The art of hand-painting china goes back centuries, but the craft really took off, both as an industry and as a hobby, in the Victorian era. Now, companies across the world are keeping the tradition alive with beautiful arrays of casual pottery in keeping with the friendly mood of the season. After all, in a matter of weeks, the thought of dinner parties with friends (inside!) seems doable. And if you’re anything like me, you’re already dreaming up ways to set an extra-special table at home to celebrate.
The delightful interior decor shop Hammett, in Birmingham, Alabama, carries these hand-painted floral beauties by the artisans at LVM Ceramics in Spain. “I think as people start entertaining again, finding a few special things that bring joy and new life to their tables like these plates will make celebrations even more special,” says Hammett owner Emma Allen. $48 each; shophammett.com
The creative curators at Wicklewood in London teamed up with ceramists in Vietri, Italy, for this kaleidoscopic mix-and-match set. $317 for a set of six; wicklewood.com
Blue-and-white dinnerware doesn’t date, an idea surely true of these flower and shell motif plates made in Portugal for Abigails from William Wayne. $120 for a set of two; williamwayne.com
The artist behind this entire collection is French (so she knows quite a bit about charming entertaining!) but based in London, and her pieces are made in Spain and Portugal using traditional methods. Her collection is ever-changing and features a range of patterns, including gingham and stripes, such as those seen on the dessert plates here. $50 each; vaisselleboutique.com
The wavy-line design by Themis Z from Land of Belle gets handcrafted in Greece and is available in every style of serving piece, from plates to platters, and in several colorways. $50–$160; landofbelle.com
Garden & Gun has affiliate partnerships and may receive a portion of sales when a reader clicks to buy a product. All products are independently selected by the G&G editorial team.
