Where to get your hands on splatterware in San Francisco

A luxe take on cheap enamel camping dinnerware, splatterware is hot right now. Understandably so. It’s a gorgeous design that flies in the face of arid and antiseptic minimalism.

While splatterware is nothing new, it jumped to the forefront after the glamping trend took hold in 2014. Soon high-profile design shops like Paris’s Merci and London-based Dyke and Dean started showcasing the splatter look in plates, cups, bowls, and even light fixtures.

In 2015, Ken Fulk fawned over this set of Italian ceramic pieces he spotted at Presidio Heights’s boutique March.

“They are reminiscent of old camp ware, yet have the elegance of a Jackson Pollack painting,” Fulk told the New York Times.

While high-end takes on basic design are nothing new—Coco Chanel, for example, used jersey in her iconic suit, a fabric that, in the 1910s, was more commonly used for men’s underwear rather than chic wardrobe staples—it’s always delightful to see what quotidian look will make its way into the upper echelon of style.

There’s a choice assortment of splatterware to be found in San Francisco, ranging from pricey to affordable. Here are some of our favorites.

↑ Rove and Swig: Beverage Tub / Benson Basin, Oversized, Splatter

Stretching 24” in diameter, this bowl comes in black, gray, and blue. Ideal for bottles of bubbly or brew at your next house party, it could also double as your fruit/veggie bowl in the kitchen. Another use, according to Rove and Swig: “[T]hrow a blanket in it and you have the perfect dog bed for about a 35 lb dog.” ($71.99)

Photo via Remodelista

↑ March: Blue on Blue Splatterware Cups

The amount of speckling on these Italian glazed earthenware cups is spot-on. These 3.5”x3” cups would be perfect for morning coffee or evening digestifs. ($35/each)

Photo via REI

↑ REI: Outdoors pioneer enamelware table set

No need to take out a second mortgage to enjoy some splatterware. Most any camping goods supply store should come stocked with classic enamelware. Take, for example, this outdoors table set at REI. Studded with specks of white, this weighty green dinnerware brings the fun of camping inside without any of the harrowing nature so often found in the allegedly great outdoors. ($69.95)

Photo via March

↑ March: Black on white splatterware serving bowl

If you have the coin, this 18” black-and-white splatterware bowl is a dream. Fill it up with pasta or, better yet, leave it empty as-is for the ultimate centerpiece at your next dinner party. ($240)

Photo courtesy of Heath Ceramics

↑ Heath Ceramics: Design series

Heath Ceramics hosts a series of design-based events, and just recently in November 2016, the noted ceramics purveyors focused on glazes. An assortment of the pieces resulted in a beautiful splattered glazes. While not technically splatterware, these (rare) gems from Heath are just as lovely.