Juliska founders David & Capucine Gooding blend old-world artisanship with modern technology to create chic tableware that invites guests to linger longer
When David and Capucine Gooding married, their custom china illustrated the Londoner and Parisian’s New York romance, including a hot air balloon hinting to a fairy-tale future. Twenty-six years in, and the starry-eyed couple has crafted a life of adventure and beauty.
As the founders of Juliska, David and Capucine produce luxury tableware that’s swish and sophisticated but never too serious. She breezily dubs their style “Franglais,” a blend of European heritage with American sensibility. Initially inspired by 17th-century Bohemian glassware that the pair found in Paris, the Juliska collection has expanded over its 24 years to include ceramics, flatware, linens, and decorative accessories. (That whimsical hot air balloon motif has even drifted into dinnerware, baskets, and salt and pepper shakers.)
David, whose business card wryly reads “Le Grand Fromage,” learned the industry from his father, an English tableware importer, but Capucine entered the business “blissfully ignorant.” As chief creative officer, she found the lack of a formal design education freeing. When the duo launched a dinnerware collection in their now iconic “Berry & Thread” pattern, every plate had a different design and shape. “At the time, an unmatched collection of textural ceramics was super scandalous,” she laughs.
That sort of in-the-clouds thinking has led to a number of innovative designs and techniques. “We’re the perfect blend of old-world artistry with modern technology,” says Capucine, who also produces Capucine De Wulf jewelry. In the early 2000s, the team pioneered a decaled stoneware that appears hand-painted but can stand up to everyday use. They’ve also cracked the secret to mouth-blown glass that’s dishwasher safe.
Sourced from artisans around the world, the Juliska line “has a soul,” continues David. Master glass blowers in the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Thailand craft all of the glassware. “Most of the manufacturers we work with are family businesses. The technical knowledge around each craft is passed down from one generation to the next,” explains Capucine. “Some of these relationships started 25 years ago on a handshake. We’ve grown up together.”
To the Goodings, Juliska represents more than just plates and punch bowls; the brand celebrates people. “Across cultures and generations, the place we create the most togetherness on a regular basis is around the table,” muses Capucine. “Whether it’s for a party or just Tuesday night, when you create a beautiful table, people will linger longer.”
New Territory: Juliska began in Connecticut and New York before the Goodings relocated the company headquarters to Charleston in 2021. “We moved 280,000 pieces of Juliska down from Connecticut in 90 tractor trailers,” laughs David.
Crowning Glory: Last year, Juliska opened its flagship store on King Street, which includes a table-settings studio for registry couples, an upstairs workshop area, and a small bar. The Goodings are exploring the idea of adding a café.
Retail: Juliska is sold through 700 stores around the country, including Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale’s. “We launch about 200 new products each year,” notes David.
Working Together: “We’re complementary opposites, but we have the same definition of the things that are important—love, parenting, success,” says Capucine.
Read Up: The couple released Together at the Table: Entertaining at Home with the Creators of Juliska (Abrams Books) in October 2022.
More: juliska.com
Photographs by (Portrait) Peter Frank Edwards & courtesy of (rattan balloon) Juliska & courtesy of Juliska
