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The ubiquitousness of Asian design trends is an excellent example of this merging global market. Consumers in European and American markets continue to welcome Asian-inspired products, from tabletop to kitchen equipment to specialty foods. Retailers on both continents are creating East meets West-themed displays, while domestic and international manufacturers continue to feed demand.

Pullivuyt allowed Asian influences to transmute its traditional French whiteware designs in its new quartet plate selections. The rectangular dinnerware shape was pulled from the Pullivuyt archives and recreated for today's upscale marketplace. Scandinavian company SUM combined its European style with an Asian flair to create a functional, design-oriented product line complete with porcelain tabletop selections.

Since these introductions encompass the minimalism inherent to the Asian style, they can be used in combination with more traditional Western items to set any table. A new introduction from Rosenthal's Thomas Trend Factory division addresses the fusion of international food trends. The Loft line, an innovative basic white tabletop introduction, combines round, square, and oval forms in an 18-piece short set suitable for pasta, sushi, or fusion cooking.

Asian inspirations may still lead the marketplace in tabletop, but dinner services featuring white reliefs on white backgrounds were the other favorites for contemporary table settings. Conservative decoration in the form of platinum borders or simple graphic elements was very popular at the shows. That did not downplay colors — trendy colors such as ice blue, classic navy, new-growth green, and lilac decorated the table and the kitchen.

Appeal of Steel

Stainless steel in everything continues its run in the kitchen. The consumer demand for professional-looking kitchens helps drive this trend, as well as stainless steel being a material that evokes technology.

One prevalent design element in the European kitchen has been the use of steel — Europeans enjoy the industrial modern look of stainless steel, chrome, and other technology-driven materials, perhaps a welcome contrast to the more traditional dark wood and antique shapes and architecture they see in their daily lives.

Conversely, U.S. consumers, living in a country with a shorter history, lean toward a more traditional look, with deeper tones and darker woods — materials that provide them with the feel of something old. However, mixing media — wood, glass, and stainless for example — renders an easier transition, with wood anchoring the traditional side, and stainless steel or glass conjuring up the modern design elements. Also noticeable at the shows was a toning down of the high shine of stainless via an increase in brushed stainless steel looks.

This trend might best be represented by the name Italian manufacturer Mepra Spa gave its new line — Millennium Metal. The line, comprised of cookware, serveware, and flatware, features a brushed finish on 18/10 stainless steel.

At Emsa/Frieling, new serving trays with glass bottoms, rounded wooden handles, and stainless steel accents lend a modern elegance to table service and serve as a prime example of media being mixed to create stylish design.

The use of metallic treatments in tabletop extends the appreciation of all things stainless to the table. Presentations from Bormioli Rocco, Ritzenhoff, and Fratelli Guzzini illustrate the mixed media goal of bringing shine to the table. Bormioli displayed Platinum, a Studio line enhancing the Italian glass company's style with a trendy touch of silver. Fratelli Guzzini adds the stainless look to its traditional whimsically colorful line with Look, a line of serving accessories with a chrome treatment. Guzzini's thermal carafe illustrates another trend dominating the show — transparent materials reminiscent of the iMac translucent color series. Ritzenhoff's new bar collection combines platinum with colors for a trend-setting offering complete with step-back black-tie packaging.

The Luna espresso machine from DÜRKOP, distributed in the U.S. by The Smith Agency, Ltd., is a stainless steel unit that attaches itself to a wall, freeing up much-needed counterspace. Water is available for brewing and steaming from a glass bottle clipped to the unit. Cups can be stored atop the wall unit, and when coffee is being brewed, they sit on a tray beneath the porta-filter.

English kitchen scales measure out a sleek Euro feeling. Salter's range expanded to include several thin, sleek brushed stainless steel models, so slick they could almost serve as decorative kitchen counter pieces. For even more sleekness, stainless steel scales with the ability to be integrated into kitchen counters were presented.

The stainless look extends from gadgets to small electrics right on down to kitchen storage and cleaning products. CanWorks presented several new stainless steel step cans in both shiny and brushed stainless. The can's opening is more oval, providing enough space for trash, but taking up less kitchen room. Other design features include a recessed toe kick that provides a bigger platform for opening, and a handle in the back that provides for easy moving.

Utilitarian design was also displayed. For instance, Tramontina's light-wood folding knife block with stainless steel accents has a hinged two-piece design that enables it to stand on the counter, fold flat into a drawer, or hang on the wall.

Further accessorizing with stainless can be accomplished with Henckels's popular Twin Select knives. Their stainless steel handles add a sleek techno-look to knives designed for maximum performance.

Tweaking the Design

Perfection in design complemented by perfection in function has always been endemic to European design. Now, more than ever, new technology helps drive this design. Tweaking products for improved functionality is a continual goal of manufacturers. Emsa's new salad spinner is a good example. Fashion-wise, its stainless steel bowl with colored top epitomizes current design trends. Additionally, the spinning mechanism function allows the lettuce to be washed and dried using a unique yo-yo system. The spinning action ensures the leaves are agitated, thoroughly cleaned, and then dried. A smaller bowl can be placed inside to clean and dry more delicate items such as berries.

SCANPAN introduced the next generation of cookware, incorporating two new elements in their successful line of nonstick cookware. First, the change in the surface structure increases the food-release properties of the nonstick. Secondly, the handle's ergonomical design almost makes it an extension of the arm, thereby permitting the user to more easily control the pan.

One of the newest garlic press innovations comes from Moha of Switzerland. Designed to make cleanup easier, the screen through which the garlic is pressed is removeable for cleaning. The same concept is used with the new Moha cheese grater — the grater can be slipped out of its slot for quick and easy cleanup.

Also, Bodum presented a garlic slicer in which the garlic cloves are placed in the bottom of a polycarbonate jar. The top's rotating mechanism is screwed in and cranked to turn the slicer in the unit's bottom. The result — delicately thin, sliced garlic.

At the retail level in Europe, manufacturers such as Henckels or WMF have their own company stores within which they merchandise and romance their products in a specific lifestyle theme. Beyond their own retail stores, many European manufacturers have set up "Shops-Within-A-Shop." WMF is attempting to adopt that concept in the U.S. The company is planning to have WMF-trained staff on hand to ensure all products are properly merchandised to customers.

For retailers unable to dedicate space to an entire shop-within-a-shop concept, companies such as Pedrini have created vignettes for retailers to better merchandise their products. Pedrini chooses similar products, challenging retailers to sell products through a theme. "Everything for Eggs" and "It's Time for Timers" are two examples of vignettes in this successful program.

One slice of life in the U.S. that has prompted the introduction of products is the resurgence of the cheese course. Cheese-related gadgets, including a cheese cutter, a Parmesan knife, and graters, were showcased by Rösle. Likewise, Wüsthof debuted a program of cheese knives — one for soft cheese, another for hard, and a third for Parmesan cheese. At Küchenprofi, a cheese knife with a cut-out of the word "Cheese" appeared on the blade.

Hopping on a plane to discover Portuguese ceramic, porcelain, and glassware at Ceremax, the Portuguese gourmet/tabletop products exhibition, isn't an everyday event. Retailers can't always make the journey to this beautiful, friendly and artisan-filled country.

To overcome this problem, Portuguese manufacturers, recognizing the importance of the American market are, with help from their government, beginning to journey to the U.S., as well as make a more concerted effort to bring modern designs to their traditional wares.



Developing Partnerships

Portugal offers the American market resources for a wide range of lifestyle products. Factories from Alcobaca to Rio de Mouro to Caldas da Rainha abound with home textile, ceramic, porcelain, and flatware products.

A conversation with designers and importers illustrates the time it takes to forge relationships, bring a product from prototype to consistent inventory, and relate to foreign companies the importance of timely deliveries. Fair International of Lisbon (FIL) Exhibitor Director Fatima Vila Maior is aware of the importance of those relationships and has witnessed the efforts exhibitors have made to establish relationships in the American marketplace on their own.

"While we have focused on the wholesalers and designers coming here, there are a lot of Portuguese companies who are now developing their own product for the American market. They understand the importance of developing items for specialty shops who have a specific target consumer," she said.

Vila Maior is working with these companies to provide them with better opportunities to reach partnering companies, educate them about the need for marketing support, and encourage them to showcase their wares with style.

"To make a partnership, we need to know our partner. You can develop the right relationship with the right partner by understanding each other's philosophies. Ceremax is very important because retailers can see who is the right partner," Vila Maior said. "The Portuguese companies have seen great development in the past two years. The interest in design and trends in their collections is apparent."

Ceremax, held annually each February, gives manufacturers the opportunity to show designers and wholesalers what they can do for any market. Products exhibited exemplify the diversity Portuguese companies are capable of producing — from porcelain, stoneware, red pottery, and glass to crystal, cutlery, pewter, brass, forged iron, cork, and home textiles.

This year's event proved to be Portugal's largest exhibition with more than 500 companies from all over Europe participating. Portuguese trade officials have modernized the show by moving to a newly created exposition space — Parques das Naçoes, the spacious and modern FIL premises on Lisbon's waterfront.

"There has been a big improvement in the quality and content of the show over the past two years," said Pedro Santos of the Portuguese Trade Commission (ICEP).

Nowhere is this improvement more evident than on the exhibit hall floor where stylish, functional products sparkle, alive with color and design.



American Marketing

Many differences exist between the European and American markets, not simply in product styles, but also in marketing and retail philosophies. Combined, all of them provide a rocky foundation on which to build a relationship. But those who put in the time and effort find themselves returning to Portugal annually to discover and rediscover the versatility and artistic abilities of Portuguese craftsmen.

Armed with the knowledge of the requirements for developing product for the U.S. market, both the Portuguese government and many factories are consolidating their efforts and creating marketing plans suitable for the U.S. playing field. To that end, considerable improvements have been made to the products' quality and design and an explicit trademark conferring distinctive prestige and a quality guarantee has been created.

One example of these consolidated efforts is MGlass, a brand identity formed to support 25 Portuguese glass-making factories in the Marinha Grande glass-making region. Vitrocristal, ACE, who initially acted as an intermediary between the government and individual glasswork companies, formed MGlass in 1999 as a strategic initiative to promote the companies as a unified group.

The project actually began in 1994 with a study of the glass-making region, and a major financial investment to identify quality craftsmen, upgrade factory equipment, and provide professional design training to distinguish Portuguese products from the competition. The result was the debut of the region's first collection in 2000 and a comprehensive catalog introduction for 2001.

The 2001 Marinha Grande MGlass collection has four style lines and the pieces in the collection demonstrate the coming of age of Portuguese glass design.

Aimed at the upscale market, the lines are: Signal'Ethic, Subver'Chic, CinÓptic, and Latin Optimistic. A hip, versatile collection of design-oriented product, it is geared to translate positively to the American market. A grand 2001 exhibition schedule, which included both Ceremax and Ambiente, demonstrates the group's aggressive marketing strategy.

The government's own pocketbook is behind a similar strategy. The Portuguese Trade Commission is planning its first American showroom presence at 225 Fifth Avenue where it will exhibit tabletop and textile products.

The Vista Alegre Group is another example of a combined manufacturing force whose main directive is to strengthen its global presence. This combination of porcelain and ceramic manufacturers represents six porcelain factories and the Cerexport Group, an oven-to-table stoneware manufacturer with two factories. Recently, Vista Alegre stepped up its efforts — it formed a recent minority partnership with Spode/Royal Worcester by becoming a 25 percent shareholder in Spode/Royal Worcester's recapitalization.

Jim Barch, president of Royal China & Porcelain Companies, Inc. which distributes Spode/Royal Worcester in the U.S., said the companies are reviewing distribution and combined product development programs.

"We're determining how to work together with joint distribution and product development on a global basis," Barch said. At press time, U.S. distribution of Vista Alegre product was being handled by Mottahedeh (Vista Alegre) and Zrike (Vista).