Design

Fun on Top

Colorful glasses, various metals, and black-and-white contrasts characterize this year's quirky items for the table.
BY SURFACE October 20, 2015
02
Apparatus Studio
New York-based studio Apparatus conceived of the Shift tea set after learning of the Moroccan tradition of greeting guests with mint tea. The porcelain pieces are hand-thrown in small batches before they're given three layers of a black matte glaze, masked, and then dipped into a satin white glaze.
03
Bernardaud
The Calder Foundation teamed up with French ceramics brand Bernardaud on a series of porcelain plates printed with images of Alexander Calder's mobiles— a fitting collaboration, as the American Modernist adopted France as his homeland.
04
Vipp
Unexpected materials— a mix of stainless steel, powder-coated aluminum, rubber, and ceramic—make Vipp's salt and pepper shakers so distinctive. The set was designed by the Danish brand's design chief, Morten Bo Jensen.
05
littala
Every iteration of littala's new Ruutu vase takes seven craftsmen 24 hours to produce. Designed by Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec, the vases come in a variety of colors, including clear, moss green, cranberry, gray, and salmon pink. "Ruutu" means diamond in Finnish.
06
Nachtmann
The Prezioso tumblr came to fruition through German brand Nachtmann's Next Gen competition for design students. The tumblr's creator, Roman Kvita, a glass artist from Prague's Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design, was this year's winner.
07
Baccarat
French designer Yann Kersale's Jallum lamp for Baccarat's Jardin de Cristal collection is made of crystal and powder-coated aluminum. The lamps work by way of a USB charger; after just 15 minutes, they're ready for indoor or outdoor use. They don't generate heat, so they're cool to the touch.
08
Bernardaud
Brazilian contemporary artist Vik Muniz collaborated with Bernardaud on its Petri collection of six dinner plates and one large coupe plate. Muniz's work has been shown everywhere from the Tate to the Guggenheim, so these plates can be considered a chance (sort of) to make a dining table into a mini-museum.
09
Bernardaud
Brazilian contemporary artist Vik Muniz collaborated with Bernardaud on its Petri collection of six dinner plates and one large coupe plate. Muniz's work has been shown everywhere from the Tate to the Guggenheim, so these plates can be considered a chance (sort of) to make a dining table into a mini-museum.
10
Magnor
Kristine Five Malvaer and Torbjorn Anderssen, the husband-and-wife team behind the new Oui vase for Magnor Glassverk, designed the piece as they prepared for their wedding. The pair was inspired by the notion of two becoming one. It comes in red, blue, and green.
11
Calvin Klein
In-house creative director Amy Mellen designed Calvin Klein Home's Villa bowl, part of its Artisan collection. An elegant shape and matte-brass finish makes it both an ideal centerpiece and a strong decorative object in its own right.
12
Michael Anastassiades
The Floating Forest series by designer Michael Anastassiades is a vase and a miniature tree farm all in one. A range of polished brass pieces suspends a seed above the water, at just the right level for it to germinate. A similar vase from Swedish company Svenskt Tenn served as Anastassiade's inspiration.
13
By Lassen
By Lassen's Kubus bowl was based on Danish architect Mogens Lassen's original sketches from the 1960s. Developed as an extension of Lassen's Kubus candleholder, it was just released in an untreated brass-plated version. It comes in black, white, beige, gray, and copper color options.
14
Chilewich
Chilewich's new Drift collection of placemats appears metallic, but it's actually made of molded vinyl. Inspired by traditional Japanese woodblock prints and designed by the brand's founder and creative director, Sandy Chilewich, the placemats also come in black and silver versions.
15
Esrawe
Hector Esrawe and Emilio Chapela designed the Estratos series of trays for Esrawe's Prima Materia collection. Crafted of walnut and brass, the duo photographed and digitized wood patterns, then traced the patterns back onto wood, on which they were gradually engraved, so ever piece in the collection is singular.
16
Alessi
The Colombina Fish flatware set, designed by Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas for Alessi, brings a bit of fun to an often-plain product. The stainless-steel collection was conceived with seafood in mind: Pieces include a shell-fish fork, caviar spoon, and shellfish cracker.

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