Get the Look: Puglia, April 2008: 2000s Archive : gourmet.com

Daniel Smith’s handmade ceramic plates have an understated elegance ($45, $68, and $80; eskandar.com; 212-533-4200). The Calvin Klein Home Agave Stripe runner, hand-woven of abaca and other materials, may look delicate, but it’s up to the task of outdoor dining ($145; Bloomingdales; 800-232-1854).

Though Bulgarian master potter Nikolai Yovkov works in a style that dates back to the 12th century, the hand-carved designs are his interpretation (soup bowl, $28; bulgarusa.com). Concha Bay’s handmade wood charger is so minimalist that it’s a perfect foil for any china ($65; bergdorfgoodman.com; 212-753-7300).

Those with fond memories of hours spent sipping wine in Parisian bistros should check out Comptoir de Famille’s Tulip glasses. This French company takes inspiration from the past, so its stemware has a charming vintage look (wine glass, $5.95; water glass, $6.95; carafe, $14.95; Comptoir de Famille; 617-266-7970).

Let your table tell a story with these hand-painted Turkish plates and bowls: The tulip represents love; the carnation, respect; blue beads, protection from bad luck. Tessera owner Cristi Ambroson has translated her infatuation with travel into a company that imports Turkish and Mexican pottery, giving back a portion of the profits to the country of origin (soup bowl, $52, salad plate, $97, dinner plate, $125; Folklorico; 912-232-9300).

Mary Anne Davis doesn’t shy away from supersaturated color, as her shockingly blue dinner plates attest. Her hand-thrown porcelains appear fragile and paper-thin, but don’t be fooled—they’re surprisingly sturdy ($65; forthatspecialgift.com, 212-769-2510).

Light and darkness inspire Claire de Lavallée, a French potter who originally trained as a sculptor. She uses high-temperature glazes on her pieces, and even her darkest glaze—like the Temmoku on this oversized stoneware platter—is shot with strands of red and gold. The small Japanese stoneware rice bowl also owes its beauty to inky glazes (platter, $295; bowl, $45; Takashimaya; 212-350-0100).

Dutch designer Maarten Baptist has reduced standard knives, forks, and spoons to mere outlines of their former selves. His Open Air flatware is lightweight and something of a hoot to use (6-piece dinner set, $195, serving spoon, $52; lekkerhome.com). Surprisingly, it pairs nicely with the open metalwork of earlier generations, like this 1850s fish fork and this reproduction of a vintage slotted vegetable spoon (2-piece fish set, $695; spoon, $65; Feinberg English Silver; 212-244-6757).

Ever since the days of Chinese imports, blue and white has been the favored color combination in dishes—and we’re still smitten. These two stacks of plates may look identical, but the Scenic Plates, left, are made in Japan ($16; anthropologie.com), while the vintage Terre de Fer, right, come from France. Only a close inspection reveals their age (dinner plate, $25; soup plate, $28; eskandar.com).

With their speckled blue-green finish and undulating edges, the Lotus bowl and dinner plate immediately evoke the sea. They’ll make every day feel like a sunny Sunday at the beach (bowl, $4, dinner plate, $10; anthropologie.com).

Whether you call them tea towels or dish towels, they’re indispensable in the kitchen. The boldly striped linen towels are vintage from France ($35; eskandar.com), while the cotton checked ones are newly arrived from India ($3.95; Broadway Panhandler, 212-966-3434).

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