Our Stoneware Dinnerware and Mugs

China has a rich history of ceramic production spanning many hundreds of years, and they have been exporting their stoneware and porcelain to Europe and beyond since the 16th century... so tapping into this knowledge and experience for our Simply Tabletop dinnerware and mugs makes perfect sense.

We chose stoneware because as a material, its inherent strength and versatility makes it the ideal choice for the production of dinnerware and mugs. From its natural clay state, the stoneware material is formed into the required shape using a variety of moulding, pressing and casting techniques before being thoroughly dried. At this point in the process, the dinnerware is still very delicate, and is expertly handled by the experienced factory staff to clean and remove any imperfections before glazing. The liquid glazes are applied to every item of dinnerware and all mugs by hand, before once again being thoroughly dried. It is extremely important that all moisture is removed from every piece of dinnerware before firing to eliminate any risk of breakage during this process.

The roller kiln is approximately 2 metres wide and 68 metres in length and, as the name suggests, the products roll very slowly from one end of the kiln, heating up to a temperature just over 1200 degrees celsius in the centre, and cooling down by the time they emerge at the other end. It takes approximately 5 hours for our stoneware dinnerware and mugs to make their way through the roller kiln, which delivers products with a durability that's fit for everyday use. Consequently all of the Simply Tabletop dinnerware and mugs can withstand repeated dishwashing and microwaving without any problems.

An additional characteristic which makes stoneware the perfect choice for our dinnerware and mugs is the variety of glaze finishes which it affords us. Matt, gloss, opaque and transparent can all be utilized wherever necessary to highlight specific features. Embossed detailing is accented beautifully with transparent blue and brown glazing on our Solar dinnerware, and to achieve a flatter, and more contemporary stone-like finish we have used a matt glaze on our Coast mugs. Combining both matt and gloss glazes together can also provide a perfect contrast as illustrated by our Eclipse stoneware dinnerware.