As always, Heath Ceramics’ winter 2010 collection is understated and beautiful.

Following the success of our 2010 hand-dipped Summer Seasonal Collection, we’re continuing the technique into the winter season. Introducing two new winter-inspired glazes: Scarlet and Snow Dip—both three-color patterns are achieved through the intersection of two glazes in the hand-dipping process. Together, the collection features strong gradation, as well as subtle variation —in both the overlapping glaze color and the line blend itself.

These Hidden Animal Teacups by Ange-line Tetrault are pretty sweet. A fox, an owl or a bear waits to be revealed as you sip your coffee. They are supposedly available through Imm-Living, although I don’t see them up on the website yet.

These new cork wine stoppers and pourers by Aurelien Barbry for Norman Copenhagen are super nice! The wine stoppers are a sculptural play on the traditional wine cork (they look like little mushrooms!), and the wine pourer looks like a cork stopper, but then pulls apart to reveal the metal pourer…

Via Notcot.

Wannekes carries some pretty awesome flatware. I love the simplified forms of the Cinque stelle Cheese knife set by Ettore Sottsass (top left). Also in the same language are the Accento flatware and serving pieces by Konstantin Grcic (top right).

My favorite set, though, are the wire frame Certamente salad servers by Konstantin Grcic. Love that he has essentially created a serving set out of bent wire – they call it “metal origami”. Lovely!

How beautiful are these Reversed Volumes bowls by Mischer Traxler? They are cast in ceramic from actual vegetables and fruits. Lovely!

Via MoCo Loco.

We always stack our tea cups/glasses (who doesn’t?), so I love that Rob Southcott took the idea of stacking and turned it into a design feature for his Totem Cups.

PS – Maybe I’m being nit-picky, but it always bugs me when a shop doesn’t credit the designer. I had to google Totem Cups to find out who had done these.

Spotted Kristine Bjaadal’s work over at Omami, and now she’s one of my new favorites…The idea behind her Underfull Tablecloth isn’t particularly new, but I love the subtlety of her designs. The tablecloth looks like a traditional floral damask at first, but when made wet it reveals a beautiful pattern. I love what Kristine says about the product:

Sooner or later someone is bound to spill, but where this person usually feels clumsy and embarrassed, he will now feel fortunate. An everyday negative situation is turned into a positive experience.

Some stains, like red wine, are hard to wash out and might leave vague colour traces after washing. But since these traces will be formed as figures, the tablecloth will not look stained. The figures will form a pale, shadowy pattern that will grow as the tablecloth is being used and spilled on over time.

This creates stories and can contribute in giving the tablecloth sentimental value – important in a society where we seem to have an increasingly superficial relation to the objects we surround ourselves with.

The concept allows a great collection of patterns. Different patterns will tell different stories. In the prototype, butterflies spread out over the woven floral pattern – creating a layered image. The butterfly pattern resembles the tablecloth itself; butterflies always come as a surprise, they are soundless and suddenly come into view, as if out of out of thin air. They go through a tremendous metamorphosis; starting out as rather dull caterpillars, changing into beautiful, colourful, playful butterflies. A butterfly seems to be free and happy, but at the same time fragile and transient – just like the pattern of the tablecloth.

Also lovely is Kristine’s Undertone Decor tableware – just a simple tone on the back produces a beautiful hint of color.

Sweet little Dress Up vases by Nendo. From Nendo:

Three flower vases made in collaboration with Ceramic Japan, a firm in Seto, an area in Aichi Prefecture historically known for its ceramics. The three forms make up a family: a heavyset ‘father’, a slim ‘mother’ and a smaller ‘child’. Each vase looks like an ordinary vase from one direction. Viewed from the other side, however, each has its own ‘collar’. When we dress, our hair and clothing correspond to each other. These vases play on the similar relationship between the flower and the vase.The vases are unglazed white porcelain, for a clean, clothing-like texture.

Via Designboom.