Lots of progress have been done with tile effects. We all seen the superb wood porcelain tiles in restaurant lobby. They provides form and function. Porcelain and ceramic tiles are perfect for high traffic areas  and a wet area like a bathroom or a pool house.

One brand that carries upscale luxurious tiles is Porcelanosa, a Spanish company that started in a small village by the Mediterranean Sea in Castellon, Spain. Browsing their catalogue is a treat. They have been in the United States for the last 20 years. Porcelanosa say that their products are available at surprisingly affordable prices.

If you wish to add the effect of luscious wallpaper in your bathroom without worrying about maintenance, go with wall tiles. My collage at the top shows a bathroom with Decor Silk Blanco tile. Venezia provides a baroque print. The sophisticated lino metal series would look awesome  in his bathroom.

Bringing Character to a Room with Tiles

Continuing on masculine home decor, I really like the ambiance of these two lounges. One the library, I wish to point out the large scale tiles while the natural stone fireplace is the star of this bachelor lounge. The two lamps fits so well in the space.

The reflexion of the 3D Blueker looks incredible on the pool. These pictures clearly demonstrates how you can make a statement with porcelain and ceramic tiles.

MORE:
+  Porcelanosa

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I first introduced the work of a.j creation as a gift ideas for last Christmas. a.j is the crafted work of two Montreal-based artists: a ceramist and a glassblower. I am happy for them that more retailers have picked up their wonderful products.

Coffee Cups and Saucers

The first thing that caught my eyes this morning were their coffee cup and saucer sets. I drank plenty of wonderful espresso over the last week. We stayed at the new Fairmont Battery Wharf in Boston, which is located next to North End, the Little Italy neighborhood. In fact, I put sugar on my espresso for the first time this weekend. I usually take my coffee with two dashes of milk. I insisted on the milk since cream and half-half changes the taste of the coffee.

Anyway, going back to a.j ceramic work, I feel it have a nice twist. Three options are available for the saucer: white china, white china with colored lines or chocolate stoneware. The simple lines of the spoon are gorgeous.

Teapots and Tumblers

They also cater to tea lovers, like my husband. I prefer the high teapot to the wide one; I feel it is more elegant when it is tall. They both costs the same. Small and large tumblers are available. You could use the large tumblers to serve hot chocolate.

MORE:
+ a.j Espresso Set $33 CAD at Modern Karibou
+ a.j Cappuccino Set $33 CAD
+ a.j Coffee Set $33 CAD
+ a.j Teapot – High $96 CAD
+ a.j Teapot – Wide $96 CAD
+ a.j Set of 2 Large Tumblers $34 CAD
+ a.j Set of 2 Small Tumblers $26 CAD

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Finding unique, outstanding gifts mostly assure you that you will be invited over and over. Plus, you avoid the awkward situations where you bring the same gift than another guest to an anniversary or a housewarming party. This is why I am always on the lookout for cool and original gift ideas.

Beware that the ceramic creations Brooklyn-based designer Jason Neufeld could generate some Awe! The one thing that grab my attention was the Toast and Tea Hexagon Set. Inspired by honeycomb, the plate provide a place for jam, jelly or honey. The best part is that the raised honeycomb pattern keeps condensation from your toasts. These are a nice alternative to the wood sandwich boards or the diy wood trays I introduced a few months ago.

I guess that you need to contact the designer by email to order them since they are no other information on his Web site. There no price information either.

+ Jason Neufeld

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I am always looking for new ways to take notes at home on a more ecological way. I reuse pieces of papers for things that I will use only once.

One year ago, I introduced the Ceramic Memo Board by See Jane Work. I still think it is a wonderful product. In fact, it is a lot cheaper than the Plain Jotter. I decide to feature the Plain Jotter to promote further the idea.

The Plain Jotter comes with a special black pencil. They sell a pack of 3 colored pencils (red, blue and yellow) for £4. Simply erase your message with a dry or dawn cloth. For extra clean results, put the ceramic pad on the dishwasher.

Yoyo Ceramics sells their products online and delivers worldwide.

SOURCING:
+ Plain Jotter £20 UK, £22 Europe outside UK, £25 for Canada, USA and rest of the World
+ Ceramic Memo Board at See Jane Work $15 USD
+ Via inredningsbloggen

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I own at few ceramic pieces made by Basma Osama of Ceramik B. I bought them last year at the Souk@Sat, another great event in Montreal to buy unique handmade Holiday gifts. Update: Janick of Neawear told me that Ceramik B. will again be at the Souk this year.

This year, Ceramik B. will be at the Salon des Metiers d’Art du Quebec at Place Bonaventure from December 5th to 21st, 2008. I will go as I wish to add new service bowls to my collection. Basma’s pieces have a unique organic design that functions well. They make a statement on your table.

Custom-made is available

Ceramic pieces can be tailored to your receptions. Custom pieces are available for corporate gifts. The pieces can be personalized by adapting them to specific functions, by affixing a logo, or a choice of textures or motifs.

With Ceramic B. tableware, you cannot go wrong. They will please anyone on your list with the most discriminating taste. Her studio is not open to the public. Do not miss this opportunity to have a chance to meet her.

SOURCING:
+ Ceramik B.
+ Where to buy Ceramik B.

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Susanna Hoikkala and Jenni Ojala designed Oma, a white ceramic lemon squeezer that you can bring to the table. You pour the juice from the small opening. This 2002 design kept its charm.

Get it Rare Device or Nest Living. Rare Device only has two in stock. Nest Living has Free shipping until December 31, 2008. The black ceramic Oma costs $10 more.

More Gift Ideas

For Christmas or as a wedding gift, you cannot go wrong with the Warm Coffee and Tea Gift Set. Bracelets of laminated bent wood help insulate the liquids and act as the handles. The gift set includes 2 cups, a serving tray, a high quality stainless steel tea diffuser and a pot with your choice of a ceramic or cork lid. I preferred the modern rustic look of the cork lid.

I introduced in the past two products by Tonfisk: the Maku serving plates series and the Newton milk and sugar set.

SOURCING:
+ Oma Lemon Squeezer by Tonfisk, $49 USD at Nest Living
+ Tonfisk Warm Coffee and Tea Gift Set in Oak or Walnut, $225 USD at Greener Grass Design
+ Tonfisk MAKU Serving Gift Set in Oak or Walnut, $109-$189 USD at Nest Living
+ Tonfisk Newton Milk and Sugar Set, $64 USD at Nest Living

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My entertaining philosophy relies on being easy to prepare without falling short of style and the attention to details. When you serve food in amazing plates and bowls, you often do not need more artifices to create a one-of-a-kind experience.

Hadass divided one full cake platter into 10 ample cake triangles. And you can stack the plates for storage. Double Mousse is designed for serving ice cream, strawberries with whipped cream or even, a yogurt with muesli and a fruit salad for a breakfast brunch.

With Christmas a few weeks away, I am starting to seriously think about my gift list. These reasonable priced items merit to be considered for your short list. So far, I only found one online retailer that sells Hadass. But the good news is that Artlook ships worldwide.

SOURCING:
+ Cake triangles 10 units designed by Hadass Ella at Artlook – $100 for 10 plates
+ Double mousse bowl designed by Hadass Ella – $12

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This is perfect for a Friday morning. Fred did it again in providing us with fun and quirky home accessories.

This time, Laura Strasser and Milia Seyppel imagined a way to pass the butter on a slice of ceramic bread. I like it!

Buttered-Up will not replace your butter tray since there is no cover. We do not mind since Fred products are inexpensive things that we use when we entertain or to put a smile on our face.

Why not bring Buttered-Up as an hostess gift the next you are invited to a brunch? This item will ship at the end of October.

SOURCING:
+ Buttered Up Butter Plate at Pop Deluxe – $11.99 USD

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I am on the market for a new dinnerware set for at least one year. The problem with what I do for living is that I see so many gorgeous that it is hard to choose which one I like the best.

Selecting the Right Dinnerware for Your Lifestyle

I am gathering a guide on how to select the right dinnerware for entertaining. For now, let just say that you must examine how you entertain. Based on my style of entertaining, I am leaning for a French-country or any another European style.

I wish for something elegant but not too formal. And I want a pattern I will enjoy for many years. In the meantime, we will admire what I dug on the Web.

Exquisite Ceramic Dinnerware

Today, I came across the fabulous Jardins du monde ceramic collection. Juliska designers Capucine Gooding and Elaine McCleary think up unusual shapes and intricate, extravagant detailing overlaid to create a sublime new ceramics collection. The line is extensive with many statement pieces.

The Jardins du Monde Collection pays homage to gardens in Italy, France, Spain, and England. It comes in 4 patterns: Landriana, Villandry, Alcazar and Heligan.

Stunning Drinkware

If you wish for mystery, Gothic or glamour on your table, go with the Black Glass Drinkware. The color produces an incredible dark eggplant or purple hue depending of the light reflections. The Black Glass Drinkware contains 2 sizes of goblet, a pitcher and a tumbler glass.

The Graham goblet in green glass adds a fun element to the table. The table looks more festive when you mix clear glassware with color glassware. The silhouette of the Graham Drinkware collection fuses a thread and a berry detail with a spiraled sphere at the bottom of the leg.

Fine tableware retailers across the United States sell Juliska. They are a few retailers in Canada and South Korea.

MORE:
+ Jardins du Monde Dinnerware by Juliska – $42 USD per dessert plate, $44 for a mug, $79 for charger plate
+ Jardins du Monde Villandry Serving/Asparagus Tray – $78 USD

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The results are design products with an attractive tension between the materials. The bold color glass opposes pure white ceramic.

I cannot tell you more at the moment. A.J Creation’s products are supposed to be available at Les Touilleurs, a kitchen store for foodies that I adore. I will go check them out next week.

Christmas Shopping

They also exposed until December 20 at Bure & Linon. The public can visit Bure & Linon:

• Thursday and Friday from 1 PM to 6 PM and
• Saturday from 11 AM to 5 PM.

You will find them at Salon des métiers d’art du Québec at Place Bonaventure from December 5 to 21, 2008. The Salon des métiers d’art du Québec is a popular stop for Christmas shopping in Montreal.

Update: I want to thank Josyan McGregor for finding at the shop of the Art Gallery of Ontario the price of the mortar and pestle set. I appreciate your help.

MORE:
+ Directions to go at Les Touilleurs
+ Directions to go at Bure & Linon
+ Mortar and Pestle Set at AGO Shop – price: $105 CAD
+ Images by Créativité Montréal

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The top 3 are Red-Dot Design Award winners and an honorable mention. The fifth is there because it is cute and original.

Zyliss’ Easy Spin Salad Spinner

On my book, noting beat a Zyliss salad spinner and I got a 10 year old model. Zyliss won in 2004 for its Easy Spin salad spinner.

The latest model, the Zyliss Smart Touch Salad Spinner won a Red-Dot in 2008. Sadly, the consumer reviews are mixed so far.

Everywhere I checked, people were more than satisfied with the Easy Spin Salad Spinner. So I will say to go with the previous edition (the ones I am showing you).

Joseph Joseph’s Folding Colander

Anthony Joseph designed for Joseph Joseph the ultimate space saver colander. This innovative colander folds completely flat for easy storage. Moulded from polypropylene it uses 12 live hinges to achieve its transformation. It took 149 prototypes to arrive to this solution.

Joseph Joseph folding colander is available in five colors: black, white, green, light blue and hot pink.

Thurø Line Serving Concept

An outstanding and innovative design characterizes the Thurø Line by Rauff & Møldrup. This is for an entire serving ware collection. This aesthetic serving concept includes a serving wood tray, a cooling tray and a set of blue glass dishes. Finishes in pale, medium and dark wood are available.

They are so much to say about the Thurø Line Serving Concept that I am preparing a post just about it. As far as I know this is only available in Denmark and maybe in a few Scandinavian stores.

Lemon Run Lemon Squeezer

I am glad that a product I introduced earlier this year received a Red-Dot Design honorable mention. Lemon Run designed by U.I. Design for KEDO makes your dining experience an easy and relaxed one.

KEDO describes their invention in those terms: “The design of the Lemon Run lemon squeezer is inspired by the traditional Chinese platter art. When squeezing the pouch, which is shaped like a ginkgo leave, on both sides a drip of lemon juice will run down along the ginkgo stem into the meal. This playful yet useful device makes a slice of lemon a decorative object on the table before and after it is used.”

Bosa’s Meilito Honey Pot

I always want a small honey pot to put on my table. Until now, I never find one that captures my attention. The ceramic dipper tips of this Italian design honey pot are dipped in bright colors: yellow, green, blue plus the typical black and white.

SOURCING:
+ Zyliss Green Easy Spin Salad Spinner – price: $24.95 USD
+ Folding Colander by Joseph Joseph – price: $29 USD
+ Thurø (Thuroe) Line Serving Concept
+ Lemon Run by KEDO
+ Bosa’s Meilito Honey Pot – price: $44 USD

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My 3 picks of the week

Blue Orchid Designs for Style Spotlight: Terra Keramik

This post introduced a new line of environmentally friendly dinnerware. This dinnerware is über stylish dinnerware according to Liene of Blue Orchid Designs. I really like the vast selections of rich, saturated glazes. You can select eight exquisite colors. The platinum rims bring sophistication to sophistication to an otherwise simple design.

If you are interested, the online store of Terra Keramik operates from Connecticut. They currently deliver within the United States, Canada and Australia.

Blue Ant Studio for moree

Lounge Tisch is produced by Moree from Germany. The light of Lounge Indoor can be controlled by a dimmer. In the evening, Lounge Outdoor fashionably illuminates any terrace or garden. Use a colored bulb to manually update the Lounge table to a color that fits your style or a party event.

Design To Inspire for Carlu Seaver

Have a look at the impressive portfolio of Autralian stylish Carlu Seaver. On top of interiors, Carlu Seaver also styled food related shoots. Look at this one-of-a-kind lush carpet. What a view from a glamorous, mid-century Hollywood style living room. I love it!

I wish to live you on this quote by Virgina Wolf (posted by Liene):

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well.

Sourcing:
Buy online: Terra Kemarik Soup Bowls - price: $29 USD
Buy online: Terra Kerarik Dinner Plates – price: $38 USD
Buy online: Moree Lounge Tisch Outdoor at Einrichten Design – price: 495 ?

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