Comparing japandi tableware: the brands at a glance
Japandi tableware is offered by several brands, each with their own approach: from large, factory-produced collections to small-scale handcraft. Below is a fair overview of the main players, and where we differ.
Villeroy & Boch
An established German brand with a long tradition in porcelain tableware. Villeroy & Boch produces at large scale, factory-made, with a broad range that goes well beyond japandi alone. Strong in consistency and availability, less focused on individual handcraft.
HKliving
A Dutch lifestyle brand with a wide range of interior products, including tableware in a playful, eclectic style. HKliving works with factory production at scale and targets a broad audience, not exclusively the calm, muted japandi aesthetic.
Serax
A Belgian design brand that often collaborates with well-known designers. Serax tableware has a strong design identity and sits in a similar price segment to handmade tableware, but is factory-produced from a design rather than shaped piece by piece by hand.
Marimekko
The Finnish brand is best known for bold, graphic prints — a different aesthetic choice than the muted, irregular look of wabi-sabi. Marimekko tableware is distinctly Scandinavian minimalism with colour and pattern, not japandi in the classic sense.
Where Wabi-Sabi Livingware differs
Our collections are designed in Spain and hand-shaped or hand-glazed by artisans in Turkey and China — no factory mass production. That means smaller batches, more variation between individual pieces, and a price that reflects the time of the craft rather than economies of scale. Read also why handmade tableware is more expensive for the full explanation.
Which brand suits you?
Looking for a large, readily available range with consistent quality? A brand like Villeroy & Boch suits better. Looking instead for irregularity, craftsmanship, and a smaller, more personal story behind each piece? Handmade tableware like ours is the better match.
Frequently asked questions
Is Wabi-Sabi Livingware more expensive than Villeroy & Boch or Serax?
It depends on the specific piece. Our individual pieces start at €9, comparable to or cheaper than many factory brands; complete sets can be pricier than a comparable factory set due to the handwork.
Is factory tableware lower quality than handmade tableware?
Not necessarily — it's a different kind of quality. Factory tableware is consistent and uniform; handmade tableware is unique per piece. See our explanation of material differences.
Which brand has the widest choice in japandi style?
Larger brands like HKliving and Villeroy & Boch have a broader overall range; we deliberately focus on five tableware lines plus Japanese coffee cups, all sharing the same wabi-sabi core.