When Kit collaborated with Spode…

Designer Kit Kemp MBE has collaborated with the iconic Spode brand on a new collection set to debut at The Tabletop Show this April.

Tableware International’s Mairead Wilmot learns more…

As a general rule of thumb, Lou Scala knows what he is talking about. “This is affordable luxury,” he tells Tableware International. “We felt there was a need in the market for a contemporary collection from the Spode brand and this is an update on traditional tableware with a push towards gifting.”

The CMO, Portmeirion Group, North America, (owner of the Spode brand) is introducing me to one of the most exciting launches to happen in tableware since Kate Spade partnered with Lenox. This time, it’s Kit Kemp x Spode.

The iconic British designer and founder of Firmdale Hotels has partnered with the Spode brand on an exciting table and giftware collection. The all-encompassing range spans the entire tableware remit –think two dinnerware collections, glassware, cutlery, a giftware assortment including plates and mugs, silver-plated frames in several tactile finishes, plus Christmas ornaments. There are even some pieces designed by her talented daughter Willow Kemp.

The collection is prepped for a global launch, debuting at The New York Tabletop Show this April.

“I have always loved the Spode name and its inspirational designs,” Kit tells us. “To have the opportunity to bring a contemporary twist with a nod to the past is challenging but exciting. I feel very much at home with Spode’s ideas and aspirations to create comprehensive and colourfully crafted collections.”

For a collaboration which was a year in the making, the hero line is undoubtedly the reimagining of Kit Kemp’s famed Tall Trees design onto porcelain.

One of two dinnerware sets within the collection – the other being the entirely different Geo line – Tall Trees celebrates the designer’s love of the countryside. Notable is the use of soft, chalky colourways, something which proved a challenge to recreate on porcelain. “Tall Trees took a little time to get the colours right – to make it look like a walk in the combined, with the Geo pattern to create a more modern and eclectic tablescape. woods on a misty morning,” Kit tells us. “But we never compromise. The result had to be perfect… Tall Trees is the most traditional design in the collection. The colours are subtle and rather beautiful.”

The aforementioned Geo line, meanwhile, is an unexpected blast of colour in contrast to the more refined and reserved Tall Trees.

Tall Trees consists of dinner plates, side plates and bowls and is designed to work alone, or

And by all accounts, Kit Kemp and Spode enjoyed designing it.

“The excitement was adding the Geo design to mix and match with the collection. It adds a zing and makes the design work well throughout the day into the evening. A little bit of the unexpected makes you smile,” Kit says. “Geo’s gentle geometrical pattern also adds a contemporary feel to the collection, creating a collection of pieces that can be combined in a myriad of ways to always make laying the table fun. While Tall Trees and Geo are completely different in look and feel, they work so fantastically well together. I particularly love the orange dot on Geo. It is these tiny details that make all the difference.”

Sitting alongside the dinnerware is a complementary cutlery and glassware line. The Kit Kemp Flow glass collection is a relaxed assortment with simple, classic shapes perfect for everyday use, including a set of two goblets, wine glasses, tumblers, double old fashioned, and a single carafe.

The flatware, meanwhile, features two classic and modern cutlery collections. Scoop is an updated design inspired by classic British cutlery while Twist is a simple asymmetrical design – both are forged in 18/10 stainless steel.

As mentioned, the entire Kit Kemp x Spode collection is a comprehensive concept – from tabletop to gifting to Christmas –but why was it important to have such an all-encompassing launch?

“It is a complete look,” Kit explains. “Glassware, cutlery, picture frames and giftware flowing through the collection completes the picture. We also designed the packaging to introduce the range, and the most delightful toys and festive pieces will launch later in the year for the holiday season. There is a character and congruency that threads the collection’s design ethos happily together."

There is a considered push towards gifting too, making it saleable to an even broader global retail base.

“This is a lot more than traditional tabletop,” Lou reiterates. “We really wanted to create a line which would appeal to gift shops too. We have taken Kit’s eye and ability to turn traditional design into something colourful, young and approachable. Wit and fun are not usually synonymous with tabletop but that is what we have here with this collection.”

As for how Kit thinks retail will react to Kit Kemp x Spode, she says she is “holding my breath and crossing my fingers that everyone will want to use and enjoy Spode. We are using Tall Trees in our latest hotel in New York, the Warren Street Hotel. I cannot wait to use it in my own home as well!”

Pressing the designer on her favourite piece in the collection proved near fruitless, but she gives generous credit to her daughter Willow’s contribution. “Asking me to choose my favourite piece is like asking me which is my favourite child! Impossible to say! It depends upon the time of day and mood I am in. There is something in the collections for breakfast through to midnight. Nevertheless, if I have to choose, I love Willow’s Doodle ‘Mind over Matter’ showing the most wonderful yoga position we would all like to be able to do whilst reading a book upside down.