Why Choose a Handmade Ceramic Dinnerware Set?

Handmade ceramics look and feel different from machine-made wares. Every bowl that Colleen makes has been individually thrown on the wheel and glazed by hand. Ridges around the sides of the bowl reveal the presence of her hands pressing into the clay as it spins. Each bowl is unique and one-of-a-kind, while also working cohesively as a set. There’s a tactile quality and human warmth to handmade ceramics that imparts pleasure to every meal.

Colleen brings her background as a professional cook (at California restaurants such as Campanile and Lucques) to designing each piece of our dinnerware set. She has created plates and bowls that she would like to use to serve the food she makes. Minimal and elegant, our ceramics are built to withstand daily use. They are great for everyday ware and special occasions alike. We’re proud that our ceramics studio is listed in the New York Times article, “The Best Dinnerware Sets.”

“I recently purchased a set of bowls from you and I absolutely love them! It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever invested in nice tableware and I thought that the charm would wear off after a few weeks but I’m happy to report that it’s been months and I still get that little jolt of happiness as I grab one off the shelf each morning for breakfast.”

— A.A.

Purchase All at Once, or Slowly over Time

Do you want to get a whole set at one time, or build a collection slowly over time? If you want to order a whole made-to-order set, get in touch with us to start the process. It takes us about 4-8 weeks to make a set. Gift registries are another way to get a whole set at one time. We will create a personalized gift registry where your wedding guests can purchase place settings and serveware that you select.

Building a set slowly over time can be fun, too. You can spread out the joy of receiving new pieces to build your collection. If you prefer your set to be more uniform in shape and size, you can purchase several pieces of one shape at a time. Colleen will sit down at the wheel and throw, for instance, eight cereal bowls sequentially, making sure that they feel cohesive in shape and size. You could order eight cereal bowls first, and later add eight dinner plates, etc. On the other hand, you can celebrate the variations, and just add pieces bit by bit.

Our personal collection is made of all the oddballs, so our set has many different glazes, and we love the variety.

Shapes — How Do You Like to Eat?

What are the types of meals that you eat regularly? Maybe you enjoy brothy noodle soups like ramen or pho, or like to eat a big crunchy salad out of a Noodle Bowl. Or a different shape might match your dining habits better.

We know that it can be difficult to imagine how you would use items, so we want to share how we use the various shapes of bowls and plates in Colleen’s line of dinnerware, to help you make the right selections for your home.

Shallow Dinner Bowl

The Shallow Dinner Bowl is our best-selling bowl for a reason. It cradles food in a beautiful way. Its versatility makes it useful for many different meals: salad, pasta, a fried egg on beans, paella, mussels, boeuf bourgignon, or anything with a sauce. We use this bowl at dinner time about 80% of the time (when we’re not using the Dinner Plate).

Cereal/Soup Bowl

The Cereal/Soup Bowl works great for cereal, oatmeal, yogurt with fruit and nuts, or soup. It’s also great for smaller portioned one-bowl meals.

Noodle Bowl

The Noodle Bowl holds hearty bowls of ramen, pho, or stew. We also like to eat popcorn on the couch using Noodle Bowls. If you like to make rice bowls, these would be perfect.

Ice Cream Bowl

The Ice Cream Bowl is our favorite bowl for serving rhubarb crumble with ice cream, or just plain ice cream. It’s a great dessert bowl. We also like it for smaller servings of oatmeal or yogurt, or any kind of snack. It’s a perfect kid’s bowl, too. Our small dogs use it for their supper, as well. (Kitties would enjoy it, as well!)

Condiment Bowl

We use the Condiment Bowl in every room in the house. When guests come to dinner, we serve toasted nuts and olives in these. On our kitchen counter, we keep kosher salt in a Condiment Bowl for use while cooking. We pour soy sauce in it for dipping dumplings or sushi. We put one under jars of preserved lemons or homemade kefir to catch drips in the refrigerator, or under the honey jar in the cabinet. Wine bottles and chili crunch bottles also sit on one. In our entry way, a Condiment Bowl holds our keys. On the dresser, it holds rings and bracelets. Bedside, we use one to keep lip balm close at hand. Also, the Condiment Bowl is one of our favorite small gifts. It’s the perfect host gift, or a sweet place for kids to keep treasures. (And so easy to pack in a suitcase if you are traveling!)

Dinner Plate

The Dinner Plate does a wonderful job of showing off your meal. It’s an elegant backdrop that allows you to arrange the elements of the meal to full effect.

Salad Plate

The Salad Plate is our go-to plate for toast and eggs in the morning, or a sandwich at lunch. Of course, it can also hold a side salad or larger dessert beautifully.

Toast Plate

The Toast Plate, as the name suggests, is made for toast. It’s also what we reach for when we want to snack on sliced fruit or a piece of cake.

Tapas Plate

The Tapas Plate gets extra points for being so cute. A cookie sits perfectly on a Tapas Plate, ready to accompany afternoon tea or coffee. It’s also a wonderful way to serve sliced fruit or a small dessert, like a truffle or canelé, or bite-size appetizers, tapas, or sushi. We also put a Tapas Plate under candles to catch the drip. Please let us know how you use yours!

Oval Bowl

The Oval Bowl sits on our kitchen counter holding fresh eggs from our chickens. It’s also an appealing bowl to present a side dish, such as asparagus or roasted leeks. Sometimes we like to eat dinner out of these. Why not eat out of an oval?

Canoe

The Canoe is an elegant vehicle for serving appetizers, and its mid-century shape looks great on a coffee table.

Fruit Bowl

The Fruit Bowl holds fresh fruit on our kitchen table: pears, apples, lemons, oranges, plums, and cherries. We also use them when serving a main course at dinner. Colleen fills the bowl with roasted chicken, potatoes and carrots, or mussels in broth, to serve at the table. Choose your size of Fruit Bowl to fit your family and friends.

Salad Bowl

The Salad Bowl (small, medium and large) are what we use to toss and serve salads. We also use the Large Salad Bowls for mixing sourdough when making bread. It’s also great for holding produce on the table. It’s an extremely decorative bowl.

Platter

The Platter can serve appetizers or sushi at a party. It’s also an attractive plate to display a whole cake.

Spouted Bowl

The Spouted Bowl comes in three sizes. The smallest one is for pouring cream. The middle size can be used for making matcha, pouring seeds and spices, or pouring a salad dressing. The larger size can be used to pour crepe or pancake batter, or for gravies, sauces, and dressings.

Choose a Glaze

Our most popular glaze is the “matte pale speckled grey” seen in the wares above. But we also have several other clay/glaze combinations. A fun way to get to know them is to buy a stack of Condiment Bowls in different colored glazes, so that you can see them in person and see how they look next to each other. All of our glazes work well together, so don’t be afraid to mix and match in your dinnerware set. And always feel free to ask us questions about them.

Blog Posts

Why Choose a Handmade Ceramic Dinnerware Set?

Purchase All at Once, or Slowly over Time

Shapes — How Do You Like to Eat?

Choose a Glaze