How to lay your dining table like Kelly Wearstler – hint: it's all about the layering

Anything Kelly Wearstler puts her name to gets my full attention. The designer, known for her multi-faceted, experiential designs in residential, hospitality, commercial, and retail environments as well as for her expansive collections of lifestyle product designs and brand collaborations, never ceases to surprise with her creativity and unique flair. 

Kelly’s latest venture sees the launch of a tableware collection in partnership with Belgian design brand Serax, known for creating contemporary homeware in collaboration with leading international designers and makers. 

I knew this would be made for the modern home, and I was right. The designer is known for pushing the boundaries of form, materiality, and inspiration, and this latest project explores abstract implementations of materials across two very different collections: Zuma and Dune. 

Comprising a conversation between past and present, Zuma alludes to modern and historic technology, while Dune marries the materiality and forms of the natural world. True to Kelly’s design vocabulary, expect to see rich color pairings and unexpected patterns. Here is everything you should know, and the must-have pieces to get.

Kelly Wearstler x Serax Zuma collection 

(Image credit: Kelly Wearstler x Serax)

The Zuma collection showcases patterns alluding to futuristic vector grids. For the porcelain tableware, Kelly Wearstler's stripped down a digital graphic pattern to convey a hand-painted feel, creating a balance between technology and craft.

There is a playful spirit to this collection and an ease to mix and match the patterns, colors, and shapes at your own will and imagination. The merging of both past and present, the futuristic grid patterns of the porcelain are complemented by stemware that draws upon amber tones found in ancient glass from across the globe.

Kelly Wearstler x Serax Dune collection 

(Image credit: Kelly Wearstler x Serax)

This collection references the natural world with corrugated motifs that are repeated across both glassware and flatware, with beautiful two-tone finishes of matte and high gloss.  

A signature of the designer is mixed materiality, and in this collection, the use of marble for the serveware anchors the tablescape and sits effortlessly next to references to the natural world incorporating relaxed, organic wood serving piece. The collection beautifully rounds out the elemental family of ceramic, stone, glass, and metal tableware and will be a worthy investment for an elevated dining room decor.