Villeroy & Boch Give Us A History Lesson
Villeroy & Boch isn’t just a name inside a china cabinet—it’s a quiet architect of taste that has threaded its way through arts and culture for nearly three centuries. While many legacy brands settle into their archives, Villeroy & Boch has spent its time rewriting the rules of porcelain, proving that tradition and innovation aren’t mutually exclusive. Their collaborations include pop art luminaries, avant-garde designers, and even a set of special chinaware designs for Vatican. If mastery of craft is an art form, Villeroy & Boch serves it effortlessly.
Founded in 1748, the company has been around long enough to tile the floors of Cologne Cathedral, outfit the Titanic, and supply the Vatican with its papal tableware (yes, that’s a thing). But longevity is only part of the intrigue. What makes Villeroy & Boch remarkable is its audacity. Throughout its history, the brand has worked with some of the most radical names in art and design—bold collaborations that have always been central to its identity.
Evidently, the table may be set, but the rules certainly aren’t—let’s explore how.
1892: The “Dresden Dairy”
Designed and executed by Villeroy & Boch in 1892, the Dresdner Milchladen was a masterpiece of historicist interior design. The “Dresden Dairy” was an ode to craftsmanship, wrapped in nearly 15,000 hand-painted tiles themed around dairy life. Every square inch—floor, wall, and ceiling—told a story. The image shown captures a faithful replica of the original interior, with walls, floors, columns, and counter composed entirely of decorated tiles.
1971: Helen von Boch & Federigo Fabbrini – The Sphere
Fast-forward nearly a century, and Villeroy & Boch entered its space-age chapter with The Sphere, a sculptural dining set dreamed up by designer Helen von Boch and Italian ceramist Federigo Fabbrini. Conceived in 1971, this 19-piece tableware sculpture blurred the lines between utility and art object. Its spherical form was radical at the time, almost utopian in its design ideology. Decades later, its spirit was reborn in La Boule, a modern reissue that feels right at home in minimalist kitchens and curated Instagram grids.
1975: Luigi Colani and the Future of Bathrooms
Few designers have reimagined domestic space like Luigi Colani. Known for his biomorphic, aerodynamic forms, Colani joined forces with Villeroy & Boch in the mid-'70s to completely transform how we view the bathroom. Their Colani Bathroom concept was more than a visual statement—it was a philosophical shift. They imagined the bath as a sanctuary, as well as a place of sensuality and wellness. The partnership helped pivot the sanitary industry from utilitarian to aspirational, inspiring decades of bathroom design to come.
1980–1990: Paloma Picasso and the Decade of Chic
During the height of postmodern glamour, Villeroy & Boch tapped Paloma Picasso to inject her signature verve into their tableware. Daughter of Pablo Picasso and a fashion icon in her own right, Paloma brought her bold, dramatic sensibilities to ceramics with a series of collections that ran for a full decade. Think rich color palettes, sensuous forms, and an unapologetic embrace of ornament, with its echoes of the '80s that still feeling remarkably fresh.
1980–2007: Vatican State – Papal Tableware
In a lesser-known but no less fascinating corner of its portfolio, Villeroy & Boch supplied porcelain to the Vatican. The brand created exclusive tableware for Pope John Paul II in 1980 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. While this wasn’t a “collaboration” in the trendy sense, it’s a testament to the house’s enduring reputation for craftsmanship of a quality high enough for the Pope himself.
1991: Keith Haring and the Everyday Icon
By the early '90s, Keith Haring’s world-famous graphic language of bold lines, radiant babies, and barking dogs had become one of the most enduring visual motifs around. In 1991, Villeroy & Boch translated Haring’s design into a tea service that brought his pop-expressionist style into a new medium. Known for democratizing art through street murals and subway drawings, Haring found in porcelain a canvas that was both intimate and permanent. The resulting set brought street culture into the home, a revolutionary step for Villeroy & Boch.
2003: Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin Chess”
There are only seven editions of Pumpkin Chess in the world, and each one feels like it belongs in a museum. Designed by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and manufactured by Villeroy & Boch in 2003, the chessboard and hand-painted porcelain figures—each stamped by Villeroy & Boch and signed by Kusama—reflect her signature polka-dot surrealism and lifelong fascination with repetition and obsession. The set is a hyper-specific fusion of Kusama’s deeply personal art and the house’s exacting ceramic craftsmanship.
Want to explore the Villeroy & Boch archives? Check those out here. Or, if you’re more interested in what they’re working on now, check out their latest here.
