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Design tableware - how to find the right model for your home

  1. The right tableware for every occasion
  2. Dishes-mix made easy
  3. Harness circumference
  4. Material
  5. Care tips
  6. Conclusion

1. The right tableware for every occasion

The Arzberg - Joyn crockery set (5 pieces) in rose

Everyday crockery
Make sure that everyday crockery for everyday use is robust and therefore dishwasher and microwave safe. When it comes to design, you can of course also be inspired by trends, such as dishes in black. Dishes with an Asian-inspired design are also very modern at the moment, as they have a handmade character due to their uneven shape and colouring. It is also very practical, as soup plates or deep plates are designed like bowls and can therefore be used multifunctionally, and the cups, which are designed without handles, are easy to stack and space-saving.

Star Fluted Christmas Plates from Royal Copenhagen

Holiday dishes
Crockery with Christmas or Easter motifs is usually more in need of care, but since it is rarely used and gets us in the mood for the holidays with rich decorations in gold and expressive motifs, we are happy to accept this.

Holiday dishes
Special festive tableware for special occasions convinces with high-quality design and material. Be it a gold rim, a traditional motif or an extravagant choice of colours - the focus is on an extraordinary table.

Viktoria furnishing expert Tips for advisors "Choose a classic single-coloured tableware for everyday use and an unusual patterned tableware for festive occasions in one design language - then you can combine both sets of tableware as you please and reinvent your table again and again! Individual pieces in glass, wood or stainless steel will always match and give your table that very special touch." - Viktoria, interior design expert

2. Dishes-mix made easy

Mixed crockery on the dining table

1. Colour mix - Rosenthal - Junto | 2. Material mix - Arzberg - Joyn | 3. Pattern mix - Marimekko - Oiva Siirtolapuutarha | 4. Form mix - Iittala X Issey Miyake

A mix on the table makes it unique, special and up-to-date. With the right handles, each set of dishes can be individually adapted or you can fall back on a series of dishes that has already been designed according to this principle.

Color mix (1)
With this combination it is important not to mix more than three colours and to make sure that there is a maximum of clear contrast. So choose either all the colours from one colour family or two colours from one colour family plus one contrasting colour.

Material mix (2)
A particularly exciting combination is porcelain tableware in combination with wood, which gets its certain something through the contrast between very fine as well as raw and of course. Also very fine and transparent glass in the combination with ceramic tableware in raw handmade look gives a nice contrast. Polished stainless steel elements, such as a jug, etagere, or serving cutlery, give the laid table an additional clean and modern touch through the shiny, reflective and hyper-smooth surface.

Pattern mix (3)
Here it is important to stay in one colour family at all costs. Great combinations succeed with plain and pattern, geometric and floral patterns in a mix or a mixture within geometric or floral patterns among themselves.

Form mix (4)
This combination is only practical if the tableware is designed in this way and otherwise only something for professionals who have a perfect sense of proportion.

Expert tip "Choose an expressive tableware combination and you can do without classic table decoration. The interplay of different materials, colours and/or patterns makes your table lively and imaginative." - Viktoria, interior design expert

3. The right designer tableware

How many items your personal crockery cupboard should contain depends on the size of your household: For a single household, it's usually enough to have two of each category. In a family household, on the other hand, the amount of crockery grows with each member and changes accordingly - from break-proof children's crockery to "normal" crockery. It is therefore always worthwhile to buy crockery that can be extended or bought later in case something gets broken. Finished sets of crockery are usually designed for six people.

Dining table
The tableware category includes dinner plates that are perfect with a rim for a common main course or without a rim for pizza and tarte flambée. For meals, such as salad, pasta, soup or risotto soup plates or deep plates are irreplaceable. If you want to make it a little more extensive, you can extend the individual space with a bread or side plate. The dining table is then supplemented by the serving dishes, which are as varied as the selection of dishes themselves.

Set the table properly

Coffee table
Function as coffee set dessert plate, dessert bowls, cups with saucer and a pot (for coffee or tea), a sugar bowl and a milk jug. Besides there are again numerous possibilities to offer the meals. Beside serving bowls, there are also gladly etageren, cake plates and bonbonnières for use.

Covering the coffee table properly

4. The material underlines the design

Tableware: material and design

Each material gives tableware sets a different design. Porcelain (1) is the classic among tableware materials and is characterized by its smooth, even surface. The following applies here: the lighter the tableware, the higher the quality. Bone china or fine bone china porcelain is considered to be very fine because it has a particularly high strength, a brilliant shine and high translucency.

By contrast, ceramic and earthenware tableware (2) is significantly thicker, coarser and heavier than porcelain and has a handmade character. Crockery in this category should always be glazed, otherwise it is not resistant and waterproof.

In addition to its traditional use for glass, glass is increasingly being used for plates and bowls (3). Since it can be combined with everything, it is becoming increasingly popular.

Unbreakable melamine (4) tableware is mostly used for children's and camping tableware and is also particularly suitable for picnic & Co.

5. This is what you need to consider when caring for your dishes

Mega Blue Ribbed from Royal Copenhagen

So that you can enjoy your Connox tableware for a long time, you can remember these basic rules:

  • Dishes with gold rim must not be put in the dishwasher.
  • Hand-painted crockery as well as fine crockery with very dried food leftovers are best washed by hand only.
  • It is better to put porcelain in the microwave than earthenware dishes, as the high firing temperature used in the production of porcelain means that it does not heat up as quickly and the risk of it jumping is therefore much lower.
  • Glass is suitable both for the microwave and for freezing food.

6. Conclusion - what you should consider when buying designer tableware

  • While simple, robust tableware is perfect for everyday use, high-quality and elaborately decorated sets are ideal for special occasions.
  • Current trends are black or colourful tableware as well as Asian-inspired design.
  • For a special wow-effect on the table, a tableware mix is the best choice: here, in addition to the combination of different colours and materials, there is also the possibility of combining several patterns or shapes.
  • The size of the household determines the amount of crockery required, starting with two pieces in each category for a single person. In addition to coffee and eating utensils, no household should be complete without crockery for serving.
  • From classic porcelain and modern earthenware to all-round glass and practical melamine, each tableware material has its own special advantages.
  • So that you can enjoy your designer tableware for a long time, make sure you take proper care of it. Not every crockery is suitable for the dishwasher, microwave and freezer.

Buy designer tableware online at Connox - your advantages at a glance

Purchasing consulting at Connox

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