MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN
Presenting the Lady Clare Collection of fine, lacquered table placemats, coasters, trays and waste paper bins. Made in England. These high quality placemats have been loved for generations. Lady Clare features such beloved patterns such as 17th Century Still Life, Ming Polo, Hooker Fruit, Sporting Dogs and many other Traditional British patterns. Traditionalists will also love the clean, simple design of The Screened Collection. Fans of The Henriot Faiencerie in Quimper will delight in The Lady Clare Quimper Placemats & Coasters. And, for a fresher, more modern look there is the Melamine Placemat Collection.
Lady Clare Placemats and accessories are perfect for the home or for the hospitality industry including Country Clubs, Private Yachts, Catering Facilities, Hotels and Private Clubs. Custom placemats are available with your logo or artwork.
The History of Lady Clare: The idea for a placemat decorated with a colored print was born out of the harsh economic climate of the 1930's. Lady Clare Pigott, the original founder of the company, created the first such place mat in Paris in 1932. She had collected antique prints from dealers in Berlin where her husband was attached to the British Embassy. Having to entertain diplomats during their next posting to the Embassy in Paris, Lady Clare became concerned at the laundry bills she was incurring for the starched white table cloths formality required her to use for dinners.
As a result, she created some place mats from shaped and painted hardboard with a flower print applied to the surface and several coats of lacquer. For her next dinner party she was able to remove the table cloth and lay the table using her placemats. Her friends were most impressed by this simple and attractive way of decorating a dining table. Inevitably the next question was ... can you please make some for me?
From these simple origins a business was born. Our range now includes placemats for formal and casual dining as well as accessories such as waste bins and trays. Lady Clare features over sixty designs including the popular Screened Collection, 17th Century Still Life, Ming Polo, Shepherd's London, Gould Ducks, Tall Ships and many others. With over 80 years experience, Lady Clare is synonymous with design, quality and service. So much so, that The British Cabinet sent Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth a gift of 60 Lady Clare Placemats as a gift to mark the first time that a monarch has attended a meeting of senior ministers in 230 years. The placemats featured twelve images of paintings of State Rooms within Buckingham Palace.
Lady Clare specializes in the production of bespoke placemats, coasters and home accessories. We offer the following finishes:
Traditional Placemats - the classic Lady Clare hand finished mat featuring a print mounted onto a painted base with a gold or silver edge and sealed with heat resistant lacquer.
Screened Placemats - Lady Clare Screened Placemats feature a painted base and finished with a coat of protective lacquer.
Melamine Placemats - ideal for every day use and catering and corporate customers, Lady Clare Melamine Placemats are heat resistant to 150°c and are both attractive and highly durable.
