Milan 2012: Dutch designers Scholten & Baijings showed a tableware set based on the archives of hand-painted porcelain company 1616 Arita Japan at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan last week.

The Colour Porcelain collection is decorated with three different levels of intensity, selecting traditional colours from the company's archives on the the pale grey background of natural porcelain.

Each set includes plates, cups, bowls, serving platters, candleholders, vases and a tea set.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile took place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here and see more images in our Facebook album and on our Pinterest board.

You can see all our stories about ceramics here.

Here's some more information from Scholten & Baijings:

At the request of 1616 Arita, one of the oldest (1616) Japanese porcelain manufacturers, Scholten & Baijings designed a very comprehensive porcelain service. The collection consists of three series: Minimal, Colourful and Extraordinary. In addition to exclusive plates, cups and bowls, each series also comprises serving platters, candleholders, vases and a tea set.

The distinctive Japanese Arita porcelain is renowned for its superb quality, where fine hand-painted decorations play a central role. The tradition of porcelain painting dates back to 1616, when the abducted Korean potter Yi Sam-Sam-Pyeong discovered a superior quality clay in Arita.

For the collection of 1616 Arita, Scholten & Baijings prepared a colour analysis involving historical masterpieces. Typical Japanese colours, such as aquarelle blue, light green, red-orange and yellow ochre, were the ones that played a prominent role.

These colours have been used individually in the new designs, but together they form the specific Arita colour spectrum. The results are layered colour compositions, executed in different shades of glaze, in combination with the natural porcelain colour. The latter has a special delicate grey-white hue, which makes it unique in the world.

The names of the series refer to the amount of colour, details and patterns used. 'Colour Porcelain - Extraordinary’ is the most elaborately finished version.

By applying the compositions to an extremely functional service, a splendid dialogue has been created between applied art and everyday use. The combination of this traditional craftsmanship and Scholten & Baijings’ recognizable signature style has resulted in a unique mix of Asian and European culture.