Styling your Ginori 1735 Oriente Italiano
Colorful, vibrant, whimsical and elegant are just a few of the words often used to describe Oriente Italiano. This wildly popular pattern by Ginori 1735 was designed by the Italian architect Gio Ponti in 1946. He was inspired by 18th Century Florentine and Far Eastern Ceramics. The stylized floral design features a Garafano carnation and the subtly scalloped edges lend a whimsical touch to this stunningly colorful porcelain.
Crafted in Italy, these beautiful dinnerware pieces have a timeless appeal.
They have a rich history but how do we style them today?
Since my first post about Oriente Italiano, I have received so many wonderful questions from clients about how to style these beautiful pieces, where to start on a collection and how to mix it in with pieces you already have. I love getting these questions from you!
I played around with our first shipment of Oriente Italiano and came up with these combinations that I hope you will enjoy and that might inspire you to start a collection.
The photo above, taken by Victoria Pearson for Traditional Home, was styled by me for a story produced by Krissa Rossbund. The centerpiece here was a giant silver punch bowl filled with green vegetables like Asparagus as our story was highlighting my book, Parties Around a Punch Bowl. The real highlight of the table setting was the layering of blue and white topped off by the Oriente Italiano Malachite Dinner Plate. The idea here is that you don’t need to mix your Ginori 1735 only with other Ginori patterns. Here we layered it over a Blue Lace Charger by Mottahedeh. All of the Oriente Italiano patterns that have blue in them look wonderful over the Blue Lace!
Of course, all of the colors and sizes look wonderful mixed together. Here are a few examples of ways that I like to mix and match them!
In this photo by Ginori 1735 we see three layers – so pretty! Iris Charger, Malachite Dinner Plate, Porpora Salad/Dessert Plate. Notice that the Iris and Porpora plates have a gold rim but the Malachite does not. Both styles can go in the dishwasher (as long as you avoid cleaning products with citrus) and I think they mix beautifully together.
Although I am typically more attracted to vivid colors, I adore the Albus (black on white) color way in the Oriente Italiano collection! It adds such an interesting layer to a tablescape. Here the Albus dinner plate is shown with the Iris Salad/Dessert plate on top of stunning Ombre placemats by Von Gern Home.
The same plates are shown here in a more casual look over a block print tablecloth by Amanda Lindroth.
Another spring time placesetting in the same colors with Fenwick Fields linens.
I love this combination for spring and summer. This charming liberty print tablecloth and napkin set by Charmajesty is such a pretty back drop for the Malachite Dinner Plate and Iris Salad Dessert Plate.
The same combination is shown here in a casual setting with a coral tablecloth by Amanda Lindroth and block printed napkins from Le Bazar Coastal.
If you want to stick to collecting the same color, I love the way that malachite stacks and mixes with other blue and white pieces. Here it is shown with the ombre lacquer placemats from on Von Gern Home and Napkins from Amanda Lindroth.
For a holiday look, I love a vivid red placemat (we love these wipe-clean options!) mixed with the Albus Dinner Plate and Malachite Salad/Dessert Plate.
This pretty combination of Albus Dinner Plate and Porpora Salad/Dessert Plate has a more romantic feel when paired with these beautiful french knot placemats and napkins from Henry Handwork.
The Porpora Salad Plate is also pretty on top of the Malachite Dinner plate when placed over this floral placemat by Fenwick Fields that brings both colors together.
I also love this pretty and preppy combination of the Azalea Salad/Dessert Plate with the Malachite Dinner Plate over top of a Pink Coeur Tablecloth by D. Porthault.
The Vermiglio colorway is truly a favorite. It is beautiful layered on top of Albus or on its own. I love it here on ShopKSW’s best selling Ice Blue Wipe-clean Placemats.
Here is Vermiglio layered together on top of a warm and cozy Liberty Print tablecloth with matching scalloped napkins by Charmajesty.
Reach out and let me know if you have any other questions about Collecting Ginori 1735’s Oriente Italiano. I’d be happy to help you put a tablescape together!
What napkins would suggest for the citrine (yellow) Richard Ginori plate? I like the Liberty print.
Thanks
I love the liberty print with it! I also love some of the prints from Le Bazar Coastal and the Jardin Estate from Henry Handywork. They are all availble on ShopKSW.com. Let me know if that helps or if you want more guidance!
What placemat and table linens did you use when styling the 2nd photo? The yellow/green placemats.
Hi Kristin, That image was styled by Ginori so I’m not sure about the linen. It looks like Fortuny but I can’t be sure. I agree that it is so beautiful! We have quite a few new printed linens coming in soon for shopKSW.com so I hope you will stop in and check them out!
I am registering for my wedding china and keep going back and forth on Ginori. I fell in love with the pink it as soon as I saw it. I love the pink pattern for a “tea set” almost (coffee pot, tea pot, cups and saucers, cake platter, etc). However, I don’t want to eat dinner off the pink plates or simply go “all pink”. I love how you’ve styled the green and blue with the pink. All of my favorite colors. Do you recommend registering/styling mixed place settings? Essentially I am asking for the full table, should I register for all blue chargers, all green dinners, and all pink salad/dessert? Or should I get 4 full settings of each color?
Hi! I get this question often and I should write about it! In the meantime, I like the idea of having one color for charger, one for dinner, one for salad/dessert, etc. It will give you more flexibility in future if you plan to add in another pattern from another company. For example, the green dinner plates look fabulous on the Mottahedeh Blue Lace Chargers. I hope this is helpful and I hope you will register with ShopKSW. We have a wonderful program where we give 10% of your registry purchases back to the charity of your choice.