One of the best things about design museums is that they usually have the best gift shops. I'll admit that there are a few museums whose shops I visit without stepping into the museum itself, and if I lived in Berlin the Museum der Dinge would easily make that list. Literally translated it means the Museum of Things, and with case after case filled with regular, everyday household items dating back to pre-WWI Germany—with a special focus on those designed by the Werkbund Archiv—it lives up to its name.
One of the many lovely things in the museum gift shop is Reline, a collection of recycled tableware by Anna Bormann, a Berlin-based designer who specializes in experimental domestic concepts and home objects, many of which are made from porcelain. For Reline she set about collecting vintage and antique white porcelain dishes and tea things. She then creates mismatched sets by printing a pink line and recycle symbol on each piece.
"The idea is to reuse and upgrade all the random, left over white porcelain cups and other dishes," says Bormann. "The simple vertical line is visible from most angles and gives an obvious indication of belonging to the different white set of parts. Once these different individuals are put together they become an original yet completely new tableware set, providing a unique atmosphere to the dinner table."
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