Table Dressing
Bessie Nestoras -- Gifts and Dec, 10/5/2011 4:21:58 AM
The table is shifting to more opulent and lavish looks, but don't rule out tradition. Floral and classic patterns continue to go strong, with a modern twist of course.
Dinnerware can be looked at as fashion for the table. How you dress it depends on one's mood, the occasion, personal taste and current trends.
Tabletop manufacturers look at all of these factors when designing new collections. "We try and cover different looks to reach all brides," says Fawn Ostriak, director of concept development at Lenox. That doesn't mean that the American company doesn't focus on trends. Expect fashion influences in its Marchesa brand. Of course, these patterns are heavily inspired by what the Marchesa fashion house is doing. One of the new patterns, Mandarin Gold, features a hammered burnished gold finish on a dramatic black background with an Asian influence. Empire Pearl, Marchesa's second collection, is inspired by the beaded gowns in its fashion line and incorporates hand-applied raised dots in a peacock blue with platinum accents.
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Moonlit Garden. Lenox. 800.63.LENOX. www.lenox.com |
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Sunset Valley. Mikasa through Lifetime Brands. 516.740.6723. www.lifetimebrands.com |
"New looks, motifs and color palettes from the design world are always important resources for us in developing our designs and themes. We create designs based on the new directions we feel are appropriate for our Mikasa and Pfaltzgraff brands," says Hugh Biber, senior vice president, global design director, tabletop at Lifetime Brands.
For this market, Mikasa is going to continue its focus on florals. Floral prints are always a big seller in tabletop and will continue to be so. As was seen last market, you can find the pattern spilling over onto the plate and not just concentrated on the rim. "Sunset Valley is a great example of a traditional floral that has been reinvented in both style and layout, and is specifically designed to attract both a new traditionalist as well as a more modern customer," explains Biber.
Opulence on the Rise
Lisa Archambault, vice president, global design at WWRD, finds that today's customer wants a refined elegance, which is why she sees dinnerware becoming more opulent with a modern twist. She describes Vera Wang's new Devotion pattern as everyday chic. "Devotion combines innovation with a signature modern look and transcends the boundaries of the tabletop category. The platinum decoration is microwave-and dishwasher-safe and thus offers the consumer a formal look without needing to sacrifice everyday convenience," she explains.
Vera Wang's formal dinnerware, Radiante, is a modern and clean bone china pattern with concentric fine platinum bands on a satin-finished trim, with some of the pieces accented with a delicate bead, giving the place setting texture.
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Exotic Botanic Garden. Portmeirion. 203.729.8255. www.portmeirion.com |
Format Guilloche. Rosenthal. 201.804.8000. www.rosenthalusa.com |
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Textural and tactile looks will be important as manufacturers play with beading and other finishes to give place settings a more modern elegance. While beading and raised dots are nothing new, it is the way they are being used now that updates these traditional decorative accents.
To enhance this opulent look, expect to see black used more. Lenox's Moonlit Garden is a transitional pattern with a white base and a black floral pattern. The accent plates will have a black background. Here, again, we see the use of florals, but with a contemporary twist. And the black color adds drama.
Other colors to be on the lookout for in tabletop are peacock and blue. "Teals, turquoise, fuschia tones and purples are among the colors we're featuring," says Biber.
"Blue will continue to dominate, while other vibrant colors will also be featured prominently," according to Bernard Reuter, president, tableware division, at Villeroy & Boch USA.
This move toward brighter colors and dramatic blues and black are all a refection of the shift toward a more lavish table setting.
Tradition Still Important
Tradition continues to play an important role in dinnerware. But as we have been seeing, it has to be updated for today's consumer. Florals are important, but patterns have to be fresh and new.
Old Country Roses from Royal Albert and Botanic Garden from Portmeirion are two of the most popular classic dinnerware patterns and continue to be top sellers. But both manufacturers look to keep the lines fresh, not only with new introductions, but with new twists on the classic patterns.
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New Wave chip and dip. Villeroy & Boch. 800.VILLEROY. www.villeroy-boch.com |
Radiante by Vera Wang. Wedgwood. 212.532.5950. www.wedgwood.com |
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"One of our new exciting collections for October 2011 market is the Royal Albert New Country Roses collection. The appeal of classic vintage designs with a modern twist continues to be strong in the tabletop market," says WWRD's Archambault. The company is introducing five floral patterns that are designed to mix and match and work together.
Portmeirion is also updating its classic collection by introducing Exotic Botanic Garden in October, giving new life to an already popular pattern.
Villeroy & Boch's collections are steeped in the company's long heritage, but they can move from traditional to modern with ease. From its classic French Garden pattern to its contemporary New Wave. This market, florals continue to play an important role for this German manufacturer as it is for several others. Fleur de Basic features a watercolor floral decoration on the company's New Cottage shape.
"[Mikasa] will also continue to bring freshness to our traditional looks by playing with larger scale motifs and updated palettes. Reinventing traditional with a nod to classicism in a more pared back way," says Biber.
A Modern World
Just as traditional patterns remain in collections, so will modern designs. Think of Villeroy & Boch's popular New Wave and the new Modern Grace place settings.
Rosenthal is known for its contemporary looks. "For Rosenthal white and black are the strongest colors," explains Sabine Schrenk, head of corporate communications at Rosenthal. "[And they are] complemented with soft colors like light green or blue." For the company's Format Guilloche, a blue accent is used on a white plate. It features a yarn-like design in a graphic motif.
At Mikasa, Biber tells Gifts & Decorative Accessories that geometrics on varied shapes will be a focus for the company, in addition to the more traditional patterns.
Asian Influences
For the coming season, keep Asia on your radar. 2012 marks the year of the dragon and Villeroy & Boch is adding a gift ware line appropriately named Year of the Dragon. This collection celebrates the Chinese New Year with intricate details combined with Chinese influences.
And as mentioned earlier, Marchesa's new Mandarin Gold also finds inspiration in Asia with a Chinoiserie pattern that combines black and gold for a dramatic look.
Drama, opulence and tradition will play an important role on the table. Whether your customers are looking for new plates or just want to enhance what they already have, keep these three looks in mind when filling your tabletop section.
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