Honoured in the Tabletop category
The expert jury of the German Design Award has named KUMO a Winner in the category Excellent Product Design, Tabletop. Following the Tableware International Award of Excellence 2026, this is the second award for SCHÖNWALD’s fine-dining collection. You can see the collection in the German Design Award online gallery.
It all began with a cloud
The first designs carried the project name “Clouds”. In her Berlin studio, designer Claudia Schoemig experimented with the traditional slip-casting process, creating organic silhouettes with cloud-like overlapping forms. Together with SCHÖNWALD, she developed this approach into a multi-piece Chefs Collection, drawing on her experience of working with top chefs. The name KUMO is Japanese and means “cloud”.
“The contours with their gentle outward curves create an elegant stage for contemporary cuisine and bring lightness and poetry to the table.”
– Claudia Schoemig, Designer
An interplay of shapes and textures
KUMO is defined by the interplay of organic contours, classic round shapes and contrasting surfaces. On selected plates, sandblasted matt areas trace the cloud-like contour and contrast with the glazed surface. Run your hand across it and you feel the change at once.
Together, the designer and SCHÖNWALD chose natural white Noble China as the material. It gives every piece a delicate, almost weightless look, combining the fine character of handcrafted work with the precision of industrial manufacturing.
“For me, KUMO is a design that feels alive because of its unusual design language. At the same time, the pieces have a calm, understated quality thanks to their reduced design, and that makes them timeless.”
– Claudia Schoemig, Designer
Room for culinary creativity
From amuse-bouche to dessert, KUMO accompanies guests through the entire menu. The reduced design lets the dish take centre stage and gives chefs the freedom to put their own signature on the plate.
“With KUMO, we deliberately set out to break new ground in fine dining. Claudia Schoemig has developed a distinctive design language that leaves chefs room for their creativity, so that guests enjoy a true experience at the table. Seeing this approach recognised for the second time is a very special moment for us.”
– Marina Selcik, Director Product & Brand Management, BHS tabletop AG
Experience KUMO live
The German Design Award show takes place on 29 January 2027 at Messe Frankfurt, marking the start of Ambiente. SCHÖNWALD will present KUMO there in Hall 12.1, Stand C69, until 2 February. Come and hold the cloud in your own hands, or discover the collection in advance on the KUMO collection page.
