In the next few months, each one of us will be stepping away from our desk or retail store to go do something very important. One of us will drive over to the local library, one of us to the town hall, and one of us to an elementary school in the area. But the common denominator is that we will all be waiting in a long line somewhere, maybe even outside in the cold, while the chilly wind brushes against our cheeks. We will all leave the comfort of our homes and warmth and put ourselves into this...
Read More
Maison3Amis will add 104 new products via versatile brand Touch-MeL.
July 30, 2024
We're pleased to share that Maison3Amis is adding Touch-MeL as a new Syncing brand.
We expect Touch-MeL products to be ready for Syncing by August 30th, 2024. We'll keep members posted about the actual date as we progress with the brand's boarding to our platform.
About Touch-MeL
Touch-MeL melamine products are an icon on tables throughout Europe and a real point of reference in the global tableware market. Offering the highest quality melamine and a dynamic product assortment, all ...
Read More
Our Palma dinner service is set out for brunch, I'm guessing no pajamas allowed at this table! Palma is a reproduction of a dinner service, circa 1840, designed by Fyodor Solntsev, the great Russian art historian, who painted interiors for cathedrals and designed much of the Kremlin under the patronage of Tsar Nicolas I. This lavish decoration incorporates the elements of a plate owned by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, dating to 1667 and inspired by the domes of magnificent mosques in Istanbul, ...
Read More
Happy Summer! We're not just celebrating because it's officially summer, but we are also so excited to announce new Anna Weatherley hand painted pieces! Anna has created gorgeous, colorful designs for her new patterns: Botanical Treasures, Butterflies!, and Garden Leaves.
She has also added two tea cup and saucer styles. The cup and saucers are the Butterfly Handle (item code: BH1) and Flower Handle (item code: FH2).
A BICENTENNIAL BIRTHDAY REPRESENTS REMARKABLE LONGEVITY AND VISTA ALEGRE IS TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE of it with dozens of new pieces created specifically to commemorate the 200 anos occasion. “It’s a very important milestone and a time of reflection to see how far we’ve come and where we want to go,” says Daniel Silva, who helped bring the brand new luster here since he started the American subsidiary in 2012. Nuno Barra, Vista Alegre product development director and board ...
Read More
Inspired by decorative and architecture elements present in classic gardens, where time has passed, imprinting history, memories and personality, Bordallo Pinheiro has recreated a universe of expressive and interpretative potential. The Meaning is a collection made up of pieces that demanded the utmost effort of the brand’s production – excellent modelling, demanding assembly of the elements of each piece, rigorous selection of colors, glazes and paints, as well as painstaking hand ...
Read More
I recently saw a car with the license plate: WHYWRK. I had a sad feeling for the driver, who perhaps wasn’t as lucky as I to have the best job in the world – getting paid to shop for the most beautiful goods in the world – which I am now retiring from. After 40+ years as a buyer of tabletop and gifts in Buffalo, I have the opportunity to put the dishes away, polish the flatware, and store the stemware. As a small specialty store, we’ve been through our share of ups and ...
Read More
It’s a 40th anniversary for the company founded by Colin Riggs (left) and Ned Voelker’s parents, Abigail and Ed Voelker. Over the last four decades, the entire family has created a curated collection of handmade tableware and giftware for the nation’s independent store retailers.
................................
Congratulations on a milestone 40th year in business. Are you surprised Abigails has endured? Ned Voelker: We are surprised. It’s a tribute to Ed and Abbie ...
Read More
BERTIL VALLIEN is a gift to glass. The impressive portfolio of this prolific artist is haunting, memorable, and mesmerizing.
His 60-year career, spent advancing the craft of sand-casting, is a study of one man's existential questioning actualized on hypnotic works of art.
................................
BERTIL VALLIEN IS A 60-YEAR KOSTA BODA ICON, DESIGNING FOR THE BRAND SINCE 1963.
He is one of Sweden's most celebrated glass artists with numerous awards and museums exhibitions around...
Read More
Bath & Body Works reduced the time it takes to make a bottle of soap from 90 days to 21, shares The Wall Street Journal. It also reduced the number of miles the parts travel from 13,000 miles to a just a handful of miles. Part of the solution: the company trimmed out China and Canada.
BBW was able to move production to the US largely due to robots and computers. In China, 50 people may work on a bottle. In the US, labor is too expensive. The company replaced the 40 people with...
Read More
Flowers brighten up every room. This little treasure is an exact reproduction of a porcelain purchased by Mottahedeh from Christie's auction in 1992 featuring recovered cargo of of the Vung Tao sailing ship. The ship sank off the coast of Vietnam in 1690. The recovered cargo consisted of over 48,000 ceramics, mostly Kangxi blue-and-white porcelain from the kilns of Jingdezhen. This miniature covered jar is 6 1/2 inches tall and is faithfully reproduced in minute detail.
View Post
I chuckled when I was asked to author this column, as I have been known to have the last word from time to time. As I prepare to leave the industry that has given me so much (I eagerly accepted the opportunity to work in the gift and home area in 1986), I can vividly recall the excitement I felt when I first entered the creative space that we get to live and work in every day. I have been exposed to scores of creative people; I met and worked with artists and buyers who were inspired and ...
Read More
EMON MAASHO, CEO AND PRESIDENT OF ORREFORS, NORTH AMERICA, is representative of the exciting trajectory in this 125-year operation. The über-exec joined the New Wave Group in 2013, a time when Orrefors and Kosta Boda (OKB) were underperforming assets in the portfolio. "Our crystal brands are national treasures and a part of Swedish history," Maasho affirms. And he wanted a front row seat in their revitalization. Maasho was placed in charge of the new hotel and restaurant division ...
Read More
What Threads can teach us about leveraging our existing network when launching a new service.
July 22, 2023
Threads, a new Twitter-like service from Meta, the owner of Instagram, launched this month and almost immediately attracted 40m active daily users. The service’s growth has since stalled and now has just over 10m daily users, but that is still commendable. The Wall Street Journal shared that this impressive launch was largely possible because Meta used its built-in network of one billion Instagram users. This user base helped it overcome the “cold start” problem of acquiring ...
Read More
“Baccarat’s craftsmanship and hand-made creations means a lot of soul and effort goes into creating each and every single piece. We need their story, so we can translate it into the arrangement that best conveys their message.”
GingerMite, the mother-and-son floral duo, create exclusive Mother’s Day bouquets for Baccarat
This stunning Pont aux Choux Bird Tureen and stand is reproduced from an Eighteenth century French original made by the renowned Pont-aux-Choux factory, makes a handsome centerpiece for any setting. Exact in every detail, this remarkable reproduction is made from molds taken from the antique original in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs collection, the Louvre in Paris.
View Post
HEREND HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR ITS BRILLIANT WHITE PORCELAIN SINCE 1826. ON THE EVE OF THE HUNGARIAN MANUFACTORY’S 200TH ANNIVERSARY (YES, WE’RE A TAD EARLY), WE SALUTE HEREND’S GOLD AND WHITE DINNERWARE DESIGNS, IDEAL EXEMPLARS OF CLASSIC ELEGANCE.
HEREND IS KNOWN AROUND THE GLOBE AS ONE OF PORCELAIN’S finest producers, a favorite of royalty, aristocracy, and folks like you and me who appreciate unparalleled quality and exquisite craftsmanship. Herend’s smooth white ...
Read More
There’s nothing quite as cozy as grandma’s house. It’s like a warm snuggle of home cooked meals, fresh cut roses from the garden, doilies, chintz, needlepoint, vintage furniture, wallpaper, a breakfront china cupboard, Earl Grey in a collection of English bone china teacups, and lavender oil that soothes the senses and transports you to carefree days of yore.
The Granny Chic or Grandmillennial trend is all the rage, particularly among millennials. It’s an expression of...
Read More
Retail Dive reports on Amazon's lazy claims that it cares about stopping counterfeits. Counterfeiters on Amazon may steal a brand's product design, name, and product pictures. When a brand reports this to Amazon, Amazon often does: nothing.
This is an issue for American brands. For example:
A brands creates a product. The brand pays for research and development.
Brand may pay to have it made in America.
Brand takes professional pictures of the finished product.