Place Setting

“The Brooklyn Bridge is so compelling—it has been inspiring designers and artists since it was erected,” says Jennifer Carpenter, of Truck Product Architecture. A walk across the iconic structure spurred Carpenter to design her Bridges dinnerware collection, just released by Studio Nova. The pattern formed by the bridge’s crisscrossing steel cables became the modern motif encircling her porcelain plates, bowls, and mugs. Subtle, small rectangles placed at random intersections reference steel clips that anchor the cables. “My product designs are inspired by the practice of architecture,” Carpenter says. “I think about the details of construction and the way building materials come together. Sometimes the influence is also literal.” This is not Carpenter’s only reference to the urban environment; her first series of tableware for the company drew inspiration from building facades in New York. And though none are confirmed for production yet, china patterns informed by other renowned bridges are also in development.