The slightly complicated history of Calamityware porcelain

The history of Calamityware porcelain production has been a relatively uncomplicated one...until recently.

With the closing of our principal porcelain workshop, Kristoff, in 2023, we found ourselves looking for another Polish workshop with the exceptional skills and workmanship required to make our special wares. We found those skills in another, even older and harder to pronounce, Polish workshop called  Ćmielów. (chme-luvf or [ˈt͡ɕmʲɛluf])

What can we expect now that you've switched porcelain workshops?

Good question. First, you'll notice that we call out which workshop makes which item on their product pages. We took great care in working with Ćmielów to match our existing dinnerware, from the special formula of clay used to create our porcelain, the cadmium and lead-free glazes, and the specific Calamityware blue for the decoration. We also ran third-party testing on the new products to ensure everything meets industry standards and passes Prop 65, just like before.

The new dinnerware may have slight differences from Kristoff's versions, and you may notice this when ordering multiple pieces, like in a dinner set. While not a perfect match, they will still nest nicely and look good on the table next to each other. There really won't be a way to tell that they were from different factories (except for three little dots on the back stamp).

But with any transition comes change. For the items that we couldn't find a near-perfect match, we have discontinued the designs and replaced them with new designs to avoid confusion. On this page, we'll keep an updated list of the differences as they land on the website. If you're curious about matching any new pieces with your current collection, or just have a weird fascination with the slight differences in porcelain shapes and sizes, we'll guide you through it.

Vexations Small Plates (Ćmielów)
First appeared in store: December 2023
Replaced: Now What? Plates (Kristoff), Ant Plates (Kristoff)

The new Vexation plates are smaller in diameter than the Kristoff offerings. But the size difference may go unnoticed if they share the same table.

Vexations Shallow Bowls (Ćmielów)
First appeared in store: December 2023
Replaced: Now What? Bowls (Kristoff), Fly Bowls (Kristoff)

The new Vexation bowls are nearly identical to the Kristoff wares. The only real difference is the diameter of the base of the bowls. The Vexations bowl has a larger base which makes for a quicker descent to the bottom of the bowl.

Things Could Be Worse Bowls (Ćmielów)
First appeared in store: June 2024
Replaced: Omnivore Bowls (Kristoff)

If you already possess Omnivore Bowls (right), you’ll notice the new Things-Could-Be-Worse Bowls (left) are almost exactly the same size with a faintly different shape. The TCBW bowls are made from slightly thicker porcelain and weigh 1.87 ounces more than an Omnivore bowl.