Ikea Skyn

On Trend: Imperfect China

June 1, 2011 at 3:10 pm , by Beth Roehrig

I’m in the market for some new dishes. Now that I have more cabinet space, I’m finally going to pick up the heirloom china that’s been in storage at my mom’s house for years. It’s pretty formal—white with a blue floral pattern and a platinum band—but it’ll look more modern mixed with all-white dishes. While hunting around for some online, I noticed a number of designs that have an organic, imperfect edge that I really like. It picks up on the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic, which is all about accepting and seeing the beauty in imperfection. (Now that’s a philosophy I can get behind.)

Luckily you can pick up this trend at any price point:

Above, CB2′s Calla Dinnerware is made of stoneware, which is usually the least expensive type of china you can buy. It’s sturdy, though, and holds up for daily use. Prices range from $3.95 for a small bowl to $6.95 for a dinner plate.

Ikea, long a purveyor of $.99 plates, has gone fancy, selling a set called Skyn that’s made of bone china (this has a more delicate look and usually gets saved for special occasions). Prices start at $7.99 for 2 small serving bowls and run up to $29.99 for a large serving bowl. Check out a nice photo of the set over at the kitchn.

Organic Shaped Dinnerware from West Elm is made of glazed porcelain. Porcelain is a little bit nicer than stoneware, and usually has a whiter finish. A set of 4 mugs goes for $12; a set of 4 dinner plates for $28.

Pebblestone Dinnerware from Diane Von Furstenberg at Bloomingdale’s is also made from porcelain. These plates are $13 and up apiece.