Ink Dish - Find. Eat. Drink.
Ink Dish, David Harding, Caroline Pople, San Diego, California, CA, Dinnerware, Designers, Tattoo Artist, Artists, Original Art, Paul Timman, Alyson Fox, David Palmer, Dana Oldfathe
BAILEY DOESN’T BARK
T: 347.443.8232
It’s run by a talented lady called Re Jin. Her ceramics are made with small independent domestic manufacturers and her designs are very delicate and beautiful with a great sense of humor, which is so important to me. My favorite item is probably her 'Ants on my Mug' design.
Online
Tableware / Home / Jewelry / Paper
CORELLE
Another American icon worth mentioning is Corelle, and collecting their vintage patterns in antique stores has become very popular. They are still making their plates in the US, which is rare these days, and with such a rich history of being a part of the American meal time people are very nostalgic about the brand. I think it's a bit of a 'watch this space' with that company and I’m really looking forward to their new products.
Online
Tableware
DESIGN - ONLINE
DAVID HARDING & CAROLINE POPLE
INK DISH
WHO
Design Director Caroline Pople, along with her husband David Harding, are the founders of Ink Dish.
WHY
Ink Dish finds underground contemporary artists to create cutting edge designs for their A quality porcelain dinnerware.
October 25, 2010
RECOMMENDATIONS
Caroline and David’s recommendations for where to shop for designs around the world and where to eat in San Diego.
LENOX
I have a lot of respect for the classic American brand Lenox. They create very elegant simple patterns which are clearly very carefully considered and the result is always very high quality.
Various / Online
Tableware
MELISSA BORRELL DESIGNS
T: 512.912.2323
While in NYC recently, we discovered a fantastic designer called Melissa Borrell, who has created these really decorative large etched bulbs that also cast beautiful shapes onto the walls. I'd love to get my hands on a couple of those!
Online
Jewelry / Home
SKINNY LAMINX
I’m dying to get some 'Herds' fabric by Skinny LaMinx. I love that it manages to be a striking modern pattern but also such a reflection of traditional African folk art and cave painting.
Online
Fabric / Home
UNICA HOME
Showroom: 3901 West Russell Road, Las Vegas, NV 89118 (view map)
T: 1.888.89.UNICA (1.888.898.6422)
T: 702.616.9280
Unica Home has been similarly supportive to small design companies like us and is a great resource for beautifully designed products.
Online / Las Vegas
Design Store
PIGEON TOE CERAMICS
For their gorgeous bright glazes!
Portland / Online
Ceramics
DESIGN - PORTLAND, OR
VELOCITY
Velocity is always my first port of call for something well designed and a bit different.
Seattle / Online
Design Store / Home
DESIGN - SEATTLE, WA
THE CONRAN SHOP
A design must visit in London.
Marylebone / Chelsea
Design Shop
DESIGN - ENGLAND
HABITAT
Find a store.
Back in the UK I always go into Habitat; it's a high street chain that does design well at mostly affordable prices, something I haven't yet found here in the States.
Various - England
PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS NEED PLATES
www.peoplewillalwaysneedplates.co.uk
T: +44/(0)1442.876907
Find a London retailer.
Find a worldwide retailer.
I really love the vibe of UK tableware firm People will always need Plates. Their city scenes are really distinctive and even feature my hometown – Liverpool.
Worldwide
Tableware
DESIGN - FRANCE
MEDART DE NOBLAT
177 Rue Emile Dourdet, N141 - 87400 Sauviat-Sur-Vige, France
T: +33/(0)5.55.75.30.22
Available at Michael C. Fina
545 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017
T: 800.289.Fina
In the mass-market sector there are still people doing beautiful and interesting designs. I have a lot of time for the companies in Limoges like Medart de Noblat, very refined and elegant.
France / New York
Tableware
PHILIPPE DESHOULIERES
In the mass-market sector there are still people doing beautiful and interesting designs. I have a lot of time for the companies in Limoges like Philippe Deshoulieres, which is very refined and elegant.
France / Worldwide
Tableware
DESIGN - PARIS, FRANCE
RUE DU BAC
Rue du Bac, 75007, Paris, France (view map)
When I was living back in the UK, I used to make the short trip to Paris for inspiration. The Rue Du Bac on the Left Bank is filled with wonderful design boutiques.
7th Arrondissement
Design Boutiques
THE CONRAN SHOP
When I was living back in the UK, I used to make the short trip to Paris for inspiration. The Rue Du Bac on the Left Bank is filled with wonderful design boutiques including a Conran store.
7th Arrondissement
Design Store
DESIGN - SPAIN
VINCON
Passeig de Gràcia, 96, 08008 Barcelona, Spain (view map)
T: +34/93.215.6050
Castelló, 18, 28001 Madrid, Spain
T: +34/91.578.0520
One of the first design stores I remember was Vincon in Barcelona. I was a little girl and was really in awe. I didn't understand a lot of what I was seeing, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it!
Barcelona / Madrid / Online
Design Store
RESTAURANTS - SAN DIEGO
EXTRAORDINARY DESSERTS
One of the most beautiful places to eat in San Diego is Extraordinary Desserts in Little Italy. It's like being in a gallery, it's so beautifully feminine and then the cakes themselves are little pieces of art they are so lavishly decorated.
Little Italy
Desserts / Pastry
BANKERS HILL BAR + RESTAURANT
As well as making great food, have a fantastic 'vintage industrial salvage' look to their restaurant; the cool surroundings makes their truffle parmesan fries taste even better.
Banker's Hill
New American
HODADS
Hodads is a San Diego staple but definitely worth every bit of the hype - best burger I have ever eaten and their bacon patty, which is almost like a caramelized confit, is a very special thing. If you go, get the bacon cheeseburger with a side of their amazing onion rings; I have no idea how they get them so crispy.
Ocean Beach
American/ Burgers
LUCHA LIBRE TACO SHOP
Our latest obsession though is Lucha Libre Taco Shop. If you come to San Diego you would be a fool not to visit here. The gourmet tacos are amazing and the different salsas are so powerfully good! The kitsch pop art and gold Lucha Libre decor is very cool too.
Mission Hills
Gourmet Taco Shop
NEIGHBORHOOD
Neighborhood is definitely a good place to hang out if you are in downtown San Diego. It’s very cleverly designed with a large mosaic of the city and very provocative religious imagery. I would say the Pasilla Steak Frites alone make the trip worth it.
Downtown / East Village
New American
COCKTAILS - SAN DIEGO
A NOBLE EXPERIMENT
It's behind a secret door disguised as beer barrels inside Neighborhood. It's a small lavishly decorated bar with gold skulls adorning the walls and lots of neon lighting, very pretentious, but very cool!
Downtown / East Village
Speakeasy
MARKETS - SAN DIEGO
HILLCREST FARMERS MARKET
www.hillcrestfarmersmarket.com
DMV Parking Lot
3960 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103 (view map)
Sun: 9am - 2pm
Go and visit Farmer Steve at the Hillcrest Market on Sunday, who sells a small amount of seasonal fruit all grown on his property in Ramona and everything tastes amazing.
Hillcrest
Farmers Market
One of the best things about living in Southern California has to be all the locally grown produce. The farmers markets became an obsession for us when we first arrived in San Diego. The avocados I used to eat back in the UK pale in comparison to the rich buttery nutty specimens we are lucky enough to have year round here. Occasionally the farmers have Reed avocados, which are a giant variety and happen in my opinion to be the most buttery decadent things nature has to offer. It's like eating foie gras, but with none of the guilt!
LITTLE ITALY MERCATO
Little Italy
Farmers Market
OCEAN BEACH
www.oceanbeachsandiego.com/event-farmers-market
Newport Avenue and Cable Street, San Diego, CA 92107 (view map)
Wed: 4pm - 8pm
The laid back rock and roll themed Wednesday night market in Ocean Beach probably being the best. The honey guy at the OB farmers market is worth a visit, he'll tell you how he gets his bees to collect the pollen from specific plants on his land and then you can try the results. Flavors include an intensely minty honey or a really sweet raspberry honey, it's hard to believe it's all natural.
Ocean Beach
Farmers Market
