Porcelain perfect
Dutch husband-and-wife team Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings have created a porcelain dinnerware collection in collaboration with contemporary Japanese kiln 1616 / Arita Japan and its creative director Teruhiro Yanagihara. The town of Arita, in the Saga Prefecture in Western Japan, is renowned for its quality porcelain and fine hand-painted decorations where the tradition of making and painting porcelain dates back to 1616. Colourful yet subtle, the new contemporary service marries traditional Asian porcelain craftmanship with that of the European designers. Scholten and Baijings researched historical Arita masterpieces resulting in a palette of colours that favoured aquarelle blue, red-orange, light green and yellow – surprisingly like their own. Instead of using the colour as part of a design, say a flower or an abstract design as is usual in Arita porcelain, colour has been used in blocks. The collection is based on three shades of glaze: the monochromatic Minimal; Colourful, with two or three colours; and Extraordinary, with layered colours, and lines and grids. 1616arita.jp/

Silver lining
After Milan and Bali, Bulgari has opened its first hotel in London (top). Located in Knightsbridge it has silver as its predominant theme as a tribute to the company’s silversmith origins. The 85 rooms and suites, which are some of the largest in London, feature Bulgari furnishings, custom-made silk curtains based on their famous jewellery designs, exquisite marble and unique detailing that gives a rich and intimate feel. The head chef Robbie Pepin, at the elegant Il Ristorante will treat your taste buds to Italian cuisine along with rare and exquisite wines. A two-floor luxurious spa with Turkish baths, 15 private treatment rooms and a 25-metre swimming pool created from sandblasted Vicenza stone are the highlights of the hotel. bulgarihotels.com