Surreal 'Porcelain Paper Plate' Reissued by SIN

Summary

• Designer Virginia Sin re-launched her Porcelain Paper Plate, first released in 2007, with a celebratory dinner in Brooklyn.
• The plate, an everlasting tribute to family-style meals and cherished memories, is permanently featured in the New York Historical Society Museum and the movie The Menu.

On the night of the Harvest Moon in early October, NYC-based designer Virginia Sin officially launched the reissue of her famous Porcelain Paper Plate 18 years after its release. Hosting a dinner led by Chef Austin Baker, at The Snail in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the designer marked the occasion with family-style meals served up on her playful porcelain creations.

Originally introduced in 2007, the humble design is inspired by memorable meals shared between family and friends, transforming the disposable party staple into an everlasting piece of tableware. “This plate is my tribute to the beautiful chaos of my childhood; of family-style potlucks, lovingly cooked Cantonese dishes served in disposable trays, and eight cousins fighting for a seat at the lazy susan,” said Virginia Sin, Founder and Creative Director of SIN, in an official statement.

“I want to honor those sacred, messy meals and transform something humble and temporary into something lasting and cherished,” she added.

Offered in two sizes and in a special Oyster plate variant, the pieces are completely handcrafted in SIN’s Brooklyn studio. In full porcelain and slightly scaled proportions, the reissue has a sturdier feel and deeper indentations, further resembling an actual paper plate. Much more than a trompe l’oeil conversation piece, the Porcelain Paper Plate collection is described as a “love letter to memory, family, and the overlooked beauty of the everyday.”

The plate is indeed far from overlooked. The original Porcelain Paper Plate, which incorporated environmentally friendly “paperclay,” received its first major accolade in 2008 when it won a Design Within Reach Sustainability Award. More than a decade later, the New-York Historical Society Museum acquired the Porcelain Paper Plate, the Oyster Paper Plate, and the Porcelain Mug for its permanent 21st Century Design Collection. In 2022, the plate played an unexpected role in pop culture, immortalized in the final dining scene of The Menu, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Holt.

From fine dining landmarks like Eleven Madison Park to civil institutions like the New-York Historical Society Museum, SIN’s pieces have been embraced by cultural tastemakers of various realms. However, at its core, the design represents the appreciation of life’s mundane moments and the connective power of shared memory.

Shop the reissued Porcelain Paper Plates at the official SIN webstore today.