Royal Doulton

There’s something about the Royal Doulton 1815 Bright Colours collection of tableware. The range was created to commemorate the year in which the company was founded. And there’s something about the strikingly simple design that really appeals to me. Especially these gorgeous Royal Doulton 1815 Bright Colours Dinner Plates.

The dipped glazing effect on 28cm porcelain just looks cool. And manages to be modern and timeless at the same time. Which is impressive considering it’s commemorating the original patterns and hand-thrown shapes from the start of the company. As modern tableware the plates are also dishwasher and microwave safe, which is always handy.

Originally known as Jones, Watts & Doulton when it was founded, it was almost 100 years later when the company acquired the Royal Warrant to have the current name. More recently the brand became part of Waterford Wedgewood, which itself was brought into the Finnish Fiskars Corporation after going into administration.

The Royal Doulton 1815 Bright Colours collection covers a wide range of tableware, including side plates, cereal bowls, noodle and pasta bowls, and even serving spoons. Plus a whole range of Tapas plates, dishes, trays and bowls with the same design. So it’s easy to co-ordinate your porcelain for any occasion.

But probably the most surprising thing is that despite the regal name, the collection is actually reasonably affordable. Especially if you build it up over time.

The gorgeous Royal Doulton 1815 Bright Colours Dinner Plates are £50 for a set of four. And matching side plates will set you back £40. Not inexpensive, but not too over the top, and a worthwhile investment or Christmas present request.

And if you do want to get a complete collection whilst saving a little money, then there’s the 1815 Aqua 16-Piece Dinner Set.

While you do compromise by only have the one accent colour across your porcelain, you do end up with four dinner plates, four side plates, four cereal bowls and four mugs for a reasonable £155.

Tableware can seem like an unnecessary expense. And generally I’ve always gone for something at the bottom of the price range. But I’m coming to realise that some nice plates and cutlery really can make even simple meals feel more extravagant and enjoyable. And with plates like these, even spaghetti hoops on toast gets a bit classier!

Royal Doulton has been producing tableware since starting in London in 1815. So it’s easy to associate the name with more traditional products, and assume they’re probably expensive. But it actually has some great ranges of contemporary designs, often in association with external partners. And for a limited time there are big savings on Royal Doulton’s HemingwayDesign range.

And there are some cool pieces in the collection. Wayne Hemingway is a pretty well known designer. You might have seen him on various television shows, along wife his wife and children, who also work as part of the design company. I started really appreciating what they did when they led the reworking of the Dreamland theme park in Margate, which I’d visited as a child. The retro 1920s-1950s style they created worked brilliant to reinvigorate something that felt run down and unloved even when I was young.

But that’s getting away from the kitchen a little bit.

Not only is the Royal Doulton HemingwayDesign range worth checking out. But at the moment, there’s a sale with up to 50% off, which means a good time to invest in some quality tableware for a lower price.

My Picks from the Royal Doulton HemingwayDesign Range:

So there are three things which stood out in particular for me from the collection. And they all come with significant savings at the moment, which is handy.

First up is the HemingwayDesign White Serving Bowl, which is currently £28, rather than the normal £40. Honestly, I think the full dinner sets in white or grey are a little austere for me. Although if you like the minimalist approach, they’re certainly fashionable right now. But I’ve wanted one or two decent serving bowls for ages, particularly with summer weather encouraging salads, pasta and snacks in front of the TV.

It’s porcelain, and sage for the dishwasher and microwave, which is handy. And at 28cm around, with a height of 8.5cm it will carry a fair bit of food without any problems. And a plain white serving bowl with the subtle knotted design on the outside will make the messy salads I construct look a little bit more elegant (hopefully).

I might find plain white too much for an entire dinner service. But rather than going for one of the sets with mixed colours on the outside, I really like these Royal Doulton HemingwayDesign Mixed Colours Dip Bowls in a set of 4.

Having the stylish pink, yellow, dark grey and lighter colours inside liven things up without being too gaudy or over-the-top. And having white on the outside means the four different patterns still work together as a set. Also safe for dishwashers and microwaves, I can imagine family members starting to have favourites – or picking the colour of the bowl to contrast with what they’re eating. Plus they’re currently down from £35 to £24.50, which isn’t bad for a set of four.

Finally, we have to always consider that someone in my house has a serious mug addiction. We’ve got stylish mugs, novelty mugs, personalised mugs, and film-referencing mugs. Considering only one adult in the house actually consumes hot drinks, it’s slightly odd to have more vessels for coffee and tea than forks or knives. But the numbers must be pretty close.

So I couldn’t ignore the Royal Doulton HemmingwayDesign Mixed Colours Mug Set. Same colours, patterns and porcelain to match the mixed colour bowls. And just as cool. One lovely touch is that the handles are also colour-coded to match the insides which is nice. And it lifts them above more basic products. And they’re currently down from £40 to £28.

Although I might have to insist on a one-in, one-out policy for all future mug purchases. Or relegate some of the older, unloved ones to the garden shed if I can get away with it…

Looking at the HemingwayDesign range has definitely made me think I need to consider both companies more when it comes to tableware. It turns out Royal Doulton has quite the broad selection of partners for contemporary designs. And it’s not that expensive, particularly when there’s a lot of quality items in their Sale section. Plus I can spend some of the cash I’ve saved on more exciting salad ingredients, so that’s a bonus!

Gorgeous Royal Doulton 1815 Bright Colours Dinner Plates

Big Savings on Royal Doulton’s HemingwayDesign Range

My Picks from the Royal Doulton HemingwayDesign Range:

My Picks from the Royal Doulton HemingwayDesign Range:

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