Salt & Pepper Shakers

Earlier this summer, I designed a set of salt and pepper shakers, which got me thinking about my favorite designs over the years. It's true these little objects are a special obsession of mine; to me, they epitomize a designer's work, and you can judge any tabletop designer's worth by looking at his or her salt and pepper shakers, in the same way that you can judge a furniture designer's worth by looking at his or her chair. They are, to me, the ur-object in tableware design.

So what makes a great s & p set? Basically, there are only two qualities:

1. Simplicity.
2. The perfection of the complementary relationship between the salt and the pepper -- whether on a formal or conceptual level, or both.

By these parameters (seemingly so basic, but in execution rather difficult), some of my favorite examples include:

Scott Henderson's famous "Hug" s & p shakers:

Lola Goldstein's happy/sad creatures (previously sold in a limited edition at the MoMA store -- can't believe I hesitated):

For sheer fun factor, naughty Scottish artist David Shrigley's set:

And for pure formal beauty, I am a fan of these designs from Muji (complete with matching porcelain tray and miniature soy sauce pot) and Calvin Klein (two incredibly pure brushed stainless steel columns). I own both. :)

What are your faves?