With straw and woven fashion accessories such as hats and bags being a massive hit this year, the trend seems to be taking off also into home and beach accessories too. For example, I was invited to a friends dinner party and she had laid the dinner table to perfection however, it was the bamboo and woven mats that caught my attention.

Stepping away from plastic or thin fabric place mats, woven mats seem to be taking their place. I recall seeing these often when I have took vacations and in Sushi bars, so when I took my place at dinner I couldn’t help but admire them as they brought back fond memories – plus they looked so pretty.

The specific mats my friend had were made from rounded strips of bamboo, which is a very durable and hard material so it can withstand plates and cutlery being placed on top of it. There were many of these long strips placed side by side to form the mat and to improve its appearance was a cream colored fabric band that gave the illusion of framing the mat.

At the end of the evening my friend simply gave each mat a quick wipe with a damp cloth and rolled the mats up. I am now completely sold on these and can’t wait to get my own.

I am also going to buy a large beach towel size woven straw mat after seeing how durable and easy to keep clean the place mats were. I often take my children to the park for picnics and know this will be the perfect replacement for my old and worn out picnic blanket.

So now our homes can be as fashionable as our closets!