Dreams of dinnerware and fights of fancy

Being young and in love is complex — you are discovering yourself, developing your frontal lobe and learning how to exist with someone that makes you feel a whole world of new emotions. What is even more complex is finding a middle ground in taste. I was invited by Mervyn Gers ceramics to design my own set of dinnerware, and being young, stupid and in love, I brought my girlfriend, Dona, on board — the first step of us moving in together and the first step in me realising that there is no way she is choosing the décor.

I have always imagined an apartment with space-age lamps, moulded plastic magazine holders and mid-century teak furniture. Books, magazines and vintage trinkets would be amok, considered chaos with a lot of conversation starters. Dona is much more kept, focusing on minimalism, clean lines and definitely no mess. So for us to have a signature set of dinnerware, the pinnacle of luxury, would have to complement our tastes, my affinity for maximalism and hers for simplicity.

Mervyn Gers is now a household name due to their dinnerware being in 15 of SA’s top 20 restaurants, countless kitchens, and in game farms and hotels. Their handmade products, passing through 44 hands, are in their signature natural organic shapes. Described as perfectly imperfect (their ceramics, not my girlfriend), our relationship was tested in the glazes (over 55 options) and shapes (over 150 options) and the back and forth (over 44 suggestions and rebuttals), as we built the first piece of our adult relationship.

The options are intimidating: each product, whether classic or creative, is a tasteful work of art. We ventured into the task with an air of romance, and each shape and glaze was classified as an entire date — we had to discuss our breakfast, hosting, dinner, and snacking needs and aesthetics, in-depth.

The personalised dinnerware service includes a 90-minute consultation to understand clients’ needs: from colour, combinations, family crests and graphics, to whatever the heart desires. After our bowl, dinner plate and side plate shapes were selected, it was time to choose the colours. My maximalist-leaning tendencies won the battle and I was allowed to choose three separate colours as long as they were happy (very important) and complementary (not as important).

The WL bowl, perfect for soups and cereal, was chosen in the Mitumba glaze from their limited, experiential and textured J-Range (Dona needs breakfast to be a “wow” experience with a large helping of muesli.) I then chose a very earthy and rich fig green for our dinner plate, to make it easier to hide green beans and focus on starches and proteins. Finally, the side plate was glazed in Aubergine, the splash of colour that our growing garden needs, contrasting with the green and adding warmth to the brown of Mitumba.

Mervyn Gers, owner and creator, says that “individualism has become more accentuated during the past two years, as has the use of colour to lift our moods and increase our dopamine levels. We’ve seen people expressing themselves more in the way they live, dress and decorate their homes. There has also been a move towards nature and the colour green”.

All products are fully functional, dishwasher and microwave safe, and handmade by the 48 staff employed in their Cape Town outfit.

I adored the customisation process, and the spark it had in dreaming about building our apartment, and our future. This bespoke service is perfect for design enthusiasts to take control of their eating arrangements. While Mervyn Gers products are already an exclusive and luxurious addition to your home, this offering is the way to reflect your tastes and personality through your tableware. Individuality is allowed to flourish through personalisation, adding your mark to your home and lifestyle, while also creating jobs and supporting a sustainable and conscious company.

Mervyn Gers has previously collaborated with Southern Guild and the Walter Battiss Foundation, for example, and can now count Wanted writer Declan Gibbon as one of the design geniuses behind, an albeit one-of-one, dinnerware range. 

• Mervyn Gers was founded in 2011 and is based in Cape Town.