So beautiful, so not gonna happen.

Ever fawn over something lovely and then be shocked at the price tag? Im a big believer in getting what you pay for so I'm not suggesting they lower their prices for the likes of lowly people like me. It just shakes me out of my cheapified stupor sometimes.

So what am I talking about? Plates! Specifically the beautiful specimens by Fornasetti and John Derian. I drool.

How amazing would a set of these look on a table or wall?

At $183 a pop, this will have to remain something that lives on in my mind alone.

photos found on lauratj, elements of style and la dolce vita

Fornasetti images seem to be on all kinds of other things too - wallapaper, pillows, umbrella stands, etsy jewelry, etc. So his work must be licensed, right? Anyone know if and where I can download his images for personal use?

Slightly different but no less dreamy is John Derians work. (I loved his Target line but its lone gone now.) He makes a line of mesmorizingly beautiful decoupaged glass trays and plates. While his prices are a tiny bit closer to the ground, they are still quite expensive at $90 each from the picket fence.

I heart so many of his designs. And they look amazing on a table or a wall.



images from apartment therapy, designers library and elaine perlov

So come on, spill the beans. What do you covet?

38 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous post. I covet expensive sheets - like Dwell or Missoni.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Holy smokes - $183 per plate?! They look pretty amazing in those pictures, but ouch on the price.

    What I covet is the elisabeth armoire from mecox gardens
    http://mecoxgardens.com/pageItemDetail.asp?RECORDID=5499

    But with a price tag of $7200, it's just not going to happen!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am shocked at the prices! WOW! I always wonder if you become rich do you suddenly start buying expensive stuff that you would never buy otherwise? I just don't think that I would. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  4. LOVE the Fornasetti plates and have for years. Way back in 1994 when I made my first trip to NYC with a college group, my friend and I went off to Barneys (or was it Bergdorfs? I can't remember, but that's not the point) and up in the Housewares department there was this super upscale couple registering for their wedding and they were registering for a bunch of these plates. It was the first time I had seen these divine plates and I was hooked. They are so beautiful, I fantasize about a bunch hanging on the walls of my dining room (fat chance, unless I hit the lottery). *swoon*

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think this might be the first post where our tastes differ. Still, I can definitely see the draw. Given a genie offering me three decor wishes I'd ask for:

    1. a loft style bed and desk for my daughter (Pottery Barn, how I love thee: http://www.pbteen.com/products/girls-sleep-and-study-loft/?pkey=cgirls-beds-headboards)

    2. A bathroom containing a claw-footed bathtub for two under a sparkling chandelier.

    3. A Chaise lounge covered in dark purple velvet or a deep red. Ever since I was little I've dreamed of reading on a fainting couch.

    Well that was fun. Now I guess I'll go balance my checkbook.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love John Derian's designs too, but haven't been able to bring myself to spend $100 on a little decorative plate... I have been scouring ebay though, and one day I'll find one on super bargain... at least that's what I tell myself! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yikes - price tags are no fun (unless it's clearance!).

    It may not be exactly the same, but is there a way you can decoupage similar images (like googling "vintage or victorian face") onto plates?

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is very bad. I have a dish problem and now you have shown me more dishes to lust after! The prices are scary high, so I won't be purchasing either.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like Sarah's DIY idea. Also, are there any photo printing services that give the option of printing onto a plate? If so, why not use some of your own beautiful photography?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh wow! I bet you could design your own!!!???
    Hope all is well...
    -kelley

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yep, I could do something on my own. That has been on my to-do craft lists for a while. But its just not the same.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, that is past my means...for one plate. I guess you really have to think of it as a piece of art. What do I covet? A new table for my kitchen nook...round pedestal please.

    ReplyDelete
  13. They are soo beatiful but i cannot believe they are that expensive! geeze
    www.bazaarofserendipity.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Totally cool post- I LOVE hanging plates of all kinds and shapes on walls - even the tops of soup tureens!

    LOVE THIS!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. You are definitely talented enough to do your own version!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello and thanks so much for stopping by Lamp Shade today!

    xoxo,

    Raina
    If the Lamp Shade Fits

    ReplyDelete
  17. As a great photographer, I think you can make some of your own using your family or other loved ones, which you can then embellish and edit using your photo editing software. It would be a nice challenge now that your home is done (well, is it ever really done?)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I covet nearly ever mirror that Ballard Designs sells!

    Those plates are crazy expensive, IMO - especially since you'd really need more than one to display on a wall. "Ouch!" says my wallet.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I agree! I am in love with these!

    ReplyDelete
  20. WOW those are amazing i love them. Oddly my grandmother has made plates before with her own images. i will find out how she did them, because you could make it a DIY project for yourself, and could be pretty cool with friends and family as the images.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I adore John Derian's decoupage. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Try Amazon for Fornasetti books: it appears as though there's a coffee table one coming out this fall ($$$, but less than the price of one plate) or some that are already published--the reviews say they have quite a few images.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow. Those plates are amazing, and ridiculously expensive. I am really coveting some nice rugs...I have my eye on a few at West Elm, but if I could really go all out, I would go for some from Layla Grayce!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I covet all very expensive bedding (except shams and bedskirts.) All of them. The higher the thread count and older the company, the more I covet them.

    Frette, John Robshaw, Sferra, Swans Island Blankets, Yves Delorme, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I got a paper poster version of the Picture of Good Health print at Dick Blick Art Supplies Store in Chicago for $3!

    ReplyDelete
  26. http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/decoupage/a/012201a.htm

    go here to learn how to decoupage on a plate and here for images :)

    http://www.google.com/images?q=fornasetti+images&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=vtD8S_biKcH88AaPtqC8Cw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=

    or google "fornasetti images"

    use modge podge or elmers glue--add a hanger and viola! expensive wall plate

    ReplyDelete
  27. I wanted an iRobot hoover for ages! I eventually decided it was worth the price tag and got it. And......I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  28. It seems to me those dishes are the kind you look at only...not touch. Also at $183 a plate, it's the kind of dish you don't buy either.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous7:47 AM

    You could download a program called Snagit (http://www.techsmith.com/download/snagittrial.asp) and find images you like and make your own.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Many thanks for taking the time to do this blog. I spend alot of time wandering around the net just passing the time by reading what people are thinking. Its suprising how much you can actually learn by simply reading.

    ReplyDelete
  31. If you love John Derian but not the price tag, definitely check out Fringe Studio. They have similar decoupage-styled plates and things, but waaaaaaay cheaper. Simon's bought several for me, and I have them displayed on the wall in our living room.

    There's a new restaurant here in OKC that has that Fornasetti wallpaper all over one room. It's pretty fantastic. I found myself just staring at all the faces and not paying attention to my lunch companions!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wow! I realleeee like those plates! So Great!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I want this bag: http://www.etsy.com/listing/29172129/handmade-messenger-bag-stacked-books

    ReplyDelete
  34. Love all these plates as wall hangings.

    I tend to like really high end (often unrealistic) furniture and pricey English bone china (I have a weakness for Shelley's Dainty series).

    Kelly

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hello!

    I wondered if you'd seen Cole and Son's Fornasetti wallpaper? Perhaps a roll of that and a little ingenuity could lead to those plates you lust after?

    http://www.cole-and-son.com/collection_detail.asp?CollectionID=104

    Take care!

    Karla

    ReplyDelete
  36. I think you could almost make something similar (maybe even better?) by scanning some images from the gazillion clip art books out there and playing around in Photoshop a little. Just decoupage the images onto plates!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Don't care for the plates per se -they're everywhere. But that kitchen is to die for.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous6:26 AM

    I have only seen the gold plate hangers at michaels..is there any other hangers I can use for plates?

    ReplyDelete

There is nothing that thrills me more than hearing from readers. Please share your thoughts. ♥

Follow @ Instagram

© 2007-2020 Brooklyn Limestone. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
Back to Top