by Suzanne Fletcher
A few days ago, I noticed a chip in one of our porcelain dinner plates from CB2, and just yesterday I found another in a Heller bowl we use for cereal and salsa (and it’s not easy to chip Melamine!). This, plus a conversation with Ashley, got me thinking about beautiful, organic ceramic dinnerware and where to find it.
In my search, I learned a little bit about the differences between stoneware and porcelain. Stoneware has vitreous (glass) material added to it for strength. It’s thicker and more opaque than porcelain, and can have a shiny or a matte finish. People think of stoneware as more earthy than porcelain. Porcelain is fired at a higher temperature and is made of fine-particle clay. It’s thinner and more delicate-looking, but also more durable. Porcelain has a reputation for being a bit more formal than stoneware, but it can be dressed up or down, depending on your needs.
Here are seven online sources for stoneware and porcelain plates and bowls—with not a chip in sight!
Food52 is my go-to source, not only for delicious recipes but also for unique, beautifully designed everyday objects—from kitchen tools to storage jars to dinnerware. I love these gorgeous stoneware plates from Hawkins New York, as well as these textured white porcelain ones by Looks Like White (the surface looks like linen up close).
Pictured: Organic Ceramic Dinnerware, in blush, grey, and white. And Handmade Porcelain Textured Dinnerware.
Ashley has a bowl she often uses for entertaining from Sarah Kerston Studio, a Berkeley, CA, artist whose stoneware plates, platters, and bowls come in a variety of finishes, including white, fig, and the wonderfully named quail egg.
Pictured: 9″ Salad bowl—one of the most versatile—and Sarah’s six available glazes.
One of the first places I looked for ceramic dinnerware was—no surprise—Etsy, where I found a store I can’t stop thinking about. The Tel Aviv-based 1220Ceramicsstudio offers handmade, minimalist tableware that’s absolutely stunning! I love the black and white matte stoneware bowls, as well as the ceramic dinnerware set made by dipping black clay in a white matte glaze.
Pictured: Ceramic Bowl set and Ceramic Dinnerware set for two.
I always look forward to getting emails from Elsie Green saying a new shipment has arrived, typically from France. Elsie Green is a small, Northern California company that specializes in vintage furniture, textiles, and other beautiful items for the home. Their white, porcelain Classic Dinnerware set (pictured) is one of my favorites.
I hadn’t heard of Farmhouse Pottery or Notary Ceramics when I started my search, but I’m so glad to know now! As a New Englander, I love that Farmhouse Pottery is based in Woodstock, Vermont (home to another fabulous source for ceramics—Simon Pearce), and their Silo Dinnerware Plates (pictured in unglazed and white-edged) strike a perfect balance of earthy and modern. Notary Ceramics is from the other side of the country—Portland, Oregon—and I would be thrilled to start collecting their simple, elegant porcelain bowls and mugs.
Pictured: Farmhouse Pottery Silo collection (Also at One Kings Lane) and Notary Ceramics Soup Bowls
It’s so fun to scroll through the West Coast-based General Store website to find gorgeous, one-of-a-kind items, including baskets and bags, jewelry and apparel and, of course, ceramics. I can picture myself eating my morning cereal from the Stillness Bowl by Humble Ceramics, in part because of its name (a perfect way to start the morning), and in part because it’s so lovely to look at.
Have you any favorite sources to add?
P.S. Some more favorite modern ceramics sources on Etsy. I’ve been loving this pitcher lately. And two wonderful books from Heath Ceramics, our beloved, local (Sausalito-based) designer: Tile Makes the Room and Heath Ceramics: The Complexity of Simplicity.
A former newspaper reporter and editor, Suzanne Fletcher writes about all things home and design-related. She lives near Boston with her family, including three teenagers and a Golden Retriever named Clementine.
[Lead photo mine: General Store, San Francisco]
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