As stated in the January edition of the Gifts and Table wares Magazine, the casual luxury trend is growing even more. These days, people like to buy things / collections that could be dressed up or down. This is what casual luxury is all about.
People want more luxury in their everyday life. In the kitchen, people want better qualify tools, dishes and serving ware. When you spend more on everyday dinnerware and wine glasses, you can use them when you entertain. By changing how you accessorize or set your table, you can create a full range of looks with the same tableware. This is what makes casual luxury so appealing to the masses.
I, for one, is an adept of this philosophy. The casual luxury movement shifts the style toward more modern patterns and shapes. Your best bets are solid, pale neutral colors because the food looks better on them.
I was therefore happy to learn that Portmeirion is extending its line by Sophie Conran. If you do not know her, Sophie Conran is a British cook and the daughter of the style icon Sir Terence Conran. Being raised by a father that is famous as a furniture designer, retailer and restaurateur, Sophie was around good design on the kitchen all her life.
The Sophie Conran’s collection is modern with a touch of old country charm. Delicate to the touch, this porcelain collection is highly durable and can withstand pretty much anything modern life can throw at it. Fully tried and tested in a house with two small children, from the dishwasher to the microwave, the freezer to the oven, the Sophie Conran’s collection captures convenience on top of casual luxury.
With the new addition of baking and roasting dishes, all sizes of platters, teapot, sugar and creamer, a wooden chopping board, rolling pin, utensil set and silver salad servers, the Sophie Conran for Portmeirion is quite complete. The collection is available in three colors: white, biscuit and celadon.
I started my collection last fall with a large white porcelain salad bowl. I love it. Since all pieces are sold individually, I can buy the pieces I want over a period of time. You can find Sophie Conran for Portmeirion at Zone home accents stores in Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City.
SOURCING:
+ The Rise of Casual Luxury, an article from the Gifts and Table wares Magazine
+ to see the entire Sophie Conran for Portmeirion collection
+ Web site of Sophie Conran
+ for the addresses of Zone stores
February 26th, 2007 at 10:00
Hi,
I work with Sophie and have just spotted your blog. I’ll show it to her. I know she’ll be thrilled to hear that you are enjoying her work.
With kind regards,
Sarah.
February 26th, 2007 at 12:38
If you live in the Toronto area, you can find the Sophie Conran for Portmeirion collection at this Oakville boutique:
To set a Table
182 Lakeshore Road East
Oakville, Ontario L6J 1H6
T 905.338.0275 http://tosetatable.com/
July 23rd, 2007 at 12:17
Wedding gift ideas: Get inspired by Grand Designs 2007 awards
January 12th, 2008 at 14:16
I am deciding to get a set of these lovely dishes and you have put into words the why’s of my purchase. Casual luxury – exactly!
There is such a huge trend to plain white dishes at the moment that it seems like a good idea. But what do you think of that lovely blue? Can that colour clash or compete with the food?
January 12th, 2008 at 14:21
And the biscuit colour is nice too. I guess I would just like some method for deciding on colour for dinnerware – can anyone give me some ideas?
November 6th, 2008 at 11:07
I have the white, the celadon and the biscuit as my set. I am planning on having, in a setting for 10, for example, 5 whites and the rest split up between the celadon (light robin blue) and the biscuit (the color of coffee ice cream). I prefer the white at night when the lighting is artificial, the white gleams, but in the morning I prefer the biscuit as it is cozy and warm and a comfort color and the blue during the day, when the light hits the kitchen differently. I got 1/2 of them in white, so that if I have company, then I could conceivably do the whole table in one color. AND, I would most likely be entertaining in the evening.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:05
hms: Your idea is clever and practical. I like the robin blue but I was unsure how some dish will look with this color as a backdrop. So I got a few salad plates that I used for desserts or under the bowls.
March 20th, 2009 at 13:28
J’ai vu la vaisselle de Sophie Conran chez Linen Chest il y a quelques semaines, et depuis, j’en rêve… en faisant quelques recherches, je découvre que tu en as parlé il y a déjà bien longtemps! Je ne suis même pas surprise, tu as l’oeil pour dénicher les belles choses avant tout le monde
March 20th, 2009 at 14:32
Martine: I love it. I bought many pieces at Linen Chest when they got a sale buy 5, get the 6th free. I do not know if Linen Chest added them to the collection but I found the footed cake plate The Bay and the cute, small bread plates at Zone.
May 11th, 2009 at 22:47
I’m a huge Sophie Conran tableware fan. I sell it on my website (nicolejane.com) and it’s one of the most popular items I carry. It’s very organic and unique. Every time I set a table with it, my guests want to pick it up and touch it. I use mine for day-to-day and it washes up beautifully in the dishwasher.
June 6th, 2009 at 22:09
[...] Conran is the son of Sir Terence Conran and the brother of Sophie Conran, the baker and designer of tableware for Portmeirion that I [...]
October 17th, 2009 at 17:27
I love these dishes (Sophie Conran) as well and was thinking of getting them for everyday use. Was wondering however if there is any problem with utensil scratches due to the ridges on the plates?
October 19th, 2009 at 23:08
Sandra: I don’t use mine every day, maybe one a week. I never had a problem with them. In fact, I just bought a small cake stand last weekend to grow my collection. They have so many serving ware that I think it is the best set for entertaining.
November 18th, 2009 at 16:17
I had to return all 14 place settings of Sophie Conran Celadon (light blue) that I got for my wedding. I loved the way they looked but right after the first use I started noticing gray utensil marks. The retailer suggested I use an industrial type cleaner to remove the marks, but it just did not seem practical or healthy. The utensils I used on the dishes were regular stainless steel.
November 18th, 2009 at 18:20
Mary: You are not the first person who complained about that problem. Personally, it never happened to me on any of my plates and bowls. We used many pieces several times a week for over 2 years now. Our flatware are made of stainless steel (one set is 18/8, the other 18/10). I use regular, top brand dishwasher and do not rinse my dishes before putting them on my dishwasher. I am so happy with the set that I continue to buy new serving ware pieces on a regular basis, as the line expands. I am sad that it did not work out for you.