Three designers crafting inventive glasses and plates are bringing joy to the dinner table, writes Natasha Levy

Entertaining guests during the summer months presents a chance to go offbeat, and to swap traditional glasses and crockery for bolder table accessories that reflect the season’s brighter days and longer, livelier evenings. Thankfully, there are a number of contemporary designers creating tableware that is eye-catching and elegant in equal measure. 

One of them is New York-based Sophie Lou Jacobsen, a French-American designer who focuses on making objects that bring joy—and a hint of poetry—to our daily rituals. Earlier this year she released a range of coupes, flutes, wine, cordial and aperitif glasses that are inspired by wildflowers: each one has a rim that blooms outwards and a slender stem adorned with tiny bobbles that suggest thorns. 

Sophie Lou Jacobsen’s flower-inspired plate and coupe

The collection, aptly titled Bouquet, references floral motifs developed by early 20th-century artistic movements such as the Viennese Wiener Werkstätte and French Art Nouveau group École de Nancy. Flowers also inform Jacobsen’s Petal plates range, which have rippling edges and come in sumptuous shades such as olive green, rose pink and indigo blue. “Distinctive tableware adds beauty and visual interest to the dining experience,” says Jacobsen. “It makes everyday meals more enjoyable.” 

The scallop-edged plate designs produced by Polish brand Branik bring their own personality to the table, drawing inspiration from the dramatic ruffs that were the height of fashion in 16th- and 17th-century Europe. They are part of the Frill range, and are crafted from visually striking types of natural stone, such as veiny Calacatta Viola marble, creamy travertine, and green Amazonite. 

The playful Frill range from Branik

Agata Knorowska, the brand’s founder, developed an interest in the material when she worked as an interior architect and became fascinated with the colours, textures and translucency of different stones. But her affinity for unique tableware stems from long-standing traditions within her own family. “My muse is my great-grandmother, Zofia Branik. She was born in 1900 and would always pay attention to little details that bring solace—one flower in a vase, a candle lit in the evening, a cup of tea in a delicate cup,” she says. “I believe that these details can elevate the dining experience and that aesthetic pleasures can help us relax, comfort us and bring bliss.” 

When languid alfresco dinners draw to a close, and the moment for a nightcap arises, you can turn to the characterful, hand-blown glassware of Los Angeles designer Cedric Mitchell. His Kinetic liqueur tumblers balance on amber spheres infused with 24-carat gold leaf. “I wanted to find a fun and playful way to create shape,” he says. “The form of the glass increases the intimate experience of drinking by accentuating the movement and aroma of the liquid inside.” 

Cedric Mitchell’s Kinetic tumblers roll on gold-infused spheres

They are available in a clear or smoked finish, in vivid hues such as teal, apricot and ruby. But no matter which design you choose, Mitchell says accessorising your dining table is fundamentally about being brave enough to tap into your own creativity and taste: “Just as fashion and home decor allow for personal expression, so does tableware.”

Photos: Tomasz Knorowski, courtesy Sophie Lou Jacobsen, courtesy Cedric Mitchell