Chrome Is the Modernist Mideival Tabletop Trend for Fall

Rose gold maximalism? Out. Spartan Italian chrome coupes? Very in.

A new breed of Very Hip Dishware has been taking over the tables at some of my favorite restaurants, and it’s a far cry from the long handle ceramic cottagecore mugs of yesteryear, or even the color popping, bulbous dishware of Gustaf Westman that has been trending on TikTok. The new order of the day is a little bit moodier, minimalist, and always metallic:

The metallic and chrome-inspired dishware trend kicked off last year with metallic coupe glasses, which Eater’s senior reporter Bettina MakalintalI’s clocked in this article as the first wave of “simple silver vessels” becoming a fixture at “aesthetically minded Instagram tablescapes.” Were you even eating ice cream with olive oil and Maldon salt last summer, or sipping on an extra dirty martini, if it wasn’t in a sophisticated stainless steel coupe?

The chrome-like coupes were also filled with increasingly un-serious contents on my own Instagram feed; there were candied nuts, Flaming Hot Cheetos, and Fantasia Nat Sherman cigarettes (Mary-Kate Olsen’s ears are burning). There was an air of irreverence about it all, but the enjoyment also felt sincere.

Historically, metal does the absolute most with the absolute least in the home space. It was at the heart of the International Style design movement, which ran from the 1920s to the 1970s and favored tubular steel as a way of uplifting elegant, yet simple and affordable materials for the masses. Marcel Brueur’s iconic Wassily chair, for example, was inspired by his bike frame. It was the democratization of effortless cool — a marriage of style and functionality — and it continues today on the tablescape.

Last weekend, I was eating breakfast at La Cantine in Bushwick, and my espresso was served in what appeared to be the square-shaped cousin of these retro 1970s Italian Casalinghi espresso cups. “I love them because they look like they’re smarter than me,” I told my partner, who later remarked on the durable appeal of metallic plates, cups, and trays. And I have to say, it is nice to know that I could whip out some stainless steel espresso cups and play tea party with my nephew without having to worry about chipping a mug.

These Euro-maxing espresso cups are just one point of entry into mastering the chrome aesthetic for your kitchen. There are plenty of chic stainless steel dishes and bowls that look like they belong in Rick Owens’ Brutalist Italian apartment: