Designing a Moveable Feast
The Magic of our Melamine & Acrylic
While I try not be a snob about anything in life, I must admit that I am sometimes a bit of a tableware snob. Initially, the idea of al fresco dinnerware in melamine and acrylic seemed silly to me because I grew up eating outdoors my entire life. We always ate with beautiful ceramics and glassware, whether we were at my grandparent’s farm in France, or mountaineering on one of our yearly Alpine family adventures. However, I then became a mother with a very active lifestyle and found that, indeed, there was not only great merit to melamine and acrylic, but also a great need. Yet when I ventured out to purchase it, I quickly discovered that there were many kinds of fun and happy styles available, but none of them had the sophistication and elegance that I was looking for. So like many of our products, our life experience informed what we wanted to create and how we wanted it to look.
Our vision was to design al fresco dinnerware that went beyond the typical everyday melamine and acrylic, to something far more special. I fervently desired outdoor tableware that matched my ceramics perfectly, enabling seamless entertaining from inside the home to outside the home with the ability to transition, for example, from a formal dinner party in the dining room to desserts served under the stars, without ever compromising style. To accomplish this, we wanted to create pieces that look like doppelgängers for ceramics and glass, both aesthetically and in feel. We hit the drawing board with our design team to create a substantially heavier grade of melamine, and a really gorgeous, light, and sparkly version of acrylic materials, so that when compared side-by-side (a glass next to an acrylic, or a ceramic next to melamine) you will be very hard-pressed to determine which is which.
To complete our concept, we decided to replicate our existing beloved patterns - rather than create new ones - to function as extensions of our favorite ceramic and glassware collections, in al fresco form. The fabulous result is an overall cohesive look, with the ability to use your favorite Juliska pattern inside and out, in a beautiful duet between ceramic and melamine, that will keep your guests guessing! And not insignificantly, while also being worry free about its survival. Fear not, windy moments, poolside antics, errant frisbees, or wayward cartwheels!
Rather deliciously, I have found that I have converts. Since introducing our melamine and acrylic collections, we have had an overwhelming response from others who were also devout ceramic and glass purists - vowing never to go anywhere near melamine and acrylic - who have completely embraced the practicality and ease of our al fresco collections, without having to compromise one iota of their style. Once you have these pieces you will be reaching for them again and again, not only the dinnerware and drinkware, but also all of the convenient serving pieces to entertain with.
After the past few years, we’ve all obtained a love of gathering together outdoors. We learned that we can entertain in all seasons, and in any weather! As a result, we love spending time with each other year round, from garden parties in spring to hot chocolates by the bonfire in the depths of winter. So much so, that we are currently working on a whimsical holiday melamine collection, to make your children giggle and squeal with delight along with their sugar cookie decorating! Designed to go everywhere from kitchen to campfire, and for setting a kids’ table that mimics the grownup table for seasonal entertaining, with all of the fabulous, and none of the fuss.
We wholeheartedly hope that our al fresco dinnerware and glassware inspire you to throw a little caution to the wind and embrace epicurean adventures of all sorts. Picnic on mountaintops, tailgate for your hometown team, and host summer suppers by the sea! Allow our pretty, practical melamine and acrylic collections serve up shatterproof style and make a magical, moveable feast wherever you venture, into your backyard and beyond.
SHOP AL FRESCO