A guide to Spode’s blue & white designs

A design classic, blue and white is a timeless colour combination that transcends trends and fills homes with a touch of enduring charm. A colour synonymous with Spode, we've been designing and crafting blue and white ceramics for 240 years since our founder, Josiah Spode, introduced the first commercially viable method for manufacturing blue pottery in England.

Perhaps one of the most famous blue and white tableware designs of all time, many of you will know of Spode’s iconic Blue Italian pattern, first launched in 1816. While this adored collection is still produced in our Stoke-on-Trent factory today, we continue to pay homage to our rich heritage with new blue and white designs.

Explore our current blue and white collections below and find your favourite:

Blue Italian was first designed and manufactured by Spode in 1816. Bought to life by Josiah Spode II, he took his father’s technique of blue under-glaze printing to create one of the most admired ceramic collections of all time. During a time when many wealthy, upper-class young men took trips through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, Spode found that the trend for oriental designs evolved into a desire for European landscapes and scenes. With this in mind, Josiah II created a design that was the perfect blend of the two.

The actual origin and inspiration of the Blue Italian design has puzzled collectors and admirers for many years. Spode engravers would often take inspiration from scenes that appeared as prints, and it now believed that the iconic design was based on a Claude Lorraine pastoral landscape of 1638 and paired with a Chinese-inspired border.

Blue Italian was an instant success when it was first launched and continues to be loved and used in homes across the globe, over 200 years after it was first designed. From tableware and serving pieces, to textiles and gifts, the Blue Italian collection features something for every blue & white admirer.

Inspired by the much-loved Blue Italian collection, Brocato offers a fresh take on the heritage design. Made to style alone or layer with Blue Italian for a beautiful mix-and-match tablescape, Brocato offers a pared-back alternative to the finely detailed design of Blue Italian.

Brocato features Blue Italian’s detailed Imari oriental border subtly re-imagined, but still in the iconic cobalt blue shade. The mesmerising design wraps around the curves of each piece in the collection, and is set against a clean, white background allowing the pattern to stand bold on your table.

Brocato is the perfect addition for adding a pop of blue to your setting. Give a gentle nod to your favourite shade with key pieces from the collection, such as dinner plates, side plates or rice bowls, or confidently layer with Blue Italian for maximalist style.

New for 2024, Steccato celebrates our love for blue and white and classic design. Continuing to follow in our founder’s footsteps, crafting ceramics with our renowned cobalt blue hue, we’ve blended craftsmanship with statement stripes to enhance our collection of blue and white designs.

Stripes in differing weights boldly adorn plates, bowls, and teaware so you can effortlessly embrace classic design to create an inviting tablescape full of personality. Made in the UK, just like Blue Italian and Brocato, the collection is playful, refined and unapologetically bold.

Steccato has been made to style alone, layering the different stripes for an on-trend setting, or in harmony with the flowing curves of Blue Italian and Brocato. The shapes of the plates across the collections are identical, allowing them to layer perfectly, with the contrasting designs coming together for a striking, yet beautifully balanced setting.