The Always Right Blue and White Table

iitala Taika

No matter the season, the enduring power of blue and white shines through. This is certainly the case at the table where the ultimate color power play is a perennial favorite. Richard Ginori proves the point with its new introduction, Aurea. A modern reinterpretation of an iconic Gio Ponti design, this new collection is inspired by the geometry of perspective drawings.

Richard Ginori blue and white Aurea

Available in a wide variety of shapes, the repeating patterns of Aurea have a timeless appeal, walking the line between pop culture pattern and nautical flair.

Richard Ginori Aurea

You can see the level of thoughtful detail on this close up of the stunning tureen.

Ginori Aurea

Mottahedeh has a long tradition of blue and white which they stylishly displayed in their 41 Madison showroom during tabletop market.

Mottahedeh blue and white

For summer entertaining, they have added to their charming tin picnic set collection with the introduction of Blue Pagoda. A reproduction of a antique Delft plate, the design dates back to the early 1700’s.

Mottahedeh Blue Pagoda tin picnic set

Debuting in June, just in time for picnic season, the set of four plates would be perfect to mix and match with their other blue and white classics – Ming and Blue Dragon – all great hostess gifts for the summer houseguest season.

Mottahedeh blue and white tin picnic setsRobert Haviland & C. Parlon‘s new introduction is the painterly Daphne, designed by Véronique Villaret. Made in Limoges, the hand painted Matisse-like pattern features 22k gold branches graphically portrayed on six different porcelain base colors. Marine, below, is a favorite perfect for year round entertaining

Robert Haviland & C. Parlon Daphne

and the white would be so elegant for outdoor dining.

Robert Haviland & C. Parlon Daphne in white-1

The espresso cups on their own would add instant charm to any occasion.

Robert Haviland & C. Parlon Daphne espresso cups

At the very end of last season Marc Pascual of Poc a Poc introduced his Absolute collection – a rainbow of hand painted Limoges.

Poc a Poc AbsoluteThis market, the full assortment of 48 colors was available to see in Julia Watts‘ 41 Madison showroom – a George Barris-like irresistible kandy-colored tangerine-flake mind boggling diversity of hues, including of course eminently mixable blue and whites.

Poc a Poc blue and white Absolute

This season he added Variation, a brushstroke rimmed plate that can be combined in infinite combinations with Absolute. The gorgeous Bamboo flatware is a new pattern from Alain Saint-Joanis.

Poc a poc Variation

The always innovative Hering Berlin produces several blue and white porcelain patterns, including the very decorative Alif, a calligraphic design based on powerful Oriental symbols.

Hering Alif

Jaune de Chrome‘s new Blue Impression, is an invitation to travel around the Mediterranean. Enlisting the abstract art of drop painting, each piece is varied and unique.

Jaune de Chrome Blue Impression porcelain

The more graphic new Blue Boléro is a perfect paring for the more amorphous Blue Impression.

Jaune de Chrome Blue Bolero

Several timeless classics are making a comeback. Dansk‘s classic Arabesque seems as fresh and modern now as when it was designed in the 60s by Danish ceramicist Niels Refsgaard.

Dansk blue and white Arabesque

Another iconic Scandinavian brand, iittala is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its Taika pattern. Originally in black and white, they have introduced it in a crisp new blue and white colorway.

iitala Taika

Royal Limoges assembled a collection of their 200 years of production – all in white  – both glazed and bisque and an enormous range of shapes and styles.

Royal Limoges

Many have wonderful stories including this teacup, designed specifically for Empress Sisi of Austria to drink her jasmine tea – shown here in front of the blue and white Recamier, designed by Tim Corrigan.

Royal Limoges tea cupProof that timeless design endures can be seen in Royal Limoges’ charming butterfly pattern, designed around the turn of the 20th century

Royal Limoges butterfly pattern

or these enchanting art deco pieces designed by Jacques Adnet.

Jacques Adnet Royal Limoges

all photos by Stacey Bewkes for Quintessence

6 thoughts on “The Always Right Blue and White Table

  1. I kept attempting to pick out a favorite–but it was impossible as they are all glorious. Loved Tim Corrigan’s “Recamier”–the crisp graphics in blue and white are perfection. Thank you. xoxo Mary

  2. No wonder blue and white is the most classic of color combos. What an inspiration… and reason to buy… with these new takes and refreshing updates. If I had to pick, the Daphne would/will be joining my china collections. Who can resist a clean take on Matisse?

  3. Love blue and white! The first American-made state china service for the White House is still in use today – made for Woodrow and Edith Wilson, it’s a Lenox cobalt pattern with the classic Lenox Westchester outer gold band (M139). Beautiful, rich cobalt!

  4. Mt favorite is blue and white. I have Royal Copenhagen in Blue Flower Angular punctuated with Blue and white iittala.

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