Dining Trends- Ambiente Look Book

Frankfurt on the brain… and The Dish On Dining Trends

Today is one of those unusual days where Dallas is actually cold. Even icy… how bizarre to think that it was warmer in Frankfurt last week when I was there for the Ambiente Show. Southerners do NOT know how to drive in cold weather – where I grew up, flurries could shut the city down. Here, a little slush and ice equate to closed schools and businesses. Nothing like New England, but still to be taken seriously.

So… I have been pouring over photographs from the show, enjoying my favorite finds all over again from the comfort of my office. My bucket list has been amended to now include dishes. Let’s be frank: I need more storage and lots of it if I plan to have all of the dishes I would like to entertain with. I will warn you now that this post is photo heavy, so I plan to keep quiet while you peruse my favorite dining finds from Ambiente Show. You can thank me now for giving you a VISUAL tour; just walking the halls to find these items might log an easy 5-7 miles onto your jawbone or fitbit – I kid you not. The odds are good that your most comfortable business attire shoes are no match for this tradeshow track meet. The show is enormous – so big that it even has a dedicated stop on the S-Bahn – 4,800 vendors – and over 140,000 attendees. Ambiente is the biggest kitchen, household and table trade show in the world (and the 3rd biggest trade show in the world in general). It occupies what I will call a campus of interconnected buildings with moving walkways to help get you to your next destination. The U.S. was Ambiente’s partner country this year, so Ambiente wisely partnered with Veronika Miller of Modenus – which is how I got invited. Lucky me to be part of such a great group.

So… what did we see in Frankfurt? Frankly, a LOT. Between schnitzels, apfelwein, meet ups in the Architectural Digest Lounge or with the Prince of Sweden, and the multitude of other plans that Veronika managed to squeeze into our days and evenings, we were free to explore the show on our own. If I told you everything we did you might think we spent a month in Germany. Veronika is famous for saying “you can sleep on the plane home” with a devilish grin. You can only see so much in a day before your feet give out and your brain fogs from the sensory input- trust me when I say there was no better sight than the Press Lounge chairs at the end of each day. The table top halls filled an entire building – which was so big that it had its own restaurant and grocery store. Today we will just focus on Ambiente Dining Trends. Read between the lines: there’s more to come. If you like what you see here, I highly recommend that you check out the blogs of the other participants of Blogtour Ambiente. There is no way that any two people saw the same things.

[Tweet “In two words, here is what is trending for tabletop: Color & Pattern.”]

I’ll start with one of my favorites, the Bristol Belle pattern by Royal Crown Derby. The Brits know a thing or two about china. This upbeat pattern it comes in two fab colorways. Yes please to both.

[Tweet “”A great party starts with a well set table.””]

The colors and patterns of Royal Crown Derby are tasteful, leaning slightly more to the traditional, yet very current day. Beautiful product line.

also Royal Crown Derby

Wedgwood delivers patterns both big and small with a masculine vibe. The sets come mixed.

Herend. I can’t get over those bucks carrying the pattern mix across the table-

Manifattura Ginori. Here is a line that looks like Herend- but it is not. Their inventory spans a broad spectrum of colorful everyday options on the casual side.

Villeroy & Boch– colorful, bright and happy. I love the square and round mixed together.

Ted Baker, Portmeirion. See this MEN’S shirt print? I share this one for a reason. As you continue you will see a trend of intricate mens-shirt/tie type patterns in china.

[Tweet “Herend is the Hermes tie of porcelain. Pigment meets pattern with perfection.”]

Herend again. And oh, how I could go on…

Auratic

Serax had an all white product line with many unexpected and irregularly shaped dish designs- super creative.

Villeroy & Boch prepares us for grilling season with thoughtfully designed dishes to make your outdoor gourmet cooking present beautifully and look easy. Sauce on the side? No problem, see top left dish above. A skewer plate for grilled kebobs is shown above with lots of other carefully sectioned dishes that cater to the tough job of being a guest.

Which brings me to cocktails.

[Tweet “Barware Recap: #FranklyMyDear, it is always 5:00 somewhere- in Germany we say Zum Wohl! #blogtourambiente #FRANKfurt #ambiente15 @ambientefair @modenus”]

We saw a lot of color + gold. This is Polish crystal by manufacturer Combi. Their collections are formal and quite beautiful in an old world way.

Aura & Strata line, Waterford taking design into a more light-hearted direction with the Jasper Conran Collection.

Art Nouveau style super tall Champagne Flutes. The President of Ukraine and a Saudi Arabian Princess own these engraved floral motif crystal beauties by Moser.

Le Creuset has your wine needs covered…

Would you believe there is such a thing as Ombre Crystal? These glasses are hand tinted by COMBI, out of Poland.

Riedel Veritas Collection – classic and elegant, exactly what you would expect from Riedel.

A Floral Sidenote:

Riedel also has beautiful vases and blossom dishes. Used together, even better. These small dishes are a brilliant way to use fewer flowers and keep the sight line clear across a dinner table. I love the row of them.

Manses Design created this lovely bulb arrangement using mugs within the set of china. Brilliant way to make full use of your collection.

Back to Vessels:

Hermann Bauer makes me thirsty with beautiful designs like this.

[Tweet “Hermann Bauer also gives us chic ways to decant our wine. #staythirstymyfriend #blogtourambiente”]

Waterford Barware is even taking on a lovely updated twist. Traditional patterns still available of course.

Zack offers hip small-scale wine storage and accessories.

Robbe & Berking – elegant silver – updated traditional

Silver Jam Jars- Hermann Bauer

Maison & Objet Booth, Riva offers artistic updates to silver serving pieces.

Phillippi makes intricate wire baskets look simple, allowing the contents to be star of the show.

Utensils:

I have never seen so much cutlery in my life. Above, serious steak knives of Japanese design.

How about a flatware set by Laguiole? Yes Please. As you know, the handles are available in numerous options.

Saw a lot of this look. Color everywhere, even making its way to utensils. Rivadossi Sandro.

Design With a Sense of Humor:

Clever chopsticks for the beginner, by silversmith Hermann Bauer.

How cute are these little Serax egg holders?

I was surprised by the number of egg holders I saw – makes me want to eat more hard-boiled eggs and actually take the time to formally enjoy them. Greggio Silver.

This was a wonderful booth display that I Instagrammed while at the show.

Fine Tabletop Jewelry:

Arthur Mohrle – super high-end silversmith who sells to a few of the most iconic luxury stores. These Onyx and Sterling candlesticks will handsomely mix into any style table decor.

Herend Horse. Bigger than it looks, a pair of these magnificent horses could make quite a statement on a dining room table (or 3 on a round table).

Last but not least…

One vendor for dog and cat dining- Ritzenhoff is on trend with brightly patterned, whimsical dishes for our furry family members. Glad somebody remembered them!