When you see a glass filled with a drink, it will almost always be placed on top of a coaster. There are so many benefits of a coaster, it's cemented itself as one of the most foundational items in the dining expererience.
Are Coasters Still Used?
They Are Used Worldwide Even Today
Coasters were originally a part of formal dining. It used to be a quiet tool to have a glass beverage placed on it. Although it was a small detail, the world quickly saw its potential and knew it could be used outside of a formal environment.
Today, coasters are widely used everywhere you go:
- A friends house
- Restaurants
- Even hotel bars
The coaster never lost its place in the dining world, but perhaps it needs to be spoken about more. It’s something that has always been taken for granted.
The coaster has evolved to where it can now have any type of cup placed on it and it’s not seen as out of place: plastic cup, a canned beverage, a whiskey glass, or a wine glass. The coaster is not only an underrated item, it’s often underused.
Why Are Coasters Good?
It Serves Multiple Purposes While Also Helping Bring The Style of The Room Together
A coaster serves multiple purposes:
- protection
- hygiene
- elegance
These are only some of these reasons. The coaster ensures the quality of your furniture is maintained and that that furniture can still be used in the years to come. It helps those who love to have a clean home to have less work to deal with.
A coaster is a sign of care, it shows the guests in subtle ways about the care that goes into the home. We all know that when the guests come over, we’re running around the house anyways to make sure the place is spotless.
Why do we do that? To show the guests that we care about our home and that we put effort into it. A coaster is one of the ways you show that
It is also a consideration for a guest when they come over. Their beverage that you have served them will have a designated spot to make their drink comfortable
It’s a great way to improve the aesthetic of a room. Think about a pocket square on a suit matching the tie, or a shirt matching the colour of your shoes. A coaster is a way to introduce different colour schemes or even texture depending on the material your coaster is made of (i.e. linen).
What Happens if You Don't Use Coasters?
You Start Damaging Your Home. Ring Stains, Scratches and Headaches
You start damaging the table that you’re using. Ring stains, discolouration, and scratches are waiting for you at the end of the tunnel called “not using a coaster”. It sounds dramatic but from having studied thousands of homes and what makes them beautiful, I’m telling you the truth.
You also start to slowly make your home messy. People think coasters are a small item in your home but they actually set a standard.
The saying how you do one thing is how you do everything is true. Each time you let a standard drop in your life, it slowly trickles to other areas in life, especially in your home.
Once you start letting scratches on your table be okay, it leads to you being okay if the bed sheets aren’t stored properly leading to fabric damage. It then leads to you being okay with having a messy kitchen.
Your home is the one place that you can dictate how things are done. It is so important that you make it something you love living in. From the thousands of homes I’ve studied, it comes from the way they design their home, and the amount of care they put into it
Benefits of A Coaster
Aesthetic
Everyone has their own aesthetic whether they know it or not. Their home is an extension of that. Every room has its own feel and they all come together to give you your aesthetic.
A fine linen coaster for example, shows that you have the sophisticated but relaxed (depending on other items in the room) aesthetic.
Coasters can help make the style of the room come to life as it can serve as a pop of colour on a table, or match with the other utensils that are on the table.
In a world where everyone documents their life with photos and videos on their phone, its important to always ensure the room these photos and videos are taken in are stylish, and coasters can help with that even if they’re small.
Protect From Burning
We mentioned this in our previous article, but the one thing you don’t want to do is damage your table.
Once a stain or a burn is on there it’s gonna cost too much to fix.
When it comes to hot drinks, you need to avoid burning your table. If you set your hot beverage down directly on the table, the heat from the cup causes a circular ring to form on the table (the size of the cup).
This results in an aggressive mark made on your table that ruins the look of your table. However, this doesn’t need to happen if you use a coaster.
Etiquette
In many houses coasters aren’t used not because they’re not useful, but because many people don’t like them, it’s because they don’t understand them.
The ones that do understand coasters know that it shows a high sense of home etiquette:
- A mark of refinement: Coasters show attention to detail, the kind of quiet sophistication that defines a well-kept home.
- Care through design: Have you ever seen a coaster in a home and thought “this person is careless?” Of course not! No one thinks that when they see a coaster. Coasters communicate thoughtfulness, protecting fine surfaces while enhancing the setting.
- A signal of hospitality: Offering guests a coaster says you’ve thought ahead, making their comfort part of your space’s design.
- An act of preservation: Fine furniture and table settings deserve to age gracefully which coasters make possible.
- A balance of beauty and practicality: In luxury homes, etiquette isn’t about formality; it’s about harmony, and coasters embody that balance.
Hygiene
No one wants to be known as the person who doesn’t know how to look after themselves or their home. It’s just a label that tends to stick around even if you make improvements.
Luckily, a coaster is a great way of showing others that you do care about your hygiene (yes, a small object can really do that)
Here’s what a coaster gives you:
- Prevents buildup of bacteria: Keeps moisture, condensation, and drink residue off surfaces where bacteria can form.
- Preserves cleanliness: Maintains spotless tables and counters, especially in dining and kitchen areas where hygiene matters most.
- Protects shared spaces: Guests feel at ease knowing your home prioritizes cleanliness and care in every detail.
- Stops mold and stains: By catching condensation early, coasters prevent hidden damp spots from turning into unhygienic stains.
- Symbol of mindful living: Using coasters shows an instinct for both refinement and hygiene; a rare mix of style and cleanliness.
Absorbent
You know what’s annoying? Spills.
Or honestly, just when the liquid goes anywhere from the cup, that’s not to your mouth. It’s all over the place or the liquid now surrounds the cup.
This could happen for many reasons, like you have a cold beverage.
You know what cold beverages do though? Condensate.
You know what condensation does? Make water drip from the glass.
You know what happens when water drips from the glass? It forms a ring around the cup. A ring that eventually turns into a stain on the table.
How do you avoid this? Use a coaster. High quality coasters like linen coasters are great for this since their fibres allow you to soak up liquids in high volume (about 20% of its bodyweight which is abnormally high for a fabric. It’s why linen is used so much in the kitchen as tea towels)
What Coaster Should You Start With?
So you know that coasters are used often, it’s important to use them and there are consequences if you don’t. But where do we get solid coasters?
First start off with the material.
When it comes to fabric, it’s best to have a relaxed, but elegant fabric that’s known to be durable. This makes your home look stylish but still gives your home a warm feeling. In order to get this feeling, there’s no better choice than linen.
Linen is thousands of years old and is still known as one of the top fabrics in the world. It’s clothed royalty and has been known to last generations. There’s a reason it’s used so much in high end fashion. It gives you the feel you want: sophisticated, but also warm.
Now that we know our fabric, we need to go to places that not only sell linen, but are known to be great weavers for it. You want a brand that actually cares for the fabric and doesn’t outsource it to another country to have your home items produced cheaply and poorly done.
If you want a brand that actually takes the time to weave their linen items and has experience in dealing with a luxury fabric like linen, then Fergusons Irish Linen is the brand you want to go with.
For almost 200 years, Fergusons has been servicing millions in high quality linen and making homeowners love their home even more. Ferguson's mission is to ensure you love your home even more and to give it something every home looks for: longevity.
Nowadays, items are built to last a few moments. We weave our items with the intent that you can pass it down to the next generation, whether bed linens, bath linens, or table linens like coasters.
Our customers love our linen coasters and we love weaving it for them. Come check out and see how our coasters would fit in your home.
