In the mood for blue and white
The famed colours of the best Chinese porcelain and delft ware find their way onto furnishings and home decor items
BLUE-AND-WHITE porcelain and pottery has its fans the world above and while it’s often perceived as a Chinese heritage, many experts credit its origins to the Middle East as early as the ninth century. Developed by China in the 14th-century, the blue-and-white technique also caught on in Europe as the Dutch East India Company transported the Chinese porcelain imported to the Netherlands during the 16th-century,
Delft, the small Dutch city that has given its name to the European blue-and-white ware, has been producing fine Western blue & white products for more than 400 years.
Popular among rich families, Delft Blue quickly spread quickly spread all over Europe as Dutch artisans developed their own pieces but in their own painting styles. Before long there were more than 33 factories in the Dutch town producing a range of items with drawing and shapes designed to appeal to European tastes.
Royal Delft, also known as PorceleyneFles, was founded in 1653 and is the only factory dating back from those boom years that is still operating today. Its products are regarded as the finest of delftware and are produced according to cherished traditional processes.. Each piece is coded with the factory mark, item number, artist’s initials, and a date code. A certificate of authenticity is included with all orders. The most renowned pieces make up the Delft Blue Collection, a selection of creative delftware designed by the Dutch Design Company Moooi.
Today, the blue and white synonymous with delftware is playing a main role in much more than just pottery. It appears in fashion accessories, on IT gadgets as well as on sneakers. British design doyenne Viviene Westwood applied a delftware painting to her men’s loafers while Valentino created a fabulous collection of dresses for autumn 2013..
The colour scheme of blue and white is also popular in home decoration, invoking a feeling of relaxation while adding elegance to a room.
Motif, on the third floor of Erawan Bangkok, brings the blue and white into your home with a collection of armchairs and sofas to wallpaper, lamps and more.
