In good taste: 5 plates stylish enough to hang as art
We're serving up a selection of our top tableware locally made by talented SA design studios
It’s not our favourite season by any means, but the best winters are those spent in good company, around a great meal, at home. Sound good? We’ve selected a host of our favourite plates with which to do just that. All of them are locally made by our talented SA design studios.
ANANAS PLATES BY DOUGLAS AND DOUGLAS
Launched at Design Joburg in May, this interior design duo's Ananas plates are an ode to all things summery, outdoorsy and frivolous. Having said that, they're abstract enough to use year-round.
Named after the pineapple, they feature loose brushstrokes in cobalt blue and are partnered by a much larger collection of outdoor furniture.
"When creating our new Ananas collection we wanted to celebrate outdoor living and the carefree, summer-living vibe that comes with it. The injection of colour and the incorporation of the freehand brush strokes are intended to celebrate a casual, laid-back feel," says Wendy-Lee Douglas.
SKELETON PLATES BY STUDIO 19
Mia Widlake was one of the pioneers of graphic plates in the SA tableware landscape. Part art, part crockery, we love her plates for their ability to do double duty. Our favourite has to be the Skeleton Plates, which, when pared as a complete set, make the most wonderfully offbeat skeleton figure.
"I've always loved the graphic quality of Fornasetti ceramics. I was inspired to do a 12-place setting that was a tribute to the work he'd done. I imagined a long table set with the skeleton plates and the surprise that guests would have when they each uncovered a different body part. They're fun to use, but also fun to hang and display," she explains.
Visit studio19.co
MARBLE PLATES BY KLOMP CERAMICS
Loved for her collection of pared back, honest ceramics for everyday use, Alexia Klompje's Marble plates are one of our current crushes. Marbling is seeing a comeback right now and we love that Klomp's iteration is subtle and finer than most, owing to her minimalist leanings.
As to how she creates this effect, Alexia holds her cards close to her chest. "Each of our Marble pieces is handmade and marbled using stoneware clay which makes it both beautiful to look at and ideal for functional use," she says.
Visit klompceramics.com
CAPE WILLOW PATTERN PLATE BY CHANDLER HOUSE
When it was released last year, Michael Chandler's Cape Willow Pattern stole the hearts of South Africans for its telling of a tragic love story that took place in 18th century Cape Town between Dutch farmer's wife Maria Mouton and slave Titus of Bengal. It's a heart-breaking account of forbidden love, murder and reckoning that unfolds in the style of the classic English Willow Pattern.
Designed by the endlessly talented Mr Chandler, his memorialising of this little-known story is something we tip our hats to.
Visit chandlerhouse.co.za
ANDREW HECTOR
Brand new from interior designer Andrew Hector, this range of fine tableware answers to a gap in the local tableware market for porcelain that speaks to our unique geographic location. "We decided to combine classic crockery design principles of a two-tone colour scheme, our first range being blue and white, with endangered and critically endangered ocean species from Sub-Saharan Africa," says the brand's Andrew Mckay.
Concealed within the graphics on each plate, the little 'Hidden Hector' - a sea snail wearing glasses like the brand's founder - tickles our sense of fun.
Visit andrewhector.co.za