35 China Ideas That Will Inspire You to Register for Dishes Like These Cool Girls Do

How do cool girls do dishes? We asked our favorite trendsetters, including Joy Cho, Kelly Wearstler, Jenny Packham, Jennifer Fisher, Celerie Kimble, and Clare Vivier, to share the china they chose when outfitting their first family home, then added like-minded picks that can be served up beautifully alongside them.

Meet the Trendsetter: Joy Cho, lifestyle blogger behind Oh Joy!

Her Style: “I wanted something that veered from the look of traditional china. Pops of color and whimsical polka dots fit the bill,” says Cho.

Her Pick: Kate Spade New York “Market Street” soup bowl; katespade.com.

Get the Look: Graphic patterns and notice-me hues translate to a table that is practically begging for a party. Look for add-ons with splashes of color in complementary shades.

Like-Minded Pick: Casa Alegre by Vista Alegre “Blur” dinner plate in pink, $20; vistaalegre.bridgecatalog.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Bodo Sperlein for Nikko Ceramics “Cloud” salad plate in jade green, $44; nikkoceramics.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Monique Lhuillier for Waterford “Etoile” accent plate in platinum blue, $60; waterford.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Charlene Mullen for Royal Doulton dinner plate, $17.99; royaldoulton.com.

Meet the Trendsetter: Kelly Wearstler, interior designer

Her Style: “My dining room table is very refined, so I selected organic, raw china as a foil. The result is unexpected and less precious, which is the heart of my design aesthetic,” says Wearstler.

Her Pick: Jaune de Chrome “Aguirre Gold” dinner plate, $180; devinecorp.net.

Get the Look: A touch of glitz is all you need to rock a low-key-meets-high-style look. The earthy browns and grays in the following china selections get a polished pick-me-up from metallic accents.

Like-Minded Pick: Royal Crown Derby “Equus Horse Head” plate in black and gold, $220; devinecorp.net.

Like-Minded Pick: Bernardaud “Bulle Sable Noir” salad plate, $73; bernardaud.com. 

Like-Minded Pick: Anna Weatherley “Golden Patina Star” plate, $98; devinecorp.net.

Like-Minded Pick: Gourmet Basics by Mikasa “Verona” 16-piece setting, $100; mikasa.com. 

Like-Minded Pick: Michael Wainwright “Panthera” medium bowl with gold edge, $200; michaelwainwright.com.

Meet the Trendsetter: Jenny Packham, fashion designer

Her Style: “If I like something, I don’t save it just for special occasions. And I love these plates! They’re feminine and elegant—totally in sync with my dress collections,” says Packham.

Her Pick: Wedgwood “Intaglio” 4-piece setting, $80; bedbathandbeyond.com.

Get the Look: Put a contemporary spin on time-honored white-on-white settings by choosing an accent color. (As you’ll see, we chose blue!) Then play with pattern and scale; as long as you stay within the palette, you’re as fine as the china gracing your table.

Like-Minded Pick: Vera Wang for Wedgwood “Organza” 5-piece setting, $100; wedgwood.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Noritake “Cher Blanc” 5-piece round setting, $90; noritakechina.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Williams-Sonoma “Brasserie Blue-Banded” dinner plate, $60 for 4; williams-sonoma.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Richard Brendon Meets Patternity dinner plate, $105; Bergdorf Goodman, 212-872-2870.

Like-Minded Pick: Timothy Corrigan Royal Limoges “Recamier Blue Star” dinner plate, $95; maisondefrance.bridgecatalog.com.

Meet the Trendsetter: Jennifer Fisher, jewelry designer

Her Style: “I was looking for utilitarian: pieces that are fancy enough to entertain with, versatile enough to pair with any colored or patterned linens, and classic enough to use every day, which I do!” says Fisher.

Her Pick: Astier de Villatte “Victor” side plate, $75, soup bowl, $80, and dinner plate, $90; abchome.com.

Get the Look: You don’t have to stick with stark white dishes to make your table look harmonious. Bring in subtle shades, like creams and grays, and add variety with nubby textures and unusual shapes.

Like-Minded Pick: Lenox “Butler’s Pantry” accent plate, $22, and dinner plate, $25; lenox.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Vietri “Bellezza” salad plate, $42; vietri.com. 

Like-Minded Pick: Vietri “Lastra” dinner plate in gray, $42; vietri.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Match “Viviana” pasta bowl, $115; laterrinedirect.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Mateus by Tord Boontje “Grey Lake” platter, $225; biacordonbleu.bridgecatalog.com.

Meet the Trendsetter: Celerie Kemble, interior designer

Her Style: “I inherited most of my china, which inspired my love of the mix-and-match look. The vivid plate, from the 1950s, speaks to my sensibilities perfectly: a cross between playfulness and formality,” says Kemble.

Her Pick: Minton China “Cockatrice” dinner plate in pink, $220; replacements.com.

Get the Look: Intricate, multihued china offers many jumping-off points for expanding your collection. Pair it with designs that share one of the main colors in your pattern for an eclectic but refined look.

Like-Minded Pick: Juliska “Country Estate” party plate in pumpkin, $98 for 4; juliska.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Marie Daâge “Maduraï Divertimente” dessert plate, $135; mariedaage.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Richard Ginori “Toscana” dinner plate, $800; 415-982-1616.

Like-Minded Pick: Augarten hand-painted plate, $260; shop.neuegalerie.org.

Like-Minded Pick: Waterford “Lismore Diamond” 5-piece setting in Cinnabar, $140; waterford.com.

Meet the Trendsetter: Clare Vivier, handbag designer

Her style: “We started our collection with unadorned plates in cream and rust. Since then, we’ve gone brighter with turquoise and persimmon pieces, but we still use our first ‘newlywed’ dinnerware nearly every day,” says Vivier.

Her Pick: Heath Ceramics “Coupe” dinner plates in Redwood and Linen, $34 each; heathceramics.com.

Get the Look: Work a boho (and beautiful!) vibe by setting calm and simple styles against bold colors, funky designs, and a mix of materials. Stacking a china bowl atop a stoneware charger? But of course!

Like-Minded Pick: Alberto Pinto “Bahia” charger in orange, $330; devinecorp.net.

Like-Minded Pick: Vista Alegre “Olhar o Brasil” dinner plate in red, $30; myvistaalegre.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Crate & Barrel “18th St.” dinner plate, $13; crateandbarrel.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Keith Kreeger Studios “Hudson” dinnerware, from $44; keithkreeger.com.

Like-Minded Pick: Juba Tenshin “Slipware” oval bowl in white, $70; chariotsonfire.com.