Ceramic tableware is emerging as the new interior decor trend

Here everything is thrown together, yet the overall effect is still harmonious: Furnished with unique pieces from the flea market and DIY furniture and decorated with colourful patterns, boho-style apartments look like an art collection that covers vastly different eras. Boho crockery follows the same mix-and-match principle. Every set is unique. The cups, plates and bowls have different shapes, colours and dimensions. They are united by their playfulness, their many different facets and their similarity with nature. The colour gradient on bowls recalls the iris in an eye. Serving platters have a delicately structured sprinkled pattern like a crab’s shell, and cups such as Copa Alto by Motel a Miio look as if fresh strawberry juice were trickling down them.

Boho ceramic tableware exudes all its charm when paired with solid-wood tables, linen serviettes and dried flowers: It is an invitation to daydream and linger. Imaginative creations like the April Plate by Bloomingville demonstrate that ceramic tableware can be a real feature on a coffee table, a sideboard or a wall. They are ideal for capturing and reflecting the residents’ authenticity and personalities.

The home is not the only place where handmade crockery is used. Cafes and restaurants are also picking up on the 2021 crockery trend as a way to offer their diners a unique experience and keep up with the times. However, the requirements for tableware are very different in the food service business. It must be resilient, durable and easy to care for in order to withstand the heavy wear it is exposed to. Yet at the same time, the plates and cups should exude the same unique charm as ceramic tableware.

Hand-painted porcelain dinnerware meets this need. The Granat series by Hering Berlin is a captivating sight with its fine cobalt-blue lines against a white background. Although the minimalist crockery may look delicate, it is dishwasher- and microwave-safe and hence ideal for use in the catering trade. Special glazes are another means to create unique colour gradients on porcelain tableware, producing countless individual pieces with a ceramic or earthenware look – and suitable for the high standards of the food service business.

From plants to furniture made from natural materials such as bamboo, sisal or cork, sustainability and closeness to nature are among the unabated trends in the interior design industry. Ceramic tableware captures the feel of the times perfectly with its individual patterns inspired by nature. The Long Oval Tray Jazzy Caribbean by Bungalow Denmark , for example, brings a moss-covered forest floor to mind with its lush dark green and finely pored surface.

However, the natural elements serve as more than just inspiration in the making of hand-painted crockery. Ceramics are produced from natural raw materials such as kaolinite, silica sand and feldspar, which means they are biodegradable. What is more, broken ceramic dinnerware is easily recyclable. Ceramic shards can be reused in terrazzo flooring and furniture , for instance, lending these materials and objects a distinctive charm.

But sustainability and transparency play a crucial role from the very beginning of the product cycle. Whether the end product is handmade pottery or hand-painted ceramics, many tableware retailers and wholesalers work with family businesses in Portugal and other European countries because they employ traditional handwork and ensure fair working conditions. They do not see high-quality ceramic tableware as a mass-made product – for them, it is natural, original and sustainable. In this way, ceramics can help to foster the gradual slowing down in the pace of daily life and the return to traditional values.

Character, high quality and resource conservation: The desire for individuality, refuge and sustainability continues to dominate interior and design trends. Ceramic tableware meets this longing easily. Its natural, unique charm is making ceramics more and more popular in tableware and as decorative elements. This trend can also be seen in the catering trade, where growing numbers of businesses are opting for durable handmade crockery instead of mass-produced dinnerware. The standards expected of sustainable, fair production are rising: It must meet the desire for durability and uniqueness as well. Discover more interior trends in our magazine .