There are sensible home purchases.
A good set of sheets. Nice towels. A lamp that actually lights the room.
And then there is a bath mat that looks like an enormous stick of salted butter.
What started as one of those this is either ridiculous or brilliant ideas became one of my favorite designs in the Extra Butter, Please collection—and apparently I'm not the only person who thinks butter belongs somewhere other than the refrigerator.
So in defense of dairy-inspired bathroom decor, I present my case.
First of all, it’s actually a bath mat
This is important.
The joke would wear off pretty quickly if the thing were terrible to stand on.
The Salted Butter Bath Mat is made with memory foam, so underneath all that butter nonsense is an actual soft, cushioned place to land when you step out of the shower.
Which means we've somehow achieved the dream:
absurd AND useful.
My favorite category of object.
Your bathroom probably takes itself too seriously
Bathrooms have somehow become very serious places.
White towels. Neutral rugs. Matching containers. A tiny eucalyptus branch trying its absolute hardest.
Lovely.
But there is also something deeply satisfying about walking into an otherwise perfectly respectable bathroom and finding what appears to be a giant stick of butter on the floor.
It doesn't need an explanation.
Actually, that's not true.
It will probably require an explanation.
Even better.
It turns out butter people are a thing
Once I started designing the Extra Butter, Please collection, I discovered there are people who don't merely like butter.
They identify with butter.
They collect butter dishes. Wear butter sweatshirts. Give each other butter-themed gifts. Decorate kitchens with butter. Apparently put butter on bathroom floors.
I respect the commitment.
And that's part of what I love about creating these designs. The best ones aren't necessarily trying to appeal to everyone.
Sometimes they're for the person who sees a bath mat shaped like a stick of butter and immediately thinks:
I need that.
That's my person.
It also makes a spectacularly weird gift
You know those people who are nearly impossible to buy for because they already own everything they actually need?
Do not buy them another beige candle.
Give them butter.
Housewarming. Birthday. White elephant. Hostess gift. A completely unnecessary Tuesday present.
It's the kind of gift that gets opened and immediately produces:
“WHERE did you find this?”
Which is significantly more entertaining than “Oh, hand soap. Thank you.”
And apparently, the butter people approve
One of my favorite parts of putting something slightly ridiculous into the world is discovering that other people understand the assignment.
Customers have called the bath mat “super cute,” “excellent quality,” and a “perfect addition to our butter collection.” One buyer purchased it for her mom's birthday. Another said it completed a kitchen overhaul.
And then there is perhaps the finest product review ever written:
“This is absolutely adorable! I got for my mom as a birthday gift and she loves it”
No notes.
I'll take it.
So, does your bathroom need butter?
Absolutely not.
That's kind of the point.
Not everything in our homes has to be sensible, neutral or chosen because it coordinates perfectly with everything else.
Sometimes the thing that makes a room feel like you is the completely unnecessary object that makes you laugh every time you see it.
For some people, that's art.
For some people, it's an odd vintage treasure.
For some people?
Apparently it's a giant stick of butter on the bathroom floor.
And frankly, I think they're onto something.
—Sonja
Zestful Productions
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