Why I Started Poppy (And Why Dinner Time Matters More Than We Think)

Hi, I’m Rae.

If you’ve ever wiped spaghetti off your table for the third time in one night… you already understand why Poppy exists.

I love a beautiful home.

I love a set table. I love the feeling of sitting down together, candles lit, plates out, everyone gathered.

But I also have kids.

And dinner with kids doesn’t look like a magazine spread.

It looks like spilled milk.
It looks like noodles on the floor.
It looks like sticky fingers and crumbs everywhere.

For a long time, I felt like I had to choose.

Either:
Have a home that feels calm and beautiful.

Or:
Accept that with young kids, everything just looks messy.

I didn’t like that trade-off.

I didn’t want plastic cartoon placemats.
I didn’t want something that screamed “kid table.”
And I definitely didn’t want to keep scrubbing my wood table every night.

So I started looking for placemats that were:

• Easy to wipe clean

• Durable

• Neutral and timeless

• Something I wouldn’t mind leaving on the table all day

And honestly? I couldn’t find what I was looking for.

So we created it.

Poppy was built on a simple belief:

You shouldn’t have to sacrifice beauty for practicality.

Your home can feel calm.
Your table can feel styled.
And your kids can still be kids.

Dinner time isn’t about perfection.

It’s about gathering.
It’s about conversation.
It’s about teaching little hands how to sit and eat and stay just a little bit longer each year.

The mess will come either way.

The question is:
Can we make it easier — and still keep the heart of our homes intact?

That’s why we’re here.

– Rae