Home Entertaining In Style

Help customers create stunning tablescapes with these products and trends

With consumers becoming more frugal in an uncertain economy, the trend of dining at home is certainly catching on. You can profit from this upswing by offering your customers the latest styles in tabletop—at an affordable price, of course.

Pairing inexpensive dishware with a few high-quality pieces in your store can create eclectic yet welcoming place settings your customers will love. Here we’ve gathered a variety of products—some in timeless styles, some with distinct themes, and some in eye-catching shapes and colors. You can see more of what these companies and others have to offer at the New York Tabletop Market, which runs April 21-24 at Forty One Madison. For more information and to register for the show, visit www.41madison.com.

Global Ties
One trend taking over tabletop design is exotic and international design. Many designers say that they are not only interested in the varying colors that different cultures have to offer, but they are also shifting their attention toward global design for the mere fact that it offers an escape for consumers who are unable to travel as frequently as they used to.

A new design from Now Designs’ new lifestyle brand, Danica Studio (866/253-9001 or www.nowdesigns.net), is a hybrid of Indian and North African influence. The Neema collection brings an ethnic vibe to homes; its vibrant green hues add color to table settings and pair well with neutral backdrops.The products in the Neema collection include a variety of tabletop, kitchen, and dinnerware pieces made from cotton, silk, ceramic, and melamine. The textiles in the collection are made in India, and the porcelain is made in China. Pieces in the line range from $5 to $60 retail, which allows consumers to purchase affordable statement-making pieces.

The Neema design was created by the company’s New York-based designer Jennifer Dennis.

Artist Annie Morhauser of Annieglass (800/347-6133 or www.annieglass.com) was also recently inspired by international concepts. Her new Slab Series draws its shape and function from the simplicity of Japanese architectural and landscape design. The pieces are handmade in California. One piece in the collection, a pedestal, measures 12” x 5” and comes in gold, platinum, and clear. It is artistic yet simple, and it can serve as a great centerpiece, particularly with a colorful array of sushi.

Another company with a global feel is Salt (917/699-0144 or www.saltworksnyc.com). Designer Bibi Baloyra’s products are made with quality materials such as fine silver, horn, bone, and rich fabrics. All products in Salt’s collections are made with excellent craftsmanship and are truly works of art. Salt’s newest items this season include a set of midnight-silver hors d’ouevre knives as well as a circular spatula. Salt’s oval napkin rings, one of the company’s top sellers, are handcrafted in Peru. They are made of bull horn, and thus come in a variety of natural colors that shine beautifully on a tabletop.

There is a profound respect among Salt’s artisans for the materials and the sources of the materials. “I like to sell the horn items as a ‘do no harm’ item, whereby the artisan procures the materials from the slaughterhouse, where the bull has already gone down for the meat and hide, and the horn, as well as bone, are going to be pulverized for fertilizer if not salvaged,” says Bibi.

Under The Sea
Another notable trend is the multitude of sea- and beach-themed tableware. Whether the designs are over-the-top coastal tributes or subtly inspired by the ocean, these new collections can fit into nearly any home’s décor. With bright colors and bold shapes, Laurene Hunt Designs’ (508/320-3028 or www.laurenehuntdesigns.com) Fish Collection is fun and functional. Artist Laurene Hunt makes her tabletop pieces by hand in her Ashland, Massachusetts studio. What’s more, Laurene draws her artistic inspiration from a personal childhood experience.

“My Fish Collection is actually a colorful, pop-art interpretation of the neon fish my dad used to have in his aquarium when I was a child,” says Laurene. “All day those fish used to playfully chase each other, blowing bubbles, making me laugh. I hope this collection makes people smile as much as those fish made me smile.”

The time and care Laurene puts into each piece is truly noteworthy. The Lazy Susan in the Fish Collection is cut from white birch; it is then hand-painted with acrylics and finished with a durable polyurethane, which makes cleaning easy. The Lazy Susan is a generous 16”. Laurene’s ceramic coaster and trivet designs are silk-screened and then fired in her studio. The cork-backed coasters come in sets of four and measure 4.5” each. The trivets are also cork-backed and measure 8”, and they also have a metal hanging hook on the back.  

Mud Pie (800/998-1633 or www.mud-pie.com) also has a variety of sea-themed tableware. Three new collections are available.The exotic-looking Fiji Collection includes items such as a platter, dinner plates, and dessert plates decorated with shell icons and a sculpted rattan accents. Also available is a dark-black walnut cutting board with a white porcelain dip cup. Items in the Fiji Collection are between $8 and $35 retail.

A more playful and bright collection is Go Fish, which features crab-shaped tableware. Items include a dip cup and spreader, cutting board and spreader, and a platter hand-painted with blue and green stripes. Go Fish pieces are between $12 and $32 retail.

Finally, Mud Pie’s Coral Reef Collection brings a hint of clean sophistication to the table. Available items include a rectangular melamine platter with cast-metal triple starfish handles, as well as a round, white porcelain tray with cast-metal seahorse handles. These elegant pieces retail for $25 and $40 respectively.

Rosanna Inc. (866/767-2662 or www.rosannainc.com) also has a sea-inspired collection, called La Mer. Each piece features a 24-karat platinum design inspired by vintage British botanical drawings of sea life. The collection is designed by Rosanna Bowles, and it includes mugs, plates, a platter, and 100-percent recycled glass tumblers.

Always a favorite at the gift shows, Julia Knight Inc. (612/338-9100 or www.juliaknight.net) has introduced a stunning new collection called Sea Shell. The collection includes three shapes: Tahitian Clam, Conch and Scallop. The collection also inspired new colors—Turquoise, Shrimp, and Snow. According to Mark Bergadon, director of marketing and sales, “Each piece is designed and sculptured to follow the organic shapes and colors of actual sea shells.”

All of Julia Knight’s one-of-a-kind pieces are made of high-grade, food-safe, sand-cast aluminum. Each is hand-painted with colorful enamel mixed with crushed mother-of-pearl, which gives the pieces depth and luster. First Families Lead The WayUnity Marketing’s (www.unitymarketingonline.com) Tabletop Report 2009 reports on consumer trends in the industry. It also focused on dining trends in one of the nation’s most important households: the White House.

According to the report, the White House has shied away from formal china and has instead used more casual dinnerware during the past few administrations. At the end of former President George W. Bush’s term, his wife, Laura, purchased two new sets of White House china. One set, from Lenox, was for formal state events; the other, more casual set, was for everyday use and is designed by Anna Weatherley.

“Laura Bush’s choice of a more casual dinnerware service for the private quarters in the White House perfectly reflects a trend in the overall tabletop market that was discovered in the latest Unity Marketing survey of 1,165 tabletop and dinnerware consumers,” says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of the Tabletop Report 2009.

Previous presidential families have used the formal service for most all meals, says Pam. Indeed, the flowery service used during the Polk administration and the patriotic service the Lincolns used were stunning and certainly presidential. But with the past administration and the new one, the family is using more informal dinnerware with casual patterns for family meals and small gatherings.“

Mrs. Bush found that borrowing the formal state dinnerware for family events was no longer appropriate,” says Pam. “She wanted something more comfortable and casual that fit the first family’s lifestyle. So she, like so many American consumers, chose dinnerware that was less fuss and formal.

”According to Unity Marketing’s latest survey among tabletop buyers, 75 percent agreed with this statement: “My lifestyle is more casual, so I prefer to set my table with more casual, less formal tableware.”

“They would rather invest a little more money in buying a casual set of china, more special than everyday tabletop, but more useable and less intimidating than formal china,” explains Pam. “Tabletop marketers, take note: the inauguration season is also ushering in a new era of less stuffy, affordable china that can be used every day and supplemented with periodic additions and changes in style.”

Just For Fun
Still, there are designers out there willing to take chances with fanciful creations. Take, for example, Renee Williams of Rowlett, Texas, who was recently awarded for her innovative new product at the Dallas Total Home & Gift Show in January.

Renee’s Sipatiniz (pronounced sip-a-tee-neez), a line of spill-resistant martini glasses, were chosen as the winner of “The Next Big Thing” contest. Shaped like traditional martini glasses, each glass has a large curved lip that keeps the drink inside. Retailing for $19.99 each, they’re a playful hostess gift.

Renee is the founder of the distributing company, Fabulous Touch Gifts (214/607-1100 or www.fabuloustouchgifts.com).

For another fun party idea, look to ThemeNaps (678/720-0702 or www.themenaps.com). This colorful collection of napkins folded into special shapes debuted at the winter market in Atlanta. The collection features designs by Robin Zingone, who has illustrated for Mattel’s Barbie style guide, American Express, the Washington Post, and other noteworthy clients.

For playful tableware that is great for kids,  look to Golden Hill Studio (585/924-7213 or www.goldenhillstudio.com). The company’s Sweet Times dessert-themed pieces include Ice Cream Sundae Bowls packed in replicas of ice-cream tubs, Soda Shop Glasses packed in replicas of jukeboxes, and Domed Servers packed in pastry boxes.

Whatever your offerings this season, make sure they are diverse in style and price point. Make your store’s tabletop collection cohesive to help customers who are hesitant with design. Set up multiple vignettes that demonstrate how pieces in your store might have multiple, if not unexpected, uses. Show customers that your tabletop pieces are an investment that will be appreciated for years to come. 

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