My Tableware Obsession
Who doesn’t love plate chargers, or is it just me?
I love tableware. From placemats and serviettes to dishes for fishes, glasses and forks just give me more. Tableware is not only essential for dining (unless you’re following the caveman diet and decided to eat like one too), well designed tableware will also liven up your meal and add an extra serving of gravitas to your dinner parties. Here are some of my favourite tablescaping essentials.
Crockery
For plates and dishes my go-to brand is Serax. Their collections are created by well known designers with a sleek contemporary touch. Highlights include the hand-painted De dinner plates and the Ra bowls with elegant pedestal bases, both by fashion legend Ann Demeulemeester. The TY “Standard” collection from 1616 arita / japan has a clean, minimalist design ideal for day-to-day use. The collection features plates that double-up as lids for the bowls and rectangular dishes that can be used as trays, all executed in a matte light grey finish that is the epitome of understated Japanese cool. Contrary to popular belief, classic styles are also allowed in my crockery cabinet, especially if they come from Royal Copenhagen. Their Blue Fluted pattern is a veritable classic from 1775 that still looks fresh as a daisy. They are fancy enough to impress your dinner guests but not too formal as to be intimidating.
Cutlery
When it comes to cutlery, usability is paramount. There are few things more annoying than knives that don’t cut and fork handles that dig into your hand. Mixing and matching is not recommended, unless you’re into the student living aesthetic. Unlike crockery, cutlery can last forever (though teaspoons are prone to go missing), so I would veer towards timeless designs that work for multiple occasions. For everyday use you can’t go wrong with the Nuovo Milano collection from Alessi. I can also recommend the Brick Lane collection from KN Industrie, a casual and modern take on a classic design. For special occasions I would bring out the Bernadotte collection from Georg Jensen. The art-deco inspired fluted handle is an iconic design that commands real presence on the table.
Glasses
Glasses are like jewellery for the table and just like jewellery there is a style to suit every occasion. Glasses for everyday use don’t need to be chunky and boring. The Kalyke tumblers from Czech brand Kvetna have a clean, restrained design with a distinctive waist that is pleasing to hold. They are dishwasher safe and versatile enough for water, soft drinks or whisky. The glassware from Ichendorf are more delicate and decorative. They are particularly known for their coloured glass and ornaments, which are cute but would require careful cleaning. US brand Fferrone has a more masculine industrial look. Their glasses feature bold, architecture inspired designs which give off contemporary art-deco industrial vibes.
Linens
Almost everybody does casual dining almost all the time now and it does seem a bit silly to eat takeaway pizzas with linen napkins. However, many table tops (especially those made of wood) do need to be protected from hot plates as well as glasses with moist bottoms. For everyday use the best solution is placemats which can be cleaned easily, like the Ameba collection from Palmadera. These are made of bakelite with wood veneer and are dishwasher-safe. For classier gatherings tablecloths and napkins are still de rigueur, but maybe not all in white. The placemats and napkins from La Gallina Matta are known for their patterned edges and contemporary colours. They look traditional without feeling twee and work well with plain colour tablecloths.
Centrepieces
A dinner table is not properly dressed without a centrepiece. For drama and Instagrammability you could go for a statement vase with a large floral display, especially useful if you want to avoid eye contact with your guest across the table. A small vessel, such as the Bubbly Bowl from Atelier Polyhedre, filled with flowers or foliage would be more sensible. A discrete stem vase such as the Sticks Flower Pot from Ghidini 1961 would work well too. There is also room for sculptural expression - see the Andromeda Bowl from Agrippa - and for a touch of whimsy.
Artist Glen Martin Taylor’s emotionally charged take on Japanese kintsugi (the art of mending broken pottery with gold) has resulted in some thought-provoking pieces of tableware. The Duality collection of joined-up vessels from Natalia Criado are charming and intriguing in equal measures. Katerina Kamprani takes this concept to the extreme with her Uncomfortable collection of deliberately useless objects such as forks with floppy handles and wine glasses that are impossible to sip from. These items may not exactly be practical but are great conversation starters.
Last but not least, a few bits of tableware advice, particularly for entertaining:
To match or not to match: in my view, items used in multiples (cutlery, plates, glasses etc) should be matched. Standalone items such as carafes, serving dishes, centrepieces and such like are great for adding personality to the table and are best not matched.
The magic number: when working out how many plates or forks etc you need to buy, take the maximum number of guests you can fit around your dining table and add at least two. Truth is the more the merrier - one of the signs of a truly classy dinner party is to have endless supplies of cutlery and wine glasses.
At your service: make sure you have plenty of serve-ware, so as to not cannibalise your limited stock of dinner plates. Large dishes and shallow bowls are useful for everything from salads to pasta and don’t forget the proper serving spoons to go with them. Large platters can look impressive but only if you have a degree in food arrangement. I would avoid the use of wooden chopping boards as a serving platter unless your name is Jamie Oliver.
Spin me round: don’t forget to rotate!! If your space and budget allows, get different sets of crockery / cutlery / glasses and make an effort to use fresh sets every now and then. Eating and drinking with a changing cast of tableware will heighten your appreciation of food and facilitate your practice of mindful eating. After washing up make sure you store the clean dishes at the bottom of the stack (and glasses at the back of the cabinet), otherwise you’ll end up always using the same few plates and glasses. Yes, seriously.
Avoid like the plague: anything plastic is a no-no in my book. Plastic plates should only allowed if you are under the age of five.
Do visit www.do-shop.com to satiate all your interior design related obsessions.
Ahhhhh some of these pieces are real work of art ! ❣️