3 OF A KIND

Serve up a winner with these refined takes on the ubiquitous salad servers by three local talents

Ceramic salad servers

DESIGNER: Daisy Cooper After growing up in rural Scotland, a trip overseas led Daisy to create her own range of ceramics, inspired by the natural surrounds of both her childhood and life in Australia. Each piece is handmade in a Melbourne workshop in Brunswick East. “I’m always looking for colours, textures and shapes in nature,” says Daisy. “With these servers, I’ve kept the exterior raw to showcase the texture of the clay with a pocket of glazed colour, just like a geode.” Her design process always begins with a ball of clay, sourced in Australia, which is then pinched and slab-built into the shape she needs. After a day of drying, the piece is shaped and refined before being left to dry again, fired, glazed and fired again. “Each piece is then sanded down so it’s smooth to touch, but retains that little bit of texture,” she says. “My salad servers are functional for everyday use, but also beautiful enough that they can be put on display and admired for their beauty.” $88/set, daisycooperceramics.com.

‘Big Spoons’ servers

DESIGNER: Alison Jackson Silversmith Alison grew up tinkering in her Dad’s workshop as a kid, discovering a love for metalwork after taking a jewellery class after school. From there, she went onto the ANU School Of Art to study Gold and Silversmithing before starting her own practice. From her studio on the outskirts of Canberra, she and her small team – a part-time assistant and her partner, Dan Lorrimer – create everything from jewellery to tableware and one-off objects. “Our tableware is all made from stainless steel. It’s so strong and durable, and super easy to look after,” says Alison. “The Big Spoons are fantastic as a set to use for salads, but just as good for picking up roast vegies and rice, or whichever food they make sense with.” The shape needed to be both useful and beautiful. “The deep curve is perfect for scooping up all the mix from the bottom of the bowl, especially those tiny tomatoes! If you reverse them, they’re great for serving up flatter dishes,” she says. $165/set, alisonjackson.com.au.

‘Curve’ salad servers

DESIGNER: Christian Hall After studying visual art during the 1990s, designer Christian turned his hand to creating items that were both sculptural and functional. His salad servers are crafted from a piece of laser-cut stainless steel, which is finished, polished, handformed into the final shape and powdercoated. “I work with stainless steel a lot,” says Christian. “It’s strong and can be surprisingly lightweight, and has excellent corrosion resistance. The name Curve invites the user to imagine the making process – it’s basically a single piece of steel, curved.” Christian was inspired by designer Gerald Summers’ Bent Plywood Armchair, which is crafted from a single sheet of plywood that is cut and bent to form the chair. “I’ve always admired that seamless integration of material, production, form and function,” he says. This same approach is applied to his servers. “I love the way the servers nest in the drawer and feel in the hand, and the way the salad dressing simply falls through the slot, rather than over your hands and the table!” $95/set, jamfactory.com.au.