blue and white – Around My Table

Pottery Jungle

Published on March 25, 2011March 25, 2011 by Anna @ Around My Table6 Comments

A dear friend of mine has taken me to this hidden jewel in the jungle this week – a place where you can find Asian pottery and porcelain. For me a blue and white paradise! Thow Kwan Pottery Jungle produces a wide range of decorative items but also imports traditional Chinese ceramics and porcelain. The first visit is just overwhelming, that’s why I took some photos so next time I will know what to focus on. And I only got myself a few smaller items but I can’t wait to go back there.

Thank you Yosi!

Onion pattern

Published on August 4, 2010 by Anna @ Around My Table5 Comments

My blue and white porcelain obsession continues. And when my mother-in-law found out about it she passed on a few items from her valuable collection of Blue Danube porcelain. I love it!

Blue Danube which is made in Japan, is an interpretation of the renowned ‘Zwiebel’ or ‘Onion’ pattern, originally from the Meissen porcelain factory in Germany. In 1710, Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, established Europe’s first porcelain manufactory in Meissen, a city of modern-day Germany. The artist Kandler , working for the Meissen factory, created the ‘Blue Onion’ pattern in 1734, inspired by a similar Chinese pattern fashioned during the Yang dynasty (1260-1368 A.D.).

The design is a skilfully conceived grouping of several floral motifs. In the centre of the pattern you will find stylised peonies and asters and stems which curve around a bamboo stalk.
Blue Danube has many of the shapes from the original Meissen articles. This, together with the motif, makes the product a genuine evergreen, whose style will never age. It is truly a product of the past, present and future.

I can’t wait to find some more items to add my collection.

Have a great day!

If blue and white is your colour

Published on February 26, 2010April 27, 2010 by Anna @ Around My TableLeave a comment

It’s no wonder that blue and white is a favorite color combination for cottages and seaside decorating. Of course, blue is one of the best color for home decor. Blue brings down blood pressure and slows respiration and heart rate. That’s why it’s considered calming, relaxing, serene and evokes images of the sea, and is often recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms. I choose to use blue and white chinese porcelain in my decor. Blue and white has long been a popular combination for dinner china and beautiful antique or new blue and white plates are easy to find. I have been collecting items of use and no use such as plates in the ever-popular blue willow pattern, or even flow blue patterns, with purposely blurred images, that were popular about one hundred years ago. Vases, soup tureens, tea pots and other pieces of antique blue and white porcelain also look beautiful when on display. I have been on a lookout for blue and white linens to add to my collection. Tablecloths, napkins, placemats, curtains, bedspreads, sheets and more are available in delightful blue and white solids and patterns that can brighten up your home as well.Why not display the mix-and-match plates on a wall, not necessarily in the kitchen.