kohl's.

I have cloth placemats from Williams-Sonoma and Target.
For example:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/l993/index.cfm?pkey=ctbllinpmt
and
http://www.target.com/Vallauris-Stripe-4-pk-Place-Mat/dp/B000ODYOLY/qid=1212104876/ref=br_1_44/601-3467310-7671353?ie=UTF8&node=13825791&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=13825791&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=1

The cloth wedges here could be fun, like the red peppers:
http://awelldressedkitchen.homestead.com/placemats_for_round_tables.html

Although I don't see the more country ones going with the table.

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Lots of wedges here:
http://sweetpealinens.com/cgi-bin/imcart/display.cgi

Check out the scallop edge ones on page 3 in six colors.

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There is round, of course. I think these are at the high end of the price range:
http://www.graciousstyle.com/webstore/control/category/~category_id=TURQUOISE-CHIP-PLACE/~pcategory=TABLE-SIZE-PLACEMAT

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Oh, wow, these are really cool (and too expensive):
http://btcelements.com/products/?view=sub_product&sid=2353&cid1=&cid2=&cid3=

Keep your table neatly dressed with these elegant 'silver' place mats created out of the inside of potato chip wrappers. Bags are cleaned, dried, and then wrapped around dried grasses so that the shiny silver inside of the bag is facing out. Place mats arrive inside a round silver box, which doubles as a tray. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Set of six, 16"D.

* Created out of discarded potato chip wrappers

* Fairly traded out of Nepal

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Here's my good question: Who thought of the idea of using the inside of discarded potato chip bags in this way? I've never had the urge to do anything other than lick the inside of the bag, and I've done it too. Not once did I consider wrapping the bag around grass and weaving.

There's a whole LINE of products made in this fashion.

I wandered off.

This says "oval" but those are NOT ovals. They are rectangles with no corners. But they have lots of colors, come in a case of 12:
http://www.galasource.com/prodDetail.cfm/90282

It's like for event and party supply, and they are fabric.
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These are oval, but woven, I don't know of what (turns out they are vinyl), but there are MANY great colors to choose from and you don't need to buy a case:
http://netcet4.netcetra.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PM&Category_Code=Malibuovals

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More rectangles without corners, and in a couple cases, the fabric is sideways...BUT THEY ARE ROY ROGERS PLACEMATS!
http://www.royrogers.com/store/product228.html

What do you mean "Who is Roy Rogers?"

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There are oval ones with a scalloped border in the New Orleans Toile and Pontchartrain Beach patterns. It turns out they are laminated fabric:
http://www.hazelnutneworleans.com/toile.shtml

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There ARE a lot of placemats. Just not a lot of oval fabric washable. This is very strange. I did try. I am now tired.

I can't help you with your question. I have seen some at
Home Goods, but what they have is so hit and miss.

BUT, where did you get the beautiful room divider (or are they doors?) that appear behind your table? I love the pattern and how the light shines through. I am looking for a similar panel to divide my living and dining rooms, but need something that won't block the light. Thanks.

Uh, the image is from Knoll.

try the thrift stores.

Hi Kristina!

This is a year late... But oval placemats are available at A Well Dressed Kitchen. You can even choose your own fabric.

Maxine