Lillemor Franzén and her colleagues found themselves sitting in the homes of these weavers, listening to stories about how SOARÉ has made a positive impact. “One woman told us that thanks to SOARÉ her daughter is now training to become a teacher,” she says. Usually, two or three weavers gather in one of their homes to work together. They chat, laugh, keep an eye on the farms and look after the children who are too young for school. “I feel so proud working at IKEA when I see this,” says Lillemor, “It gets to your heart, really.”
Just as welcoming on casual summer evenings as in the winter. It’s handmade from water hyacinth – a plant that is harvested in tropical waterways to control its growth so it doesn’t clog the water flow.
Article Number001.764.62
Product details
Every product is handmade and therefore unique.
Designer
Sandra Kragnert
Materials and care
Material
- Water hyacinth, Clear acrylic lacquer
Care
Do not wash.
Do not bleach.
Do not tumble dry.
Do not iron.
Do not dryclean.
Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Measurements
- Diameter: 37 cm
Packaging
SOARÉ
Article Number001.764.62- Height: 1 cm
- Weight: 0.21 kg
- Diameter: 38 cm
- Package(s): 1
Reviews
Great Placemats AngelaThese placemats are really good. Super cheap and look amazing
Perfect size & great quality AnastasiaPerfect size, use under the air fryer, looks stylish and good quality
Good quality for a low priceBenDo what they’re designed to do. Holding up so far.
Placemat round water hyacinth LizLovely placemat. Despite being handmade they are quite uniform. I bought 10. Look good on the table. Great thickness.
simple styleJulielove these, I need to get more, wash over easily
Quality product of good sizeCatherineLovely placemat both for indoor or outdoor entertainment and at an affordable price when you need to buy several
PlacematCathHandy produce, protects the table & can place hot dishes on it.
WOVEN PLACEMATSJaneThese dress up my table and saves any damage to the white top of my dining table. Look great!
GaneshGaneshOverall happy with the purphase
PrettyDinahWe sit these over material place mats, it’s all for aesthetics really and looks super nice when we set the table for dinner.
Vintage NargesLooks good on my table
Great priceMariellaI love these mats. Great for putting on shelving and then putting dishes on them or just for putting on the dining table when having a meal.
We used these to setRondaWe used these to set the table for a photo shoot - looked great
Great sizeCarolLove the size and thickness however have to cut off seagrass that pops up loose.
Love these PlacematsGinaWe love using these placemats. They look so good and are really great quality. Go with any crockery and cutlery too. Definitely recommend.
Well made - very strongSepiWell made - very strong and good thickness
Great valueRitaGreat value
Light and practicalVenecheWe have an oval dining table and were after round "natural looking" placemats with no luck. Then came upon these while buying other items and have been very happy with them!
This product is good valueCatherineThis product is good value for money
Table matsDonnaGreat
Customer reviews
4.6Average rating
102Reviews
Your home, your style — show it off!
Story
Making business decisions that empower women
The SOARÉ placemat is so popular it nearly disappeared. Why? Sales were approaching the impossible when it comes to delivering quality, handmade, natural fibre products. The team responsible for SOARÉ was preparing to replace it with a machine-made alternative. But before they did, they took a trip that changed everything.
The Vietnamese waterway Mekong is teeming with water hyacinth, the vibrantly green plant SOARÉ is made from. It grows incredibly fast, making it a valuable renewable resource, but also a potential hazard that can clog the river. People living by the river, mainly women, harvest water hyacinth and weave the stalks together. This keeps the river passable, preserves the tradition and earns them extra money.
Empowering women
Making better business decisions
The team decided the solution to meeting growing customer demands for natural fibre placemats is to introduce more of them, but machine-made. Customers get a wider selection to choose from and sales pressure is taken off SOARÉ. Machine-made placemats can be produced in higher quantities than handmade, and SOARÉ production can continue as it is. “We always have the intention here to do good business, and we are,” says Lillemor. “And on my trip to Vietnam I found that SOARÉ has a purpose greater than business.”
Material
Set the table with a little help from nature
SOARÉ place mats are woven from water hyacinth, a beautiful and fast-growing plant. Harvesting, drying and weaving it keeps waterways free, preserves traditions and earns the weavers money that can pay for opportunities like schooling.