This Either-Or Dish Set by by troels seidenfaden for magppie and available from Unica Home is insanely simple considering it's designed to serve two very different purposes: beautiful candle-lit centerpiece or classic serving dish. Made of sleek, tough, and timeless stainless steel, the set consists of three bowls, three tea light holders that double as lids, and a specially-shaped tray designed to hold them all in elegant style. A high-quality and uber-useful party staple for yourself, plus it could make a great gift for the friend or hostess who already seems to have everything. $158

This is a fun idea for a cocktail party. The Solitaire olive dish designed by Barnaby Barford and Andre Klauser for Thorsten Van Elten lets you play a little game while eating your hors d'ouevres, gradually working your way to clean plate victory. The dish holds 100 pieces and there are four wells that can be used for olive pits or other discards. This dish could probably work with any other small spheroid edible. It measures 7.9" x 7.9" x 1.2"h in glazed earthenware and sells for $55.

I realize there's a close association between the two, but this Moon Bowl definitely reminds me more of swiss cheese than it does the moon. This creation is white glazed porcelain and would make a beautiful centerpiece, and I can't help but think a great fruit bowl because of the obvious air circulation. Don't load it too full, though, or you'll miss out on the play of light and shadows. And whatever you use it for it should be a regal purpose because at 195,00 € it's a pretty pricey purchase!

Hmm, I really don't know how I feel about this War Bowl. Designed by Mosley meets Wilcox. It's representative of something, but you'll have to decide what it means to you. Created by melting plastic soldiers together -- half French infantry and half British artillery from the Battle of Waterloo -- the end result is a sad but interesting looking dish that I doubt anyone would actually use to keep anything in. It kinda looks like an accident to me, like a pile of children's play soldiers ended up getting melted somehow and ruined. It also reminds me of the "Fall of the Damned" lampshade and might look interesting placed directly beneath it...

When it comes to durability and timelessness in the kitchen very few things can compete with stainless steel, but the downside is that stainless steel dishes almost always have to sacrifice beauty for functionality. But that's not the case with this deep steel bowl by Simon Pearce. A brushed and traditional "stainless" look on the outside leads to the surprising shine and glisten of hammered steel on the inside. The combination makes for a nice mix of tough meets pretty, art meets function, you get the idea. $128.