morphescape.

Like most of you, I've always wanted my dinnerware to look like the city scape of Istanbul, but Pottery Barn doesn't seem to carry anything like that. Fortunately for us, Karim Rashid has taken the first step toward overthrowing the tyranny of non-city-scape-plates by creating Morphescape, "an ambitious project that is equal parts beauty and function. The non-stop continuation of a single undulating surface is divided into every need for the table so you can actually have an entire table connected by each function as a modular scape. The inspiration is the city scape of Istanbul from minarets to mosques to the modern city and the Bophorus." (Anyone know if "Bophorus" is a typo? Google has surprisingly little to say about it.)

plates. and. shakers. and. toothpick. holders.
There seem to be about 15 pieces of Morphescape, some obvious ones like plates and not so obvious like toothpick holders. The one that bums me out is the ashtray, not because I don't think people should smoke (okay, I don't, but what you do on your time is your business), but because I don't think anyone should smoke at the table if you're hoping to pick up the subtle flavors of the food you're eating. Let's face it, if you're eating on Morphescape, you're probably not eating McDonald's. Each piece here runs from $79 to $232. See what I mean?