Marvelous Mod Melamine
Mmm! Okay - so an application is down on our new place and I’ve begun my scheming to colorize, organize and dazzle the space. Nearly 5 weeks ago - which I can’t believe it’s already been that long - I was back in Texas selling some clothes to Buffalo Exchange when j and I decided to stop by Toy Joy and bid farewell to an Austin favorite - one of the coolest speciality toy-and-other-rad-things shops around (well at least that I’ve been to). The selection of bouncy balls - oh my god! Anyhoo - I came across a collection of melamine plates there and had to write the name down because I loved the illustrations on them so much!
A few days ago I dug up the crumpled receipt I had written on, did a little searching and fell in love with the French Bull collection designed by Jackie Shapiro. The Delight series (above left) is the design I discovered in the store and is in fact, quite delightful. It combines decorative line art with colorful floral shapes - very fashion forward. This design is available in several variations - plates, trays, coasters platters and paper party sets. They’re priced very reasonably and I can’t wait to get a piece from this series.
Some other faves from French Bull are the Kaleidoscope series seen on the platter (above right), the Rings/Stripes series seen on the salad serving spoons (left) and the Kiss series, as pictured on the side plate (bottom right).
So a little more about the designer? Jackie Shapiro is a fashion graduate of Parson’s School of Design. After finishing she spent time working in Milan for Fiorucci before returning to New York to freelance for Tommy Hillfiger. Since then Shapiro has designed a variety of products including a children’s fashion collection under the “Izzy” label, a textile collection used for housewares, apparel and accessories designs by Splash Studio, and recently the French Bull contemporary melamine housewares brand transitioning her further in to the home and accessory markets. (She’s also spent the past 8 years developing style guides for Mattel’s Barbie brand and Cartoon Network’s consumer products!)
And a little more about the cool French Bull line - Created to accommodate the design conscious shopper who prefers a fashionable aesthetic but also desires accessible prices (ahhemm…) Jackie Shapiro utilized melamine to create these beautiful designs. They are dishwasher safe, shatter proof and long-lasting. Heat the leftovers on something else though - microwave safe? Not so much.
So my new place - I’m thinking I’ll take the cabinet doors off in the kitchen, so great looking plates - yeah I’ve gotta have these!
