The idea behind drink coasters is that you want to protect your possessions from the damage that is associated with scratches, spills, and drips. The coaster itself acts as a barrier, standing between the offending piece; usually a glass of liquid, and the smooth perfection of the table surface.

The problem that arises is that coasters are so small and innocuous that people are constantly forgetting that they even exist. Even you, living in your own home, may not remember to slip a coaster from the case every single time you pour yourself a glass of juice.

The way to solve this is with drink coaster décor. You can use creative arrangements to make certain features “pop” out at your guests. They don’t have to be the centerpiece of the room; they should just be present, making their existence more obvious for both you, and your guests.

You don't always want to have coasters all over your home, but when your having guests over it can be a good idea to leave them out. Coffee tables and other vulnerable surfaces are the obvious place to leave them. Rather than having the coasters stacked up formally in a holder set, leave them out, like tiny placemats, just waiting to receive a glass. Your best bet is to choose coasters which directly match the surface of the table they will be used in, in order to compound their functional ability by making them decorative accents.

If you prefer to leave your coasters stacked or in a holder, then you should simply make certain that the holder is present in the space where the coasters will be necessary. This will usually be in the living room, but can include any environment that you want to protect from water damages.

When you have guests over, getting them to use a coaster can be a bit of a chore. You should try to lead by example, showing others that your using a coaster, rather than forcing their use on anyone. This should be enough to get the message across to everyone. If you have to be explicit with anybody, then you should do it in the most subtle and private way possible, seeking to inform them rather than embarrassing them.

David Artsmith  -  The drink coaster sits in a set, atop and below its fellow mates, or side by side, nestled away somewhere hidden and innocuous. Nobody notices them, and if they do, its with a hint of disdain, at the functional piece of pretension, which is just one more way the host can control the environment around you.

Then there are guests, friends, family it doesn’t really matter. They shuffle around. They sit they stand. They chat quietly with one another, waiting, but nobody really knows what for.

And then the kitchen door opens and there is the host with a tray laden with the finest beverages. Juices, sodas, seltzers and more, every refreshing treat that you can sip through a straw, all at the bequest of the patient guests.

But the coasters know what’s coming. They almost become agitated with expectation over the potential for their use. As the glasses of cold and hot liquid are handed out, the host remembers, that beautiful table top, the arm of the couch, these surfaces are vulnerable to sills, heat and condensation. Suddenly those beverage coasters arent so obscure anymore.

Thats when the coasters are slipped delicately beneath glasses, like a small army of barriers seeking only to defend your surfaces from discoloration and decay.

As the coasters spread throughout the space, they lend their colors to the room, taking on a prominence that is bellied by their diminutive stature. They are suddenly a net of color, a wide spread tapestry of tone that spreads across the space in subtle but noticeable patterns.

Now coasters are the center of attention, or at least the center of the periphery, as people are forced to attend to them, forced to notice them every time they lift their glass, every time they set it to land back on the pad. They are suddenly an interactive and important part of the experience.

Once their use is complete, once beverages have been enjoyed and guests have departed, it is time to clean them, and replace them in their proper recepticles. Now that their functionality is no longer required, they are shuffled away, forgotten and stored, waiting for another chance to serve at your lightest beck and call.

And yet these stalwart coasters remain ever ready, teeming at the bit, awaiting that not so far off day when they will be called back to the service of mankind, in the defense of perfection.