I started the day in Paris. Now I’m moving from über contemporary Italian design to England cottage. But I’m staying in the kitchen. Emma Bridgewater hails from the UK and designs traditional tableware with lots of patterns to choose from. Black Toast is a favorite.

These dishes would look great in a casual kitchen. I’m picturing painted cabinets, a great farmhouse table and café curtains made from sewn together vintage tea towels. A fireplace would be nice.

If you’re interested in Emma Bridgewater, she’s running a promotion with Farrow and Ball this month that runs through May 25th. You can save 20% by entering FARROW at the checkout.

All melamine tableware and serving pieces are on going on sale at Give Simple starting May 12th and running through May 19th. Melamine is great for outdoor entertaining.

When you buy $125 or more of Melamine Tableware, save 15% on your entire order by using the promotional code SUMMER FUN at check out.

I just finished reading Mandy’s hysterical 3-part story about smoking pot in Amsterdam (where it’s legal). Start with the first post. I was still laughing when I saw this new vase from Normann-Copenhagen. It’s called Grass.

The Grass Vase is made of stoneware and comes in three sizes. You can find a lot of products from Norman-Copenhagen at Velocity.

I’m loving these trays from Angela Adams. They’re great for serving icy drinks at all your smart, outdoor parties.

They come in a variety of sizes and range in price from $10 to $65.

Everybody in the pool!

One thing I wish there had been more of  in Milan was accessories. I’m rather partial to them.

That’s why I was happy to spend some time in the Paola C. booth. The company makes beautiful tabletop pieces, as well as some lighting and a couple of little end tables.

The line includes glassware, teapots, candlesticks and trays. I especially liked their aluminum trays.

Paola C. designs beautiful ceramics as well. The Mouse teapot is new this year.

Check their website for store locations around the world. You can buy Paola C. online at Table Art.

Branch offered a nicely designed collection from Korean design firm, Danchong.

The Branch tray comes in a few sizes, the largest was about a foot long. Made of white acrylic resin, The concept was to create a tray with the idea of branches in a forest. Whatever the idea, it was lovely.

Similarly, Branch lighting is made of the same resin. I liked the light (no pun intended) feeling.

The Early Bird Vase was designed to create the illusion of a bird flying with a flower in its mouth.

Finally, the Branch chair and stool have a definite Asian feel to them. The principal designer, Eunsook Kwon, told me he wanted to give the feeling of sitting among trees in the forest.

I think it’s important to give these designers exhibiting (sometimes a long way from home) our support. So much hard work and talent goes into what they do. By the way, I know I’m writing today about things that are not yet available for sale.

Perhaps with some publicity from the blogging community we can help get their work supported. Don’t you agree?

It’s finally beautiful, wam and sunny here in the fine city of Detroit. Flowers spring to mind (pun definitely intended). It’s time to plant some pansies and buy some tulips. All I need is a beautiful vase.

The Alchemy Vase, from Home Port is appealing. I like simplicity when it comes to floral arrangements. These come in a variety of shapes and sizes - all replicating the glassware we used in chemistry class. They range in price from $7.50 to $150.00.

The designers at Dwell Studio are making a beautiful name for themselves. I think people are attracted to their slightly 70’s-inspired designs done up in neutral colors that look lovely on the table. I like the idea of a mix-and-match set, too.

You can find this selection at CLIO. The three styles sell for $22.00 each. Napkins are $16.00, and table runners go for $56.00.

It’s nice to see the vast improvements being made in the design of melamine (aka plastic) tableware. It wasn’t so long ago that all good design for outdoor dishes was left at the screen door.

 I like these designs from Bongenre. They’re designed by Jill Fenichell, who was an antique porcelain and pottery dealer for 15 years. Jill references historical patterns in her work, and likes to inspire people to look at old patterns in new ways.

Bongenre is available at Give Simple. My favorite is Wilde’s Seaside Holiday (the bright blue one). A dinner plate sells for a reasonable $12.

Rehabilitated Dishware is the brainchild of Sarah Cihat. She shops at Goodwill and other thrift shops for discarded dishes and reincarnates them by reglazing and refiring them. Her craft underscores the importance of recycling.

I’m all for recycling, but it would be meaningless if the repurpose wasn’t great. These are. I especially like the mix of flowers with the rocker chick and the skull and swords with the little anchor. That one makes me laugh.

Here’s a look at some of her new designs. Love the chair (but then I’m partial to chairs), and Lincoln - the very thing for President’s Day.

You can buy Sarah Cihat’s dishware from a variety of retail shops, listed here. Prices range from $34 to $59. Sarah also does custom work, and you can contact her for details.

I was at Sunset Beach, North Carolina this past weekend putting the finishing touches on some improvements to our beach house rental, Chum Bucket. In between some fresh coast of paint, I took some time to visit Victoria’s Ragpatch, my favorite local home store, in nearby Calabash.
The shop is really two shops in one. The first floor is devoted to women’s and children’s clothing, while the second is all about home decor. The upstairs section is merchandised according to color - so inviting.

The shop has a decided beachy twist, which only makes sense seeing as it’s so close to the Brunswick Islands (Sunset Beach is one of these) and Myrtle Beach. Often I find things devoted to themes to be a turn-off. However, Victoria has a wonderfully tasteful eye.

She sells a nice collection of inspiring decoration books. Anyway, as I said, I really like the way the tabletop items are displayed as if they were set for a party. It makes it easy to imagine the dinnerware, centerpieces and linens in your own home.

I only wish Victoria’s Ragpatch would create a website. Even if it’s only to give hours and directions. (Hint, hint). In the meantime, here’s useful link to local shopping. If you happen to be near the Brunswick Islands, you can find Victoria’s Ragpatch in Ragpatch Row, 10164 Beach Drive.

Are these dishes too cutsie-pie? I think not. I think a set of this dinnerware from Ayumi Horie would be perfect for an afternoon tea party, or perhaps for Easter brunch.

For me, dishes are like shoes - you can never have enough. And you feel compelled to entertain a lot, which is even more fun. you can find these at Reform School.