Table Talk

There’s nothing like dining on a well-set table in the company of family or friends. City-based tableware designer Aparna Sharon Isa Dass realised that there’s more to food than just a well-cooked meal. A foodie at heart,the 26-year-old has worked as a wedding planner in Chandigarh,Delhi and Mumbai. However,the tableware — be it in restaurants,homes or stores — didn’t leave Dass too impressed. So she decided to take matters into her own hands,literally. This Sunday will see the launch of her label b(U)y Owwllee — a range of handmade tableware that includes hand-painted ceramic plates,teapots with cups along with table mats and runners. “The idea came when all I saw at restaurants and dinners were plain,drab plates and insipid table decor. I started customising plates with the names of brides and grooms for weddings,” says Dass. Working on themes and customised tableware,Dass is looking to include cutlery soon. In her collection,the plates with sketches showcase her sense of humour. The one with quotations such as “Arey o Samba,kitne baigan the” and “Ab tera kya hoga lobia” are sureshot conversation starters. “I am planning to market the products through my website and major online stores in India,” says Dass,who is in talks with Pottery Barn in the US for her earthern clay collection.

Currently,her products at available at Purple Rice and Peddlers in Sector 35,Chandigarh. As for the name of her label,Dass says,“Owwllee is a self-coined name taken out from the English depiction of being wise and sensible,someone who is up all night. I was christened the same by friends and family as I work all night.”