Bernardaud and Sarkis: kintsugi tableware in red, black and white

Bernardaud has released a new tableware collection with artist Sarkis inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese ceramic repair technique that seals breaks with gold. The Limoges porcelain house, founded in 1863, translated the philosophy into fine porcelain in deep red, charcoal black and white, with fracture lines edged in gold leaf across plates, bowls and serving pieces.

Kintsugi treats broken objects not as failures to hide but as stories to honour, binding the pieces with precious metal seams that become visible. Sarkis has applied this language to Bernardaud’s forms: on red porcelain the gold fractures read as threads of light against crimson; on black surfaces they glow like scattered stars; the white inner faces remain unglazed, creating contrast between the textured outer rim and the smooth interior. A gold leaf spoon and fine serving pieces complete the set.

The collection marks Bernardaud’s continued practice of working with artists to expand what tableware can express. The red, black and white palette creates a table that feels both formal and immediate, designed to be noticed rather than to fade into background. Pieces arrive as festive gatherings begin, offering a different approach to entertaining: one that treats a broken object, deliberately repaired and made visible, as more precious than an unblemished original.

What emerges is tableware that refuses the sterile perfection usually demanded of luxury porcelain. Instead, each piece carries intention. A dinner plate becomes a meditation on repair. A small bowl for condiments or garnish holds the philosophy in its palm. The gold leaf spoon resting against blackberries or the white cream piped onto a dark red charger catches the same light as the crackled surfaces, creating a visual harmony that feels both carefully considered and entirely natural.

The colour palette itself matters. Red carries weight, tradition, festivity. Black grounds and deepens. White provides breathing room. Together, they create the foundation for a table that feels both ceremonial and contemporary. These are not vessels designed to disappear into the background. They announce themselves, demand attention, ask the person setting the table and the guest who sits before it to think about what beauty can mean.

Bernardaud has long understood that porcelain is not simply material; it is a language. The house has collaborated with artists and designers across generations to push what tableware can express. This collection with Sarkis continues that conversation, but with a distinctly philosophical turn. It is about objects that have been broken and mended, about the visible repair that becomes more precious than the original whole, about the idea that second lives can be more beautiful than first ones.

For those gathering around a table set with these pieces, the message is subtle but unmissable: beauty lives in what has been damaged and chosen, nonetheless, to continue. The collection arrives as the season of festive gatherings begins, offering a way to think differently about entertaining, about what we place in front of those we honour, and about the philosophy we are willing to let shine through.

Imagery courtesy of Bernardaud (@bernardaud).