The style and ambience the restaurant hopes to achieve should be considered when selecting tableware. The style and ambience the restaurant hopes to achieve should be considered when selecting tableware.

Q: WHAT ARE THE hottest NEW TRENDS IN TABLEWARE?
ERIC Hamberger: The trends of health and sustainability are here to stay. We have introduced more products that have a hand-crafted look and feel to them, but deliver the practicality and durability that our customers require in their operations. We have been providing more and more products that are not typical dinnerware, such as items in non-ceramic materials like wood or metal.

This gives our customers new tools to create a differentiated dining experience that also reinforces the trends of casual elegance and sustainability.

Birch: Although white porcelain remains the firm favourite with chefs, there is a shift towards subtly coloured matt glazes, with a more handcrafted, rustic feel – duck egg blue/grey and browns with a Scandinavian feel are hot right now along with Japanese inspired glazes and tactile finishes.

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The Oriental trend will remain strong, along with simple, pared back shapes, simple rustic elegance, matt finishes and natural materials, such as wood, stone and slate. All these trends reflect an overall trend toward more organic, simple, earth-conscious, pared down dining.

We are seeing a continued trend for unusual shapes of tableware and for small 'dinky' sizes for haute cuisine tasting menus and amuse bouche. With glassware, there is a noticeable renaissance of the cut glass crystal look, a definite nod to the vintage or retro.

Schoffel: Contemporary interpretation of classic designs, back to the round plate, reduced elegance combined with eye-catching highlight items are some of the new trends.

Luis Salgueiro: We are seeing a continued trend for unusual shapes in tableware. Now, nearly any imaginable shape is available, from unique to standard patterns.

Fuchs: A recent trend emerging is that of a nostalgic return to more traditional shapes. For a new project now I would most likely select a palette of urban style colours mixed with a touch of country style design.

LLOYD Lamprecht: In the Middle East there is demand for decorated tableware with ornaments in gold and platinum. Unconventional shapes are designed to underscore, subtly but insistently, the special exclusivity and quality of the cuisine.

Also, individualised, customised solutions are very popular and still will be in the future. What is also a trend is a material mix like porcelain and glass, which can be used well for buffet arrangements. The international trend of white tableware will still be en vogue as chefs often prefer to present their food in a pure environment. The choice of shape depends on the style of the interior and the image the restaurant is trying to portray.

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