In The Roundhouse is a gorgeous tableware brand that produces unique, vibrant pieces like no other. With a range of colourways, themes, and shapes, the company has something for every setting, giving character to dinners everywhere.

Our EIC, Maria, spoke with Alyce Tran, co-founder of In The Roundhouse, about their new collaboration. Our attention was captured by the bold and colourful designs in the unique collections, and we wanted to know more about them and find out some pro tips on tablescaping from someone in the know!

Would you mind telling us a bit about your professional and business background?

In a nutshell, I started my career as a lawyer. I worked as a judge's associate upon graduating law school and then at two big law firms, Allens and Mallesons, and then landed at a boutique law firm, where I quite enjoyed the work and the hours weren't as gruelling. That was where I turned more attention to my first side hustle, The Daily Edited (TDE), which I was excited to be able to exit last year. I then thought I might relax a bit, work fewer hours, and focus on In The Roundhouse, which I am, in part, but I am also now working part-time as a brand strategist for LTK (formerly rewardStyle), which is the world's largest influencer marketing platform, as well as consulting on some interesting projects in the consumer space. I think I am the ultimate slashie!

What inspired the creation of In The Roundhouse? 

We felt there was a bit of a gap in the market with accessibly priced, well designed tabletop items with a real point of difference. At the time, I was putting together a lot of events and did find it difficult to find unique products to really set my tablescapes apart, so the business just made sense.

How did the collaboration with Rum Cake Studio come about? 

We see a lot of events where Rum Cake artwork is paired with our plates, so, again, it made sense to reach out to them to see if they would like to do something together.

Which designs were inspired by what? And what is the design process like for you? 

I often try to draw or create something myself and, if I find the work that I produce is a bit lacklustre, I immediately think, who can I collaborate with to get my vision across? I look at trends generally in fashion and think about how they can be translated to the product vertical we are in. So, for example, our cosmic gradient plates were inspired by the blur Loewe print!