INSPIRATION X5: Five of the Best…Latest Tabletop Products

When it comes to developments in tabletop, our ears are so close to the ground they are practically glued to it. We’re always on the lookout for new trends, products or exciting individuals to tell our readers about.

So tuck in to our new ‘Five of the Best’ series, which begins with products but over time will cover people, companies and trends; bookmark it, share it, and if you have any thoughts on the featured products – we’d love to hear them!

Studio William – Tasting Spoons

Anyone that has been around chefs will know how precious they can be about spoons. You may have heard the stories of favourite spoons being hid in laundry cupboards at the end of shifts so as not to be pinched by another cook. So, when they get their hands on these beauties from Studio William, we can only imagine the bickering…

Studio William is a big deal on the UK tabletop scene – and for good reason. Their products balance functionality with artistry; classic design with a wider appreciation for where the market is headed. Case in point: their Mulberry tasting spoons – practical, elegant and in their own humble way, groundbreaking. Each of the four tasting spoons in the range has its own textural flourish; such as the Rain Droplet Spoon, which has raised grooves in the shape of raindrops to enhance mouthfeel when eating, say, a mousse or ice cream. Neat, eh?

SW’s defining ethos is that all cutlery should be an extension of the hand, and with this series they have created something you won’t want to put down – especially if you happen to wear a toque and Birkenstocks for a living.

Duralex Picardie – Coloured Tumblers

Nothing says “French bistro chic” quite like Duralex’s Picardie tumblers. Just their appearance is enough to conjure up visions of eating French onion soup (or as it is surely known in France – onion soup) out of a deep bowl in some back-alley bistro just off Rue de something or other. This word gets used too often, but they are indeed iconic, symbolising all that is good about French design.

So, how do you improve on perfection? Add colour, that’s how. Coloured red, grey, green, violet and yellow, this new range of Picardie tumblers feels like a nice way to evolve a classic without distorting it. And, like the original clear variety, they are robust, too.

Maham Anjum – Broken Plates for VBL

We are big fans of Maham Anjum’s work here at TabletopJournal. The London-based designer and potter creates fancy high-fire terracotta and stoneware products for a whole host of top UK restaurants – Hoppers, Cinnamon Club and Typing Room to name a few. Her pieces always have a story; a strong conceptual element that sets them apart.

Take her recent collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia. Here, the brief was clearly to create plateware that matched the daring, experiential quality of the food at his new restaurant, Vineet Bhatia London. The result? Some truly smashing plates that — if nothing else — are sure to provide a talking point at the table.

Haand – Platters for Death and Taxes

Haand Ceramics, based in North Carolina, have mastered the art of making on-point ceramics that hark back to traditional styles. And their hand-crafted (Haand-crafted?) goods are turning up in more and more restaurants – and homes – across the US.

We particularly like what they have done with the humble platter — an underrated dinnerware item at times — at Ashley Christensen’s killer NC restaurant, Death and Taxes; where the mottled green glaze and shapely curves of the ware provides a perfect backdrop to the restaurant’s signature roasted oysters dish.

Made by Herons – Wooden Bowls for Restaurant Sat Bains

Wood has been enjoying a resurgence of late in tabletop (a development we very much welcome) and some of the items being produced make you wonder why it ever went away. In Britain alone there seems to be a fair few nifty, whittler-types coming and making a name for themselves.

Grain & Knot deserve a shout-out but here we’d like to focus on Made by Herons – who have recently been collaborating with two Michelin-starred chef Sat Bains on a range of bowls for his eponymous restaurant. We’re not quite sure what the overall concept is, but the cartographic motif running through the collection is gorgeously rendered, a testament to the skill and vision of its creators. As for the wood trend itself, where Sat Bains leads expect countless more chefs to follow.

By Isaac Parham