I’ve been thinking a lot lately about celebrating uniqueness in everyday items. Recently, it’s been the bowls and plates I eat off every day. This is certainly true in Japanese culture where presentation plays a large role during meal times as well as the array of side dishes. Different dishes seek to please the eye as well as the tastebuds in an art form of their own. Here is an illustrated guide to different plate settings from around the world.

In the family home, our plate collection looks like it started off with matching sets but as plates and bowls have been dropped and broken over time, it’s looking more like a mismatched set now. As a adult, living with housemates also means similar, a haphazard collection from previous owners. Up until now, it’s always been more about practicality than beauty. I feel like I’m missing out on adding beauty to my everyday and am going to keep this in mind the next time I need some crockery.

What does your kitchen shelf of bowls and plates look like? Do you have matching sets or is yours more of a mismatch of collected items over time? Or have your purposely created a mismatched set? Do you prefer one over the other?