Christmas is over, the new year has begun. Time to put away the reindeer plates and make room for something fresh in the cupboard. PLAYTS is the latest collection from Munich design studio Studio Sonntag, created in collaboration with Johanna Alscheken from the plant-based culinary studio eeeat.

The rimless ceramic plates come in round, oval, or square shapes with gently curved corners. Their soft pastel tones allow the real star to shine: the food. Whether it's sushi, pasticcini, or a simple slice of cheese on bread, anything that doesn't rely on sauce is right at home here. To me, PLAYTS is the perfect match for the first tulips on the table – a spring setting that lifts the mood with subtle color.

The moment I saw the collection, I immediately thought of the classic wooden snack board. Whether it’s a Brotzeit in Bavaria, a cheese platter in France, or a Ploughman’s Lunch in the UK, they all share one thing: a symbol of informal, shared eating. No cutlery required, just reach across the table, grab a bite, and share. PLAYTS taps into that same spirit with a design that is functional without looking functional.

There’s more to PLAYTS than good looks, as a conversation with Studio Sonntag reveals. The two designers have developed a clear design language in recent years – open, playful, and adaptable. Their work takes shape in the Munich studio, not behind a screen but among paper models, sketches, 3D prints, and material tests. Especially for PLAYTS, it was essential to work directly with the material. How do the edges feel? How do the shapes stack? When does a plate become an object?

For Studio Sonntag, a product is successful when it not only works in the moment but continues to prove its value over time. Their guiding principle is “Design that embraces change.” You can sense this in PLAYTS. The plates don’t just shine when serving food – they look just as good empty or stacked.

PLAYTS is the tableware for anyone ready to leave the ordinary behind. It may not be traditional, but that might just be its greatest strength.