I swear drinking water or orange juice from a goblet tastes different than drinking out of tumbler. I’ve always noticed that the right bowl or plate makes a meal taste better. Even if it’s all in your mind, it’s there. When you’re eating a rustic meal in the country side of an exotic location, a banana leaf plate makes the experience authentic and delicious. When you’re eating at home, the right plate or bowl for the job makes all the difference.

Since as long as I started dreaming about my own kitchen and dinner parties, I’ve wanted a slightly off centre dinner set. Something that is not too ornate or stuffy and has an earthy character. My ideal dinner set would frame a rustic and hearty feast. It would not suggest fine dining and it’s also not so busy that it competes with the food.

Flatmates always leave kitchen items behind when they move out so whenever we cleaned out of a flat, we also moved the flat kitchen stuff that had been left behind over the years on to our next flat. Our current dinnerware collection includes a strata stack of mismatched items that we have inherited over 6 properties. It’s more like a hodge podge collection of Auckland flats plus some wedding gifts from loved ones.

To be fair, I kind of like mismatched pieces and if I were to start fresh, I might look at buying some pieces from one collection to compliment pieces from another collection.

Here are my picks of organic and nature inspired dinnerware available here in New Zealand. All prices are in New Zealand dollars.

Wonki Ware

Wonki Ware have a huge range of various plates, bowls (pasta, dessert and salad), platters of all shapes and sizes, cups, saucers and teapots with various finishes including plain, sand and lace and different colours including white, duck egg (grey) and black. You can mix and match pieces with different finishes within a colour or even mix colours within the same finish. I love the idea of getting all white but with different finishes mixed through the collection. Pieces in the ranges are priced from $18NZ to $80NZ each

Collections include: Beach Sand, Baroque Lace, Fancy Lace and Three Lines

Visit their website at wonkiware.co.za

Freedom Furniture

Even as a kid I loved wandering around Freedom Furniture with my family. My sister and I would pick out pieces we wanted for our dream homes. Freedom Furniture have 4 collections that would suit this round-up. They are the deep blue Bali, eggshell Lanay, cream and black Styx and grey Cascade Collections.

Visit their website at freedomfurniture.co.nz

Bali Collection

This dark blue collection features variations in black and brown as well as square and round shapes to mix and match with. I can see these at home on top of a dark teak dining table.

dinner plate (28cm) $7.95NZ

side plate (22cm) $6.95NZ

round bowls (10, 20, 34cm) $2.95, $6.95, $29.95NZ

square plate (22cm) $6.95NZ

square bowl (14cm) $6.95NZ

Lanay Collection

This collection features raised borders of organic lines in soft eggshell hue.

dinner plate (29cm) $11.95NZ

cereal bowl (15cm) $7.95

side plate (24cm) $8.95NZ

Styx Collection

This black and cream graphic collection features a border hand drawn black lines.

dinner plate (28cm) $8.95NZ

bowl (15cm) $6.95NZ

side plate (20cm) $7.95NZ

Cascade Collection

This medium grey collection features reminds me of a drop of water rippling through a pool of water.

dinner plate (25cm) $9.95NZ

cereal bowl (17.5cm) $7.95NZ

side plate (20cm) $7.95NZ

Briscoes

Arthouse Collection

This range is available in three colours: Beach White, Lavender and Ice Blue. The contrasting rim is most obvious on the beach white variation and gives the pieces a lovely patina.

Visit their website at briscoes.co.nz

dinner plate (27.5cm) $9.99NZ

side/salad plate (24cm) $8.99NZ

cereal bowl (14cm) $8.99NZ

bowl (18cm) $8.99NZ

soup bowl (22cm) $9.99NZ

Stevens

Pinstripe Collection

This pinstripe collection available at Stevens made of square dots originating from a central point remind me of crosscut logs of wood. The black and white print is very striking and would look fantastic on a black or white table setting. At $3NZ a piece, they are also the cheapest of all the pieces I found. A set of 6 bowls and 6 plates would set you back just $36NZ.

Visit their website at stevens.co.nz

bowl (14cm) $3NZ

plate (21cm) $3NZ

Living and Giving

Ayra Glass Collection

The Ayra glass collection is made from Turkish glass and has a pleated design with a silver rim. While I love the finish, I’m not sure that a clear plate or bowl looks very good with food in it. Maybe that’s just me.

Visit their website at livingandgiving.co.nz

dinner plate (28cm) $34.99

soup bowl $19.99NZ

charger plate (34cm) $64.99NZ

Trade Aid

These Thimi made pieces are thrown on the wheel by the Associate for Craft Producers. ACP’s pottery comes from Thimi, Nepal. Thimi is well known for earthenware (terracotta/ceramics) and other handicrafts.

Visit their website at tradeaid.org.nz

Thimi large plate (25cm) $17.99NZ

Thimi white bowl (18cm) $14.99NZ

White V-shape bowl with teal inner (15cm) $16.99NZ

This small bowl with a chopstick rest has a white glaze on the outside and stunning iridescent crackle glaze on the inside. Perfect for complementing the other pieces in the range. Hand crafted by the artisans working with Craft Link in Vietnam.

Citta Design

Sinousa Collection

The Sinousa Collection from Auckland company Citta are serve ware, come in colours oyster and charcoal and feature a unique organic shape.

Visit their website at cittadesign.com

bowls (10cm, 22cm 33cm) $19.90NZ, $39.90NZ, $115NZ

platter (36cm) $89.90NZ