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Fine Dining

Objects Of Design #153: Silver Tealight Holders

Bring a little atmosphere to the table On the basis that every time you go to Ikea you come back with a giant bag of tealights that you never seem to get to the end of. And then when you go back you buy another because it just seems like such a bargain that you
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Objects Of Design #152: Babushkups

Stacking glasses that take up less room on the shelf Inspired by the stacking Russian dolls, these sweet little glasses will also stack one inside the other and take up less storage space. Unless, of course, you like them so much you want to display them in a row like this. They're hand blown and
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Objects Of Design #151: Alphabet Tile

Use pretty tiles as coasters There are times when you need a proper trivet for a hot casserole and there are times when you just need a bit of a mat for a jug of iced water that would otherwise leave a wet mark. This is one of a collection of gorgeous tiles - the
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Objects Of Design #150: Smile Bowls

Smile: you're eating salad At first you don't even notice that this simple earthenware bowl is smiling at you. Or perhaps winking slightly. The decoration is tilted so that nothing will fall out of the bowl and it's a beautiful piece of simple design. In addition to the large salad bowl there is a set
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Objects Of Design #149: Vintage Pizza Boards

Not just for pizzas These beautiful old pizza boards would look great on any table or picnic rug. Use them for cheeses or meats or fill them with little bowls of olives and capers. All you need now is a glass of something chilled, preferably with a hint of a sparkle, and away you go.
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Objects Of Design #148: Marimekko Oiva

Classic monochromes with splashes of colour from Finland Scandinavian style is famous for its monochrome palette and Finnish firm Marimekko has really brought that idea to life with this gorgeous set of crockery. This has splashes of bright colours, which is a classic Finnish touch. Apparently it's something to do with the the light there
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Objects Of Design #147: Motion Carafe

It will waver but it won't fall We've all seen the rocking brandy glasses that rock gently backwards and forwards and now Ole Jenson has gone one step further with the Motion Carafe for the same design house Normann Copenhagen. It's always tilted but is quite secure and you can put it in the dishwasher
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Objects Of Design #146: Moroccan Platter

Perfect for a variety of uses Whatever you think of Nigella Lawson (and this is not the place) there's no denying that the woman has a fabulous selection of serving bowls and dishes. It doesn't matter what she's preparing she seems to have the perfect dish. Even a plate of cheese and olives looks like
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Objects Of Design #145: Zinc Water Bottle

Not just for bottles of water Makes a change from the old ice bucket, this zinc cooler will add a bit of French Industrial Chic style to your table. You can fill it with ice and stick a bottle of wine in it too. There is more in the range but this is a classic
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Objects Of Design #144: Italian Maco Coloured Bowls

Bowls are useful all the time Well I did say you can never have too many bowls. These are made from ash, so not for cereal and pudding this time, but for nibbles, nuts and a little bit of what you fancy to go with that aperitivo which the Italians do so well. In certain
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Objects Of Design #143: Toast Tableware

Beautiful colours from Toast If I can't have a whole table of gorgeous white china then I want one in these beautiful earthy colours. Each plate is pressed into the mould by hand rather thrown on the wheel so there are irregularities and differences between them all. The colours change slightly with the seasons but
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Objects Of Design #142: Mariskooli Bowls

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream Another design classic , these bowls were first designed by Maija Isola for the Finnish company Marimekko in 1960. She found something similar in a flea market and was inspired to make these bowls, which, even if you don't recognise the name, you will almost certainly
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Objects Of Design #141: School Tumbler

Remember these from school days? Hands up who remembers these? If you didn't have these rounded ones you probably had the other version  which has been shamelessly knocked off by almost every other manufacturer you can imagine so that they now come in different colours and sizes. But these are the purest version and a
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Objects Of Design #140: Ceramic Bowls

Easy as one, two, three You can never have too many little bowls in my opinion. They are good for cereal, ice cream, nibbles, those days when you're being really organised at cooking and want to measure everything out in advance. Their uses are endless and while the numbers probably won't really help, it's a
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Objects Of Design #139: Reiko Kaneko Lip Tease

Lipstick, powder and paint British- Japanese ceramicist Reiko Kaneko takes a theme and makes it completely contemporary with this mug. Bone china has a reputation for being a little fuddy duddy, a little bit Gran, but she has taken that idea and run (very fast) with it to produce this range. Choose from either gold
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Objects Of Design #138: Recycled Glass Carafe

Pretty and recycled. Score two. Less a carafe and more a rather elegant bottle, this is made from recycled glass so you can buy it with a clear conscience and it would look equally good by the bedside or the dining table. Should you be interested you can also buy those rather nice glasses in
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Objects Of Design #137: Newton Milk and Sugar

More fabulous Scandinavian design Try as we might it comes back to those clever Scandinavians again and again. This is Finnish and it's so cleverly designed I almost wish I took sugar in my coffee. Simply fill the jug with milk and the bowl with sugar (lumps is best) and the bowl will gently rock
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Objects Of Design #136: Skyline Tumblers

Get them before they go These rather gorgeous tumblers feature the skylines of London, New York, Paris and San Francisco. They're a pleasingly round shape and the skylines add a little bit of interest. Sadly though, they are no longer in production so this is your last chance to buy them because after that there
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Objects Of Design #135: French Bull Serving Platter

Melamine like you've never seen it before Still singing the praises of melanine, today Mad About The House brings you this fabulously pattern serving dish. French Bull was launched in 2002 when Jackie Shapiro, a graphic designer, who had worked for Fiorucci in Milan, started to put her distinctive designs onto hard-wearing melamine, which had
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Objects Of Design #134: Salad Servers

Liven up a plain green salad These'll liven up that plain old green salad. Melamine is just fantastic stuff and there's no excuse to have plain old servers when you can have something as vibrant as this. They do a paisley version too. Even if your tableware tends to the monochromatic white (as mine does)
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