Blaue Blume Tea Set

Love this leggy tea set. Each piece is handmade in England.

Sexy Times Dinnerware

Birds do it. Bees do it. Why not let bugs and bunnies do it at your dinner table?*

And to think, my mom used to bust me for singing.

Bugs and Bunnies (one of each), $400.

Via Crib Candy.

* technically, these are art, not dinnerware.

Ghetto Plate from Trixiedelicious

Another vintage plate is reborn. There's just nothing about this that's not awesome.

Ghetto plate, $30

Skeleton Pencil Holder

Etsy seller CircaCeramics calls this the "itty-bitty cylinder skully las manos".

It's the most adorable salute to death I've seen all week.

Etsy Find: Frankensteined Ceramics from Melabo

I've been playing with Etsy's Pounce tool this morning. If you haven't seen it, it's a search feature that lets you see recently sold items or discover new Etsy shops that haven't sold an item yet.

I was totally blown away by these weirdly awesome statuettes from seller Melabo. I collect white ceramics, and I can't wait to get a few of these odd animal hybrids.

From the top, Deerman, Totem Kitty, Reclining Deerman, and Bride and Groom, $40 each.

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifEtsy Find: Trixie Delicious's Menace Plate

I really like this plate from Trixie Delicious's Etsy shop.

Her shop has a selection of vintage plates that have been dressed-up with interesting words and pictures.

Fruit and Fire Candle Dish

The Fruit and Fire Candle Dish by Willem Noyons is the only centerpiece you'll ever need. It's a candle holder one day and a fruit bowl the next.

I especially like it as a fruit bowl. It looks very organic and a bit surreal.

Via AT: the Kitchen.

Delftware Goes NYC

This plate from Lovegrove and Repucci is designed to look like traditional Delftware, but depicts scenes from New York (graffiti and all).

See more at Design Hole.

Plate Hanger Innovation

I love hanging plates on the wall. They are great for visual pop, relatively inexpensive, and easily changed when the mood strikes. But, I absolutely hate those wire plate hangers.

First, I always get my fingers pinched while I'm trying to stretch the springs and get the hooks over the edge of the plate. Second, I hate the way the little hook tips look against the plate's surface. They're distracting and can chip the edges. And third, when I walk through the house, I can hear the little metal springs vibrating (curse of a pier-and-beam).

Today I found out that there is a solution, thanks to decor8. She found adhesive plate hangers (shown right). They stick on and come off when soaked in warm water. They're imported from England and available at A.C. Moore (which we don't have in Dallas) and online here.

I can finally hang an awesome plate collage, like the one above, without a puncture wound.

Cloud Dessert Plates

Amazing stylized clouds drift across the surface of these dessert plates from Williams Sonoma Home.

$58 for a set of 4.

Some Style for your Kitchen

Spice up your walls with a series of 30 Patchwork plates by Marcel Wanders. [BLTD]

Preview MoMA's fall food fashions at the Kitchen.

Get a color and a cut with bicycle handle knives from MKS Design. [This Next]

Ottoman Script Vase from Gaia & Gino

I just saw this Cali vase from Gaia and Gino on Design Milk. It immediatly made me think of old Ottoman script.

I went to the G & G site to check it out, and, sure enough, it's a Turkish company. The Cali design is based on The amazingly beautiful Ottoman calligraphy I've seen in Turkish museums and mosques.

Bark Vases from Doe

I still can't get enough of faux bois.

Bark vases from doe.

Via Design*Sponge.

Park Planters

More witty ceramics. This time, a house plant is made to look like a tree in a public park.

Via Apartment Therapy.

Nymphenburg Sketches Bowls

Here's another beautifully updated classic. These figural bowls, reminiscent of something you'd have found in your great aunt's parlor as a child, have a stark, graphic twist. My favorite is this bird sprinkled with gold polka dots. Other designs feature floral motifs.

These are by Nymphenburg and were designed by Hella Jongerius.

$2,140 each at Moss.

Via the D Home Blog.

A Couple of Cool Clicks

The Lady Marmalades Bowls for clotted cream and marmalade, neither of which I've ever tired. I'm a total sucker for anthropomorphized housewares.

Via Crib Candy.



Urban scenic illustrations applied to ceramic vases. These look very large, but it's hard to judge the scale in these photos.

Via Poppy Talk.

Serveware as Art

I love this serving bowl from Iggloo. It's modern. It's functional. I love that it has its own wooden platform and matching spoon. But how often do I host a dinner party where I could showcase something like this?

So I wonder how else could I use it. Perhaps as a simple display piece? But, for me, what makes a design is the combination of beauty and function.

The piece has a 5" diameter. I can picture it in a spa setting filled with bath salt. Or even on a bathroom shelf filled with rolled hand towels.

It might also work as a bowl for keys and mail on an entry table.

Large Ball Serving Bowl, £11.00.

Via Crib Candy.

Teapots and Chains

Design*Sponge found this amazing series of connected tableware called "Lucky Charms." It was designed by the Dutch group, Demakersvan. Other cool items from the group include this Lace fence.