Hot Designer’s New Tableware Collection Makes its International Debut in Houston

Surrounded by the museum quality antiques and paintings that fill Courtney and Christopher Sarofim’s elegantly understated River Oaks home, the charming Adam Lippes allows that he is every bit as enamored of home decorating as he is of fashion design. Thus, it was no surprise that during this midday fete he was introducing his line of sophisticated tableware to a steady flow of A-listers.

“In my apparel, I am inspired by home with every collection, day in and day out,” he tells PaperCity. “So this is our first foray into having an actual collection for the home.”

That foray would be with London-based OKA, a staple of trend-setting Brits for two decades. It was a partnership born less than a year ago beginning with Lippes’ introduction to OKA’s creative director and co-founder Sue Jones. This pop-up in Houston was the premiere of his glowing porcelains and delicate table linens.

Jones, who worked in tandem with Lippes, jetted in from London to join the designer for the day that proved remarkably successful. The constant flow of ladies consumed loads of OKA merchandise and placed orders for the china and for Lippes’ fashions which were presented trunk show style in the Sarofim living room. Courtney Sarofim, a Lippes investor, sported the designer’s striking red silk jumpsuit with pussy bow tie.

“I have been in fashion and I know that the creativity of fashion can transfer to other parts of life. I knew that Adam was as passionate about the home as are we,” Jones says. “Our ethos is all about living and how to live it, lifestyle, entertaining, enjoying what you’ve got.”

With that shared mindset, the duo has created charming china patterns that can be mixed and matched. There is a colorful  floral and a more simple design in pieces that include plates, matching table linens, flatware, glassware, and more. The hand-painted patterns represent a modern take on old world Chinese export, Jones notes.

“We are talking about taking something historical and beautiful and bringing it into the 21st century,” he says.

Beyond the delicate beauty, the bone china is exceptionally user-friendly, even with the raised patterns and hand-painted details.

“What’s really exciting is that these are pieces to live with in your life day in and day out,” Lippes says. “They go in the dishwasher. They go in the microwave. You want to be able to live with things like this, not hide them in the closet.”

Indeed, Jones sourced a porcelain manufacturer that provides dishes for five-star hotels around the world, thus insuring the durability as well as the beauty of the product.

The tableware will be available online and through OKA stores in the United Kingdom this spring.

While the ladies were certainly taken with the china and orders were placed, they snapped up the luxury alpaca throws, desk accessories, flatware and much more. And that good day of business prompted Jones to observe, “We try and produce things that people didn’t realize they needed. And we want them ourselves. That’s another big mantra of mine. If we don’t really like it ourselves, we really shouldn’t be selling it.”

Joining the day was Caryn Lerner, who flew in from Dallas where she serves as president of OKA North America and  Wisteria, which recently opened a much-anticipated shop in Houston. Its founders sold Wisteria to OKA in September of 2018.