White platters from Crate & Barrel allowed the food—lox, crudités, and cornichons—to stand out atop the Saarinen table.

For architect Stephen Chung, the design of his Wayland, Massachusetts, home was all about blending into the natural environment. The first floor is a serene composition of white and wood. The demand for a domestic office space inspired him to build up, adding a second floor for him to "experiment." In a departure from the Cape Cod aesthetic that rules his block, he was able to give the addition a modernist take, while also literally reflecting the existing landscape of the neighborhood. The entire 1,100-square-foot adjunct that encompasses his second story office-studio, master suite, and fort for his two young sons is swathed in mirrored siding and plate-glass windows.

Tulips Plate by Jeff Koons, $475, at momastore.org Bring Pop Art's contemporary master to the table with a limited-edition plate from French porcelain-maker Bernardaud inspired by the artist's Celebration series.

TEEMA DINNER PLATE $24.00 Adaptable to any style or use, the Teema Tableware collection designed by Kaj Franck for Iittala is based on the fundamental shapes of circle, square, triangle, and rectangle. From these enduring forms, the designer created a range of functional dishes for the home that can be used in myriad ways: from preparing the meal, heating and serving, to storing and freezing. These timeless and sophisticated pieces provide an essential form to allow the food, family, friends, and conversation to shine.

Kastehelmi Large Plate Professor Oiva Toikka's Kastehelmi, Finnish for "dewdrop," evolved from a technical challenge when Toikka started using glass droplets to cover joint marks left on the surface of pressed glass pieces. The result was a popular range of glassware decorated with beads of glass that glisten like dewdrops in the morning sun.

Nouvel Approach When the Nouvel staircase proved too costly to copy, DeSalvo designed an affordable version. The treads are perforated bent steel plates that appear to float on a support tube, while the railings are made from tension cables and galvanized handrails and posts. It offers a similar level of architectural impact and sense of transparency at relatively low cost (both stairways, plus a matching catwalk, came in at $6,000).

A detail of the brass plates and chains.

Crafted from Hasami’s custom blend of porcelain and clay, this plate is softer to the touch than traditional porcelain, ensuring a positive tactile experience when passing a companion her plate or serving a dish. With a lovely matte finish, this plate is sophisticated enough to serve to a distinguished guest, and simple enough to use every day. This natural hue is the perfect choice for a fall meal.

Signal Pendant Light, $495–$695 at the Dwell Store Inspired by satellites and stars, the Signal Pendant Light from Brooklyn–based Souda is meant to resemble a celestial body. It features a perforated metal shade that provides a distinctive light diffusion.

Available in two soothing colors, the Norm Dinner Plate is a simple piece of dinnerware that will communicate well with a variety of palettes. When Valentine’s Day is over, this plate can be used for everyday dinners and fancy parties alike.

Set the table with a special treat. Food is optional. Sami Ruotsalainen designed the simple, clean shape while Maija Louekari created her Siirtolapuutarha pattern for the forms in the collection so that each piece tells a different part of the story. We love the reference to simple holiday ornaments in the crisp red and green. Part of the Oiva dinnerware collection created just for Marimekko.

"I’ve heard people say, 'My grandmother had that pattern,' or 'This is what we had Sunday dinner on,' and it brings back feelings," recounts Page.

Muehle Shaving Kit, $239 from store.kaufmann-mercantile.comMade in Germany, the Muehle Shaving kit consists of a chrome-plated badger-hair brush, safety razor, and stand. If the gent in your life insists on his Gillette's, consider a gift card to a barber shop to accompany the shaving kit and perhaps he'll learn a thing or two about how it was done in the good old days. Fellow Barber has locations in San Francisco and New York. Harry's Corner Shop recently opened in New York and features a Fort Standard–designed interior.

HAY Hole Plate Table by KiBiSi. Designed in 2009 for the 8 House in Copenhagen with reference to the Mountain Dwellings by BIG. In stores in 2010 Photo courtesy of KiBiSi

Carefully decorated hors d'oeuvres.

Taika Plate

24-Karat Collection, $42–$128 This luxe set includes a cocktail shaker, jiggers, and mixing spoon, all of which are plated in 24-karat gold. It also includes a simple glass mixing glass.

"These sturdy plates are made with fallen leaves -- it's difficult to get more sustainable than this." Verterra compostible dinnerware at Provisions, $15 for a set of 25

Featuring a graphic print designed by Aino-Maija Metsola for Marimekko, this Oiva Round Plate has a small silhouette with a distinctive pattern. A part of Marimekko’s Weather Diary Collection, the print is inspired by the changing natural landscapes in Finland. This print, which is characterized by its varying shades of blue, evokes the dramatic rainclouds that hover over the archipelago.

Designer Jason Miller adorned the dinnerware (which also comes in dessert size) with a jewelry motif, adding a touch of class to your tabletop.

With its Wire Bowl, Menu takes a simple storage accessory and recasts it as a distinctive accent. Comprised of steel wire, the wire bowl is available in powder-coated colors, chrome-plated, or brass-plated versions. Newlyweds can use the bowl as a decorative accent, for serving bread, holding fruit and vegetables, or for anything else that needs simple storage. Shown with Norm Slate Plate.

Flawed Gold-Plated Wide Bowl Studiomake’s Flawed dinnerware series features imperfect gilded rims that references the traditional craftsmanship of Thailand, where Studiomake is based. $68

Kaku Plates by Shinichiro Ogata for Wasara, $12 for a set of six at shop.cooperhewitt.org These beautiful paper plates mean no dishes to wash at the end of the night. Crafted from bamboo and reed pulp in Japan, the dishes are also sensitive to the environment.

Redesigned Medalta Side Plates by Medalta “Medalta is an historic site that was once the home to several potteries, and is known for quality porcelain. The factories went bankrupt, and thousands of these plates were left. Contemporary designers then made patterns that translated onto these plates. It’s now actually an active artist’s residency program.” -- Julie Nicholson “Its in Medicine Hat, Alberta. The imagery on the plates actually relates to the site. We’re the only store in Canada that carries these.” -- Shaun Moore (Designers clockwise from top: Jenna Stanton, Jenn Demke-Lange, Aaron Nelson & Tobie Laliberte)

This copper-plated wire bowl can be used to hold table linens or bread on a dining room table. It can also be used for storage or as a display piece on a shelf or table. The warm copper color complements autumnal decor schemes.

Norm Wire Bowl, $40–$50 at the Dwell Store With its Wire Bowl, Menu takes a simple storage accessory and recasts it as a distinctive accent. Comprised of steel wire, the wire bowl is available in powder-coated colors, chrome-plated, or brass-plated versions. Whether in soft colors or metallic, the wire bowl can be used for a variety of functions, from holding fruit, displaying accents, or for storing textiles like napkins or dishcloths.

Ford is looking forward to seeing BDDW's ceramics line, shown here, at the event. "I'd like to capture the attention of anyone that has an appreciation for beautiful, pure design and have them understand the dedication it takes to create a singular object or piece of furniture," says Ford of the audience he's trying to appeal to. "I respect manufacturing, but when you can incorporate something into your home that's made by hand, it instantly brings in a certain layer of soul and meaning."

For true cocktail enthusiasts, this 24-karat gold-plated vessel from Yukiwa may be the only way to go.

'Prospect' Porcelain Plates by Jeremy Hatch “The porcelain here is so finely detailed, you would think it’s styrofoam. You may not be able to see it in the photo, but there is a fine layer of gold particles, which play on the prospecting idea, a in, you could take apart the plate to find the gold.” -- Julie Nicholson

A gold-plated porcelain teddy bear.

A is for Architect by People will Always Need Plates (Hannah Dipper and Robin Farquhar) $191 (includes shipping)

Featuring a graphic print designed by Aino-Maija Metsola, this large plate from Marimekko presents a stunning visual that looks like a watercolor painting. The plate features a varied blue color scheme, reminiscent of water and clouds.

Environmental protection blends with elegant design in the Kizara Maru Plate Set. Made from pine trees sourced from healthy sustainable forests in Japan, this set of eight disposable wooden plates is recyclable. Because of the specialized production process, no two plates are the same—each reveals its own intricate wood grain pattern for a distinctive place setting that will create a striking contrast with metal flatware at a dining room table, or will nicely complement an outdoor dining setting with its own natural look.

The Cube Collection from Tom Dixon Studio is a desk accessory series that is at once sophisticated and simple. Including a stapler, tape dispenser, tidy tray, and pen, the Cube Collection is stripped of superfluous details and instead focuses on the primary function of each piece.

Cadena designed all the dishes, covering them with abstract, hand-drawn patterns inspired by his grandma's silverware.

Maple cafe plate by David Rasmussen Design.