DIY Placemats

Since I started the minimalism journey I’ve looked at things in my house and thought about how I really didn’t care for a particular item, but kept it because it was functional. My placemats, purchased at Ikea, were a prime example.

I had been toying with the idea of doing my own version of Diner En Blanc and was checking out Pinterest for ideas when I came across an image of Pottery Barn rope placemats that cost about $20 for one. I loved the natural material and simplicity of it, picturing the texture and layering effect it would add to a place setting. Since I love crafting, I knew this was going to be my next project that I could do much cheaper than $20/placemat. With 2 packs of 50 foot rope from Lowe’s and my trusty glue gun, I started the process of glueing the rope in a circular form, burning my fingers in the process before I got the hang of how to coil and hold the rope in a way that laid as flat as I could get it. Since the rope was packaged in a tight coil, the rope was a bit difficult to work with having a tight curvature to it

Taking one of my bone china plates, I came up with a size that worked well with a couple coils framing the plate from underneath.

Pleased with the outcome, but still thinking they seemed a bit too plain for my personal taste, I decided to customize my place mats even further by making one side white in the spirit of Diner en Blanc. I kept the other side natural so that I could have variety and switch up my settings depending on my mood and type of meal. I had read a review of a person whose rope place mats got wet causing them to smell pretty bad and lose its shape, so instead of using regular paint, I bought a spray can of white plastidip hoping it would add some water resistance in addition to the color change. The rope had a lot of random fibers sticking out which became much more obvious after spraying it white so I started sniping them away with a pair of scissors.

Despite the trim job, they still didn’t look as clean and crisp as the pottery barn ones, which displeased me. I had white lace dollies that I purchased with the intent of using for Diner en Blanc that I knew it would cover most of the place mats while adding a luxurious touch contrasting the natural roughness of the rope while covering the random disarray of fibers. I pulled my glue gun out and attached them to the white side of the place mat.

Now I truly had place mats that brought me joy because I made them myself and they are natural with a touch of fancy! If you have made something yourself for daily use, please share your project with me!