Chilewich, maker of now-iconic, minimalist woven polypropylene floor mats we’ve admired, recently introduced their Dahlia Coasters. Their website shows icy drinks resting on the coaster (one with an ice bucket in the background), calls them “coasters” and claims “these functional designs will enhance and elevate your dining experience“. But at the end of the enticing copy is a curious disclaimer: “Please note that due to the cutouts in the Dahlia Table Accent design they will not protect your surface from condensation or liquid.”

HELLO! Our concerns exactly. Condensation on a glass can leave rings that will ruin a wood table. The purpose of a coaster  is“to protect the surface of a table or any other surface where the user might place their beverage.” (Wikipedia, and common knowledge).

In the disclaimer they call their Dahlia Coaster, “Dahlia Table Accent”,  which tells you what it is: something decorative, and not functional.

Fine. But get the name, the description AND the images in line:

…Dahlia DECORATIVE Coaster…Dahlia Table Accents?…

“These charming functional DECORATIVE designs will enhance and elevate your dining experience (although they will not protect your surface from condensation or liquid).”

 

Editor’s Note: We have a serious bias against stylish coasters that do not protect against condensation.