While my mom was here last week, we, after a delicious breakfast at Balthazar, stopped in the Calypso Home store on Broome Street. There were lots of pretty things to see, but we each made a beeline to the stacks of handcrafted plates and bowls by Terrafirma Ceramics. Owner Ellen Evans has been designing and making pottery for decades at her New York studio. Her original collections are mostly solid colors with added textural details, but she’s gone in a different direction for her newer textile-inspired collection by keeping all of the detail on the actual plate. I first saw this stunning collection a year or so ago at the International Gift Show and have loved it ever since. The artists actually paint the tinted porcelain through lace and other fabrics to get the amazing patterns and colors. Ellen describes the results as “trompe-l’oeil renderings” of the fabrics because you can see and feel the effect of the various fabrics’ textures. What’s even better is that these beautiful pieces aren’t just to look at, they are completely functional and meant to be used, in fact they are even oven and dishwasher safe. Ellen designed the collection to be mixed and matched and encourages owners to layer the various colors and patterns for table settings that are completely unique.

Seeing this collection at Calypso reminded me how great it was. My mom loved it also and bought a plate to start her collection. I, of course, was all about the blues and she loved the browns, so we didn’t even have to fight over who got what.

Visit Terrafirma Ceramics’s website to learn more or contact them at terrafirmaceramics@att.net to find out where you can purchase their pieces.

—Jennifer Kopf

Technorati Tags: tablesettings, tabletop, dinnerware, ceramics, lace, textiles, artisan, handcrafted, handmade, Terrafirma Ceramics, Ellen Evans, Balthazar, Calypso Home

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