The plate as palette: Set the table and the mood with the latest in creative dishware

The way a dish looks has been important to the dining experience since forever, but perhaps never more than now. Relaxed and homey. Or vibrant and celebratory. And perhaps shareable, too.

“Chefs know that guests spend a lot of time looking at their plates,” says Chandra Ram, associate editorial director of Food & Wine magazine.

“So it’s another detail, before you eat, to help set the stage for a visual experience. This is especially true for dishes they know are going to make it onto Instagram — a beautiful plate makes for a better (and more shareable) image, which helps market the restaurant.”

As with restaurants, so with the home.

Design is all over new tableware. The classic white ceramic circle has ceded some ground to plates in a variety of creative shapes and colors.

PERFECT IMPERFECTION

“Chefs and restaurants are moving away from traditional ways of food presentation,” says Thomas Kastl, director of dining at Ambiente, the global homewares trade fair in Frankfurt each year. “The latest trend embraces handmade-style tableware, or irregular shapes inspired by nature, like leaves or shells.”

Stoneware, in particular, is enjoying a renaissance, he says. It’s natural, recyclable and long-lasting, and "implies down-to-earthiness, legacy and craftsmanship.”

The stoneware trend also reflects a “more relaxed plating style,” even in fine-dining restaurants, Kastl said.

It's part of a larger shift in decor, says Blair Donovan, an editor at Apartment Therapy.

“The past few years have been all about soft, fluid furniture; now I’m noticing these silhouettes trickle over to dinnerware," “Instead of conventionally clean-edged plates and platters, more organically shaped, asymmetric styles are cropping up.”

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