Lucia Plate & Bowl Set

I didn't notice until recently (when I started documenting most of my meals), that I use the same plates and bowls almost every day. In case you're curious, they are from Crate & Barrel's "Lucia" dinner plate collection. They are Italian-made earthenware ceramic embossed with a ring of ripe olive branches. According to C&B, "each piece is glazed creamy white with a hand-painted green and indigo relief pattern." Who knew? All I know is that I love these plates and bowls. A lot.

Photo courtesy of Crate & Barrel

The Lucia collection comprised a large part of our wedding registry and every time we received a shipment full of Lucia plates or bowls it was like getting presents on Christmas morning. Bryan originally said, "Explain to me WHY it is we need so many Italian bowls with olives on them???" but now he understands. Once or twice, he's even gone so far as to compliment how lovely our meals look in them. Maybe he doesn't say "lovely," but that's not important. Given the fact that we eat off of them every single day, he realizes that he might not get to eat at all if the meal isn't served on one of the Lucia plates.

The plates are dishwasher safe, come in various sizes (from a large serving platter to tiny olive bowls) and add a beautiful presentation to even the simplest of meals. They're really affordable, too, which is great. That said, now when you see the same bowls over and over again, you'll know where they're from and why we love them.