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Yeah, how much do you want this? Because this is the sort of thing that once you have, you’ll wonder how you managed without it, unless you always-always-always sit at a table to eat, of course (in which case, this might change your life). The double chambers allow two types of food to be balanced ‘ergonomically’ while eating without a table. What part of that isn’t great? Less mess fumbling around with your food is always a good thing, no doubt about it.

Designed by Thomas Both
3.2″h x 9.3″w x 4.8″d

$25.00 at SFMOMA MuseumStore
$25.00 at UncommonGoods

Has spring officially sprung? I’d say so, and it’s got me daydreaming of afternoons at the park. I’m not a huge person for picnics, but this set by Swedish designer Carina Ahlburg has me reconsidering. Check it: plates, cups, tableware, with one big bowl for storage and/or serving, for four people.

Designer: Carina Ahlburg
Tableware is in stainless steel.
Material: Melamine.
Height 4.3″ (11 cm), 9.4″ dia. (24 cm)

Batteries? Don’t need ’em. Power outlet? No ma’am. Arian Brekveld’s carafe uses the natural self-cooling properties of terra cotta to keep its contents cool. And its silicone base protects tables from scratches.

Designer: Arian Brekveld
Terra cotta and silicone
11 x 3.2 inches � holds one liter

Maybe it’s not picnic weather just yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare for it. This flatware is pretty clever in that the fork and spoon fit inside the handle of the knife, and then all 3 snap shut inside the cover. That means you have your own flatware for picnics, camping, or, if you’re particularly OCD, at restaurants.

Measures 7″ long x 1.5″ wide.
$16 per set

Inspired by mind-relaxing balancing stones, each vessel of the Balance Set features a unique color and finish so each seems like a unique find from the most perfect Jack Handey beach walk. The top vessel is a glossy white for salt, the middle vessel is a matte grey for pepper, and the bottom vessel is a matte white for dipping.

Good ol’ honest Abe. I’m a believer in silly mugs, as they make early mornings a little more bearable.

Ceramic
3″d

Are you a serious turophile? Serious enough to drop 400 big ones on a knife set for either soft or hard cheeses, or both?

Set of soft cheese knives composed of: knife for hard cheeses and knife for semi-soft cheeses in steel 1.4119 mirror polished with handle in boxwood, spreader for soft cheeses in 18/10 stainless steel mirror polished.

Set of hard cheese knives composed of one knife for hard cheeses and knife for semi-hard cheeses in steel 1.4119 mirror polished with handle in boxwood, serving fork for hard cheeses in 18/10 stainless steel mirror polished

Abstract art for your table, anyone? I sort of love the hand-painted brushwork on these bowls and platters, and some of them are luckily on sale.

Gloss finish. Glazes contain no lead, cadmium, or other heavy metals.
Lightweight and food safe.
Hand wash. Do not microwave.

$179.95 $99.99

to see more, visit dinner-ware.com

I think the blustery cold has me looking for spring (any day now we’ll turn the corner), so of course this melamine plate caught my eye. It’s refreshing to see some greenery, even if it is on a plate.

Diameter: 26 cm (10″)
Material: melamine

If this had title nor description, would you know what it was? I would guess an art-ish object of some sort. This polished piece of steel is used to aerate wine in to a decanter. It’s almost always a delight when an object has beauty apart from its function.
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Through a partnership with illy coffee experts, artist William Kentridge brings us this limited-edition set of six espresso cups and six illustrated saucers, but it’s not until saucer meets mirror-finish cup that the images become clear and right side up.

This cheese board might just look like any ol’ tree slice, but it’s actually from amboyna trees in Thailand. Considering that the roots and branches from the tree would otherwise be burned, it’s nice to know that it can grace our tabletop instead.

-Hand sanded and finished with palm oil.
-Each one is unique and sizes vary slightly.
-Food-safe.

Material: Amboyna wood
Dimensions: 1″ h x 9″-11″ diameter

If you’ve ever run across room temperature shrimp or luke warm celery sticks, you’ll know how this chilled melamine tray could be put to good use. It has a removable cooling gel pad that you can chill in the freezer before using, which means all the cold foods will stay that way.

-set includes a melamine tray with subtle indentions for easy carrying, a removable cooling gel pad and a porcelain platter.
-Porcelain platter is microwave and dishwasher safe.

Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen, Kasper Rønn, 2009
Size: 1.25h x 14″diam.

I’ll admit that the soup spoon might look a little funky to some, but if it didn’t, I wager the set could be mistaken for any generic place setting you might find in your gay uncle’s attic. Hence the unexpected and etheral forms of this stainless steel place setting by Zaha Hadid (winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize – the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for architecture), brought to Earth in a mesmerizing mirror finish.

Impossibly sexy and devilishly handsome are a few of the words that come to mind when I see this glass. And somehow, I start to think of Tom Ford and The Four Tops’ “Reach Out I’ll Be There” plays in the background. Yes, this mouth-blown, hand-cut crystal beer glass is taking me there – to the Rive Gauche – and with the hefty price tag, it should, no? This glass is part classically-dimpled pint mug, part dark talisman, and all fantasy-inducing cup of the gods.

Designers: Monica Singer & Marie Rahm
Manufaturer: Lobmeyr, Austria
6.1 x 3 inches
Lobmeyr Collectible of the Year, 2008