Jenna Schnuer | Liberty Garage | Russian Nesting Dolls | Thomas Paul

Leave the fine china in the cabinet, because designers are dishing up plenty of snazzy designs in the new material of the moment: melamine. You read right: melamine. No longer merely the stuff of baby’s-first-dish sets, plastic is in play for plates that range from whimsical to, believe it or not, elegant (well, as elegant as melamine can be, anyway). Here are six that serve a delicious dose of good taste, at home or on a picnic blanket.  — Jenna Schnuer

1 Pizza by Liberty Garage. $25 for a set of six plates. (562) 594-4595, www.libertygarage.com  2 Russian Nesting Dolls by Thomas Paul. $35 for a set of four plates. (866) 781-9494, www.velocityartanddesign.com 
3 Doo the Dishes by Pop Ink. $10 per plate. (269) 683-1100, www.mrfrench.com 
4 Barcelona by French Bull. $39 for a set of four dinner plates. (718) 433-2484, www.plumparty.com 
5 Square Orange Dinner Plate by Working Class Studio, a division of the Savannah College of Art and Design. $8 per plate. (912) 525-5180, www.shopscadonline.com 
6 Diner by Bob’s Your Uncle. $39 for a set of four plates. (866) 757-4463, www.store.shopshine.net